Things that inspire- what does that mean to you?

What inspires you? I am often asked that question. The " normal" response would be nature, the people around me and my life situations and those things are all true, but there is also something that keeps me going, that keeps me excited to keep doing it again. There is something that is stirred deep inside that makes creating art so satisfying.  It's more than the painting itself, the paint to paper is only a small part of the magic.

I put together a few questions that I think might help you zero in on what inspires you and what takes your inspiration away.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself. There are no right or wrong answers.

1. Is it the planning or the finishing of a piece that is most exciting?

2. What makes you happier, giving something away to a grateful receiver, selling something or doing something for yourself ?

3. What excites you to action, a scene, a color, the lighting, a subject, make a short list of things that have excited you into creating art in the past few months.

4. What things steal your groove, zap your creative energy and make you feel defeated?

5. What areas of your art leave you frustrated and feeling inadequate?

 

Here are some of my thought about myself.

1. I love the planning or designing phase of art. My mind has so many ideas that for me it's not coming up with a project that is challenging but the execution and completion that is most challenging. 

2. it is the excitement of seeing the face of a client when they buy a piece of my work that thrills them. It is a phone call of thanks from a card I have sent someone or the excitement on the face of my granddaughters when they try on a skirt I have sewn them. So my happiness comes from sharing artwork. Whether that is posting online and reading comments, sending art cards, teaching or exhibiting. For me art is best when shared. When I sell a piece I get a feeling of worth and I feel that my art is valued. When I share my art for art sake I feel blessed and satisfied that I am sharing a gift only I can give.

3. I love color and value! I love extreme lighting that allows for a glow. The subject is secondary, it's capturing something special. I also love to tell a story, the story can be the best part of art for me. For myself I know I also get great joy in having something published and seeing my hard work in print. It can be a painting in a magazine or book or It is handling and feeling the fabric I designed on paper come to life as fabric. It's the excitement of sharing my story with others.

4. For myself I think social media can do two things, it can inspire or create anxiety. I love to see what other artists are doing and creating but with that said I can easily be overwhelmed and start to compare myself and my accomplishments with other artists which is only defeating and feeds that negative voice I fight to keep quiet. I also find that being too isolated can make me unproductive. Keeping a balance of art and work and other outside activities helps me stay energized. I also believe in eating well and pampering myself by indulging in good things for me instead of bad.

5. Frustration comes from over committing and a lack of production. I needn't I make the time to make the art. Filling my day with the sand leaves no room in my day for the big rocks of production. 

So take a minute and ask yourself what is it that lights your creative fire and identify the things that are counterproductive. When we take time to identify the things that make us excited and the things that take away our muse we can better equip ourselves with the tools to combat those dry periods in our life.I would love to hear from you! What is it that makes you excited to do your art? I want to know!

                                     

 

Wasted time-getting my mojo back

Since returning from market I have been busy with things but nothing constructive or creative. The paperwork part of business is always a creative killer for me! By nature I am a procrastinator so making list with deadlines is important for me to stay focused and get things done. So the combination of paperwork, housework, the let down after market makes it hard for me to get my momentum back. I find that I know I need to get started but just can't seem to talk myself into action these days. I find other things to waste my time and flit from one to the other without really accomplishing anything. Then if I happen to start a game on an electronic device, forget it, I can loose precious time without noticing. Then there are the excuses of why I can't get to things, always playing in my head, reassuring myself that the reasons are valid and some are but......

It's time to get busy and grab those moments and make each one count! I found that by making a weekly list and revising it each Monday morning was perfect for me. It listed all the things I wanted to do that week with deadlines dates for each. As I finished a project they came off my list and new ones were added. By keeping a list I was able to see my accomplishments and where I needed to work harder. It also made sure that things got finished on time but sadly made me have to let other things go so I could reach my goal. I used to think I could do it all but maybe I can't!? Anyway, by sharing this with you I hope that you can relate a bit and hold me accountable. Do any of you face these issues, the ups and downs of consistently being creative and productive? What things do you use to procrastinate and how do you avoid them? What helps you get your muse back? 

I took a walk which always inspires me, love theses wild thistles!

Lets have a Thumbtack Thursday where we pin up something we got down creatively that week! My creative business thing is adding product to my new website so it can finally launch! Then on a purely creative level I am making a block for a comfort quilt for someone who's sick and I designed a pattern for my new fabric line, what are you guys doing this week!? INSPIRE ME!