Looking for inspiration is a constant creative practice. When I find something that moves me, I let it sink in and then I think about what it is that moved me so deeply. * In Nick Bennett’s video of potters James and Tilla Waters, I am struck by two things.

First is the sensuality of the pottery experience. As though we were the potters themselves, we feel the light in the room, listen to the birds, feel the clay in our hands and the heat of the fire. We appreciate the pleasing visual shapes, subtle colours and interesting patterns. We can imagine the weight of the mug in our hands. What a beautiful reminder that the arts speak to all of our senses.

The second is the level of care put into this piece, which no doubt represents the level of care put into every piece these potters create. In this I am reminded of devotion to one’s craft and also the willingness to slow down time in order to be present with the task at hand.  Suddenly I feel less like rushing and bounding between projects and more like pouring my soul into one thing.

We all find different inspirations. In looking at the title of the video, I see the director was inspired by the sense of satisfaction that is created when this care and work is done.

What about this short film inspired you?

*This is the way I gather and explore Inspiration in my Studio Yearbook each day.  This practice invites me to engage in the world creatively and to discover what it is that calls to my creative heart. I

One of my practices is actively looking for inspiration.  Every day I open up my awareness to the creative sparks available all around and I gather to me. I make note of them in my Studio Yearbook. They are my teachers. Some sparks become ideas that turn into projects. Some sparks open my mind to something new. Some sparks confirm my suspicions. All contribute to my creative life.

Watching this video about young sculptor Callum Donovan Grujicich came on the heels of my decision to restart my Studio Diaries.  For years I have been searching for the “right” format for this creative push inside of me and finally I remembered this:

The form will be revealed as you are doing the work. Not before.

This was reinforced when I heard Callum say, “I had to figure out how to make them because I had never seen anything like this before. After a while they evolved into what I make now.” Right. When you are doing something brand new, you have to figure it out. There is no recipe or road map but the treasure at the end is that you will have created something uniquely and powerfully you.

I was also struck by Callum’s statement: “I find it more interesting to put a bunch of different materials together.” His work developed as he followed what interested him. Thank you for the reminders, Callum.

What interests you right now?

What creative impulse are you willing to follow, even if you don’t know where it’s leading?

Studio Diary, July 9, 2017

“What I am trying to do is not be advertising. Advertising tells you exactly what it is, what it does. It has no ambiguity.” Shirazeh Houshiary (And oh… her space!)

I spent the day immersed in art videos. I was inspired by a lot of the response to Suzie in our episode of stART. So many people wrote and recommended she explore assemblage that I started to look it up, hoping to find something to inspire her but ultimately discovering a whole world of art videos that inspired me.

 

“You could say this is something any artist does – you find a form for something that has no form. You could call that a ghost.” Paul Bagaers.

“I like quite a smooth surface but one that still has the sense of the hand.” Eva Rothschild

“Create a path for your eye to follow throughout the painting.”

“I think a good painting is something that has immediate impact and, at the same time, is something that rewards a longer, prolonged viewing time.  If it is only one or the other, I think it is missing something.” David Salle

Oh, the colours.

This had me thinking about the nature of creatives and “stuff.”

“It starts with the desire to do something.” “I hope that this (the material) is going to tell me something that I don’t know. Alison Wilding

I sat with my journal taking notes of moments and phrases that spoke to my heart, that had a message for me. And when I was done, I spent two hours collaging in a magazine journal. Normally I don’t like using gel medium but it was all I wanted to do, create a page that felt like it was not pieces but all together. I did that with gel medium and a brush but mostly my fingers, pressing out the bubbles, smoothing the paper down, down, down, hoping it would all come together. My intention when I started was to use indistinguishable pieces to create something new but I found myself delighting in juxtaposition and colour. I just followed that and tried not to judge it, though I wondered if I stayed where habit lived not where inspiration took me. There still may be paint, pen, pencil added to it. Maybe I haven’t finished following the path.

Studio Diary July 7, 2017

I listened to both of these songs about a million times this week.