Hello my dear friends,
Do you have any idea how much time we use up with art-related things without making art ourselves? Be it the hours we spent on pinterest or instagram in search of inspiration, or watching how-to videos on youtube, visiting inspiring art blogs and spending hours scrolling through their wonderful articles and photos, or getting excited over an online art workshop (buying the thing and never get to finish or even start with it). Any idea?
May be I even don't wanna know the answer for myself, because my goodness could I have used a big portion of that time to actually DO something with all that inspiration! Here's a great quote I found on the blog of Roben Marie Smith:
“The potential to be an artist is there in each of us - consistent creation is what helps unleash all that possibility.
Read her awesome article about creating art consistently HERE.
A great tip is to get offline more often and search for inspiration in other things than pinterest or instagram.
In my case, nature is my muse. I know that my soul gets more alive when wandering through a beautiful landscape and soaking in the majesty and paying attention to the small details.
What's yours?
Get out there, be inspired, and go create!
You already know what to do and how to do it.
Now do it.
(I'm so talking to myself here as well!)
Wishing you a beautiful day,
xx Wen
I do get the urge to create once in awhile, usually from outside inspiration. I create a flurry of one thing and then I move on. It satisfies my creativity that way!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear you found a way that works for you AnnMarie and that satisfies your creativity. That's so wonderful! xx
DeleteHello my dear, thank you for the wake up call,--- you are so right, and I need to do just that.....only seems so difficult, when we also wants to give credit to our artist friends, blogging and on fb, and ...... so on. So much to do online,- and I don`t know exactly where to start ,LOL-
ReplyDeleteYour page is so beautiful Wen, did you draw the deer ? I love and the "world" around it.
Thank you for your kind and clever words, to us. I send you loving hugs . Dorthe xxx
I know sweetie, there is so much to do, online as well as offline. Being the generous soul you are, it can be hard to claim some time and space for yourself. But don't forget that you're so import too, you matter so much! With your creativity you can bless both others and yourself. Sending you big hugs, and wishing many a happy creative hour! Thank you for your sweet words dear friend, and yes, I painted that deer myself :) Love xx
DeleteI totally agree, nature is a wonderful muse. Going hiking and taking photos is one way I recharge as well. Sometimes my inspiration comes from other's, but I do not spend any real time looking around on Pinterest anymore - it just eats up time. But I do Pin my own projects for others to find. I love your quiet blog with reflective thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThank you Carole, you really made my day with your sweet comment. So good that you are able to not spend any real time looking around on pinterest, because I think that it is or can be a huge trap for many of us. It's so tempting to keep surfing the beautiful photos and projects and stories we find there, but in the meantime forget to live our own creative life (or any other life you'd rather be living). I do get lots of inspiration from it though, inspiration that I need to grow. Just with a time limit :) Sending you big hugs xx
DeleteGood morning...
ReplyDeleteWhat you shared is so true. It was a good reminder. Your little deer is sweet. I always love stopping by to read your posts. They have a raw beauty and authenticity about them. Thank you! I do hope you"re doing well.
Blessings,
Tamara :)
Aww thank you Tamara! That is so sweet of you to say :) Big hugs and wishing you well, xx
DeleteI can relate, especially money spent on supplies that just sit there. I find it hard to maintain my interest in my ideas.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I have either tons of ideas or none at all. When I have ideas and sit down to work on one, I have all those other ideas asking for my attention and I drift off from what I was working on, loosing my interest. Focus! :) xx
DeleteLove your painting, Wen. I agree. Nature is a wise inspirationilist as well, I believe, it renews the spirit.
ReplyDeleteI'm off to read the article. thank you.
Thank you sweetie :) And like you I feel that nature renews my spirit. Big hugs xx Hope you enjoyed the article!
DeleteFalling down the rabbit hole on pinterest is definitely a time-sucker! I spend altogether too much time being inspired by that place and then letting it all go to waste by not acting on what I've seen. My problem is that I suffer from too much curiosity and don't want to miss out seeing something great - when my time could be SO much better used if I were to spend it CREATING something great (or even mediocre!!).
ReplyDeleteYes exactly, me too! I'm so curious as well! And I just keep soaking in the beauty I see. It's just that it's a waste if we don't do anything with it, like you said. xx
DeleteI get a lot of inspiration through nature, the layering textures and colors. Love your deer, beautifully drawn!
ReplyDeleteI do agree I spend probably more time then I should on all the on line stuff
Thank you so much Connie! And I always love seeing your beautiful nature inspired cards. xx
DeleteDEAR SWEET WEN, THANK YOU for validating my experiment and for saying to everyone what I begrudgingly admitted to myself a few weeks ago. I finally acknowledged that voice whice kept knocking at the back of my brain, the voice I was burying when I thought I heard it...."You have spent SO much time and SO much money looking for the 'thing' that is already inside of you!" It's true, I had no idea what I needed and I WAS wasting time trying to find inspiration. Inspiration comes from within when we experience, observe or interact with our environs, wherever or whoever they happen to be. With great trepidation, I stopped creating; put away my supplies, gathered up my sketch books and journals, left all of it on my table and closed my work room door. I made a trip out to purchase a brand new journal and began the HARD work of experiencing my life as it came to me making detailed notes in my journal about everything I noticed, heard, smelled, felt. tasted. One day I was so dry, the only thing I could write in my journal was about the clothes I had worn that day! The good news is I began feeling some creative buzzes unlike I'd felt in years. I made notes in the margin (very brief) about future projects. I have discovered interest in things I had paid no heed to in the past. I had promised myself I would not go back into my work room until October 1st. I'm looking forward to that day!! Meantime, I'm recording each day in as much detail as possible and have also promised myself that whenever I leave my confines for any reason at all, my journal is coming along.
ReplyDeleteDear Judy, you're so welcome! I'm happy to hear my blog post helped you in feeling validated in your experiment. (Not sure if I put the words right here, since English is not my first language, but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say here.) Finding inspiration by watching the work of others is perfectly fine, but if it keeps us from finding inspiration from within because we don't take the time to work and experiment, then it's a shame, isn't it? I hope your journaling experiment and taking a break is going to pay off for you, that you will find your own true voice and inspiration again and will happily create from within yourself. Wishing you good luck and lots of creative joy! Hugs xx
DeleteI am definitely guilty of spending too much time being inspired and not being creative. My muse is usually off somewhere doing "who knows what". I do love music and find it motivates me when I am being creative. Lovely post with great information. Thank you <3
ReplyDeleteMusic, yes, that's a good one too! Music really helps creating a mood or atmosphere, a line of text that inspires, and so on. Great one, Sherry, thank you! Hugs xx
DeleteI am not good in art, but I have been told that I have good taste in art. This deer is just gorgeous, very creative! And your photos are beautiful! Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. Thank you so much for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your sweet comment Linda :) Big hugs xx
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