Truly, I’m struck by how the smallest minutia proliferates into grand artistic stimulation when I’m in a “creative mode”. In continuation from my previous post, I’ll offer up a small sampling of such “creative catalysts” in hopes that you will avail yourself to them as well! These are some of my muses:
1. the form of a shell or stone picked up during a walk on the beach; organic contours from leaves or twigs fallen to the ground in my yard. Make a point of taking frequent creative "field trips", even if it is just a walk around the block with fresh eyes.
2. the hues delivered by a sunset at day’s end (unusual combinations, ever changing, deepening and then fading to black). The sunset, in my mind, is an awe inspiring close of each day to humble you and remind you of the ultimate artistry of God in nature and creation. This shot is taken from our living room window. Who needs a t.v. when you have this sort of divine entertainment?
3. the lyrical laughter of my capricious 9 year old daughter (delightful, infectious, and altogether cheering; and doesn't that face just promote the merits of being uninhibited, liberated and free-spirited? My daughter, Victoria, is a living lesson of that.)
4. the feast of imagery in the latest Living, Home Companion, Lucky, Domino, or other periodical featuring exceptional photography and lavish products. A robust list of subscriptions keeps me in the know even when I'm unable to leave my studio for weeks and maybe months on end.
5. the well dressed windows in the streets of NYC (or in closer proximity to me would be the well dressed windows of Fashion Island); I snapped the photo here of the windows at the rightfully infamous ABC Carpet & Home store when we were in NY this last spring exhibiting at Surtex.
6. melodies and lyrics masterfully woven together in a piece of music (my expansive list of favorites span the gamut so I won’t even begin to name any here). Courting your creativity through triggering all your senses (not just sights, but also sounds and smells!) will help bring the awakening you need to be artful.
7. an excerpt from a Sonnet by Shakespeare or Keats or Browning (the poetic devices of well articulated language conjure all manner of imagery to my brain!). Perhaps you are not a big fan of poetry but are more stimulated by the novel or short story. Whatever your preference, indulge in literature, it will transport you.
8. a day's outing to a flea market where the vendors’ array of everything from transferware to old worn Aubusson rugs to architectural salvage will satisfy your craving for things old and worn and with stories to tell. Days spent antiquing with my dearest friend, Jenny, are favorite memories! (I'll never forget the two of us lugging a cast iron, claw & ball footed tub around the Santa Monica Flea Market so that it could untimately find a place of prominence in Jenny's garden back home.)
9. the shapes, textures, and shades in the blooms in my garden (especially delphinium, foxglove, hydrangea, and all variety of salvia and penstemon); the bloom seen here is from the morning glory that entwines an arbor that graces the front of our studio cottage.
10. an outing to a gallery or museum where the works of others will spur you on; communing with other artists (or at the very least, their art) will inspire you. The tease of glorious artwork here is from Boticelli's Primavera.
**Helpful hint: have a camera ready (like a stealth little Elph in your purse) to document and catalog these visual stimulators for indexing or putting into a raw artist's journal. Later you will find referencing these photos invaluable when you are feeling a bit creatively dry and lacking for "creative catalysts".
