What Inspires You

Going back to this idea about inspiration, the nice thing about working on taxes this month (yes, I waited until April) is that it gave me pockets of time where I was focusing on an isolated task that didn't involve artwork in any way. You know, a big part of creativity (for me? for everyone?) is the part where you aren't actually creating anything... I like to think of it as the digestion period.

In creating, I love the part that involves looking at and exploring new and favorite artists.
I love the part that involves long hours of aimless drawing, preferably in a pool of sunlight, with a tea or some coffee.
And we all know that fire that grabs you when you're running with an idea, fully realized, dedicating a day or afternoon or very late at night sprinting elated to the finish, revising along the way, or picking up an old theme and rebuilding upon it. For me, those are the most energized times, driven.

Currently, though, I'm just floating along, enjoying a steady flow of doodles and sketches awaiting their turn, all having been conceived during the crunching of numbers, sifting through papers, and leafing through the tax forms of 2007. Such a surprise! : ) As you can tell from my posts over the last month or so, my mind hasn't been settled enough to draw. I've been working on other things, and enjoying taking photos, but its very satisfying to feel inspired to draw again.

While I'm on the subject of inspiration, I would like to mention the most recent blog I've come upon. The illustrative Amy Walsh of Gocco and Etsy fame has a very stirring and peaceful blog by the name of
w o n d e r c a b i n e t. Check it out, not only is her work jaw dropping and varied but she talks a lot about process and the details involved in her complex works.

In shop news, I am still working on the clothing, in case I close and then re-open while in Massachusetts before the trip. There was a fun little rush on the iron-on sheets in the shop at the beginning of the week, too. Yay! I've got to go back and revise my photos, however, now that it is sunny here again. The onesies aren't grey. Seriously.