The Connection between Inspiration and Motivation

It amazes me how hard it used to be to come up with an idea for my art. Any idea at all. I would sit here, at the dining room table, with pastels in hand and my sketchbook in front of me and nothing would come. I'd look outside and think "how beautiful". But if I tried to draw what I saw, nothing would come out right and I'd end the time more frustrated than I started.

Now inspiration comes frequently and almost casually. This morning, all it took was a quick glance at a photo of an artist working on her project to get me up and going. The image of what I would make popped into my head in a moment. I see trees waving, spring birds, and deep greens against a bright robin eggg blue with some earth tones thrown in for depth. Now, when I look at my blank paper I can envision the sketch completed. Like Michaelangelo's famous comment about seeing the angel in the stone and carving to set it free, I can now mix reality with the imagined in my mind to the degree that I can "see" them combined. When I look at a wall, I can see the painting I want to put there. I don't have to draw it out to see it any longer, but I used to. My sketches are mostly visual notes now.

Being able to visualize, the instant inspirations, the dozens of ideas; these are all benefits anyone will experience once they've committed to creating. It starts simply, although a bit tediously. Like learning a new language, I put my time in relearning the rudiments of my art. I kept a sketchbook, I drew whether I felt like it or not, I searched out new mediums and techniques. The key, according to many great artists, to feeling inspired, is not a great imagination but the ability to work, whether they feel like it or not. Often the greatest are those who were simply tenacious. They could not, would not, give up. In mind, that means inspiration is the result of motivation. How do you motivate yourself to work? Do you have goals, dreams, aspirations? Is it something you love the feel of doing? Do you have a set time for creating or do you wait to find those times when you "feel" like it? Leave a comment- I'd love to know what motivates you to create.

Here are some of my favorite quotes on the subject. Enjoy!

"Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and work."- Chuck Close
"Don't wait for inspiration. It comes when one is working." - Henri Matisse
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working. " -Pablo Picasso
"I'm not inspired every day I go to the studio, but you've got to push yourself. Do it every day and once in a while things will really click. That's the biggest high you can imagine."- Jamie Wyeth

Dream Audaciously

Meet my angel. She has spoons for wings and a chicken wire base. Stamped on some fabric scraps are the words "Dream" "Audaciously" and "Impossible things." A few posts ago Jill of creative oasis mentioned that she liked how I described my dream of the book as audacious. I hadn't thought too much about my choice of wording until I read her comment. Then I started to think a bit more about it.

Dreams are often audacious. When we allow ourselves to dream audaciously of impossible things, then there's a spark of hope and challenge that begins to well within us. A belief that maybe we could realize it, which develops into a what if we did- how would we start? And that is the beginning of actualizing our dreams.

Lately I've read how our dreams are given to us by God and how he uses these to instill in us a direction or purpose for our lives. Dream audaciously of climbing Mt. Everest? Or of designing your own line of children's clothes? How about writing a book? Or of having your own solo gallery exhibit? Often we live life dismissing those dreams in favor of what we see as real life. But what if we took a step towards our dreams? And then another and another? I believe we're blessed when we do. It takes courage to start, but once we do the way becomes clearer and it becomes a little easier. There is also the heart satisfaction that we are living the life we were created to live. Each one of us is unique with unique talents, abilities, interests, and experiences. Each one of us was created on purpose. Our dreams are often the clue to that purpose.

My little angel started out a week ago as an idea. Then Wednesday became a sketch. Then yesterday as I gathered supplies she became a little clearer to me, and then last night I found her. She wants to encourage us all to dream. Dream Audaciously of Impossible Things. What dreams of yours do you catch your breath at the thought of? My little angel wants to show you the possiblity and to wing you on your way to realizing that dream. I want to see you realize that dream. It's a wonderful journey.

Added Later: I had a friend just send me the dictionary definition of audacious and thought I'd share. "Here's what I found at dictionary.com for the word audacious - extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive. Also - extremely bold or daring; lively; unrestrained; uninhibited." Gives one ideas doesn't it? Thanks Shelley!

Some Thoughts on Motivation

Lately I've been shamefully neglecting my blogging goals. Which was basically to blog all the time. Have to say though that I blog when I'm creating and excited to share what I've been working on or I blog as a way to explore ideas through writing. Neither of which motivations have been happening the last week. I hit the deadlines I'd been working towards and kind of just stopped everything. I did that thing that we did in college after exams. You know push and push and push and then CRASH!!!

I would feel horribly guilty about it, knowing the next deadline IS just around the corner, BUT I think I needed the time to seperate. Get back to life a little and relate to the other people who live in my house (husband and son).

A couple nights ago I had a friend staying with me and we got to talking about goals. How important are they? Do they just set you up for feeling badly when you can't meet them? There are the specific goals- like blog 3-4 days a week. And there are the unspecific goals like treat my self well. Then there are the really big too far a way to be sure of goals like "take art classes in Italy and paint in Provence". These are great dreams but as goals.... Yeah I'd like to work towards them but I'm fonder of my more specific and immediate "to do" lists. They make me feel good. I'm rather shameless when I make them too. When I sit down in the morning at breakfast and make it I put down things like, "take a shower, make breakfast, write to do list..." Then I can cross some things off right away and I feel like I'm off to a great start.

Although I argued for setting some mid term goals as well. When I started to play around with the wire and fabric I set a few goals. My first was to let myself learn without constantly critiquing my work. Another was to submit to a magazine within the next year. One was permission to play and the other was a challenge to work towards. I completely committed to both. For maybe the first time in my life I was determined to try for something real. Hard to kid yourself with the "someday" I'll make a difference in my life when you have a concrete timed deadline you've set for yourself. Hopefully, this makes sense to you all. I admit I'm trying to work through my thoughts on all of this myself. I've been trying to identify what was different about this time. I've tried things before but never gotten as far as this. Usually I'm a get excited and try, hit resistance, fear failure, and retreat sort of girl. But something has changed. Maybe it's a sense that the impossible is possible. Maybe it's a willingness to be gentle with myself. Maybe it's my newly found sense of discipline. I don't know. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!

A Question for us all-

Over at Singlestone Studios blog, Shelley asked the question- "What keeps you going?" I thought it was an interesting question about motivation. What keeps you going? Is it the next idea? The latest new product or material you can't wait to try? Is it your goals? For me it's all of the above. But more than anything it's the desire to be whole. There were dark years where I didn't have the energy or motivation to create. Although my mother nagged me to death about it- I just couldn't do it. She saw what I knew too- I was an artist and to be an artist- not creating art- it's miserable. I felt drained and unhappy all the time.

If you look at it one way- it's that darkness that now propels me. I don't want to go there again and so I do the opposite of everything I did then. If I have an idea now I don't stop to see if it'll go anywhere. I think about it, but don't obsess completely. I follow it and find out. Sometimes it's a dead end but more often then not it's a path that continues on. I play a lot more. I don't worry about making "serious" art any more. I create from a joy within myself instead of a horror toward myself. I'm self encouraging instead of condemning.

Lately I've heard people make a few comments about my work I thought was interesting. A couple of people referred to how joy-filled it can be. Another mentioned it was "uncensored". I'm not sure what I think of that. I honestly don't think too hard about what my work portrays to others. I make it because making it makes me happy. I also have a deep sense of being grateful. I am now able to be the person I was created by God to be. It makes me just really really glad to be doing what I do. But I'm curious- what makes you go on? What keeps you busy and creating? It might be something worth thinking about!

Doing the Work not just the PLAY

I wanted to title this post "Sucking it up". But then I thought I'd get a bunch of hits from Twilight fans, who would only be disappointed to learn I was talking about doing things you don't want to do. Cause it turns out that all those lessons our parents tried to teach us (like taking responsibility for your work and doing the things you don't want to - WITHOUT whining about it) really are important.
Even in art, which I love doing, I finding that it's important for me to do some stuff I don't want to. For instance, I need to take better pictures for my Etsy site. I know mine look like candids and although I don't like the look of them- I really don't want to take the time to learn how to take better one's. Aperture, f-stop, all that seems like more than I want to know. Plus, my creative energy has been solely focused on that first book deadline. I finished the page plan this week which is a page by page sketch of the ENTIRE book. Crazy! It worked out pretty well and I have to admit I have a much clearer vision for the book. So that was the first thing I "sucked it up" and did this week for my art.

Second, I let a friend who does amazing post production work for Photo Group in VA. give me a lesson on photographing my art. I know it's been killing her to look at the blog and my Etsy site and see all my amateur shots. Seriously- she can't stand them. So although I didn't want to learn, I knew this was my best shot at better, more professional pictures.

One thing she showed me was how to get the really close up in focus shots that blur right away. I love how this looks- it really draws the eye in. So I'll give it a try in the next week and see how it goes. The picture above is one she took of my wire tree. I do try to balance the suck it up stuff with fun stuff though- I kind of think you have to!