Creative Inspiration

Maker Faire : DIYrs to TX

Art Blogger — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:49:04 GMT

Maker Faire Austin 2008: Call for Entries I was cruising around online and stumbled on this post on Boing Boing - Looks pretty cool - an inspirational road trip! The event is sponsored by Make Magazine, a pretty cool & idea provoking crafty magazine.
Maker Faire - official website
Maker Faire - Wiki

May is Creative Beginnings Month

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:57:13 GMT

A Little known May Observance

~ Inspiration Quote ~

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.

- Carl Jung

Did you know May is Creative Beginnings Month? I think I am going to take advantage of this random information as that kick in the butt I need to refocus and reboot my creative right brain.

Some Creative Beginnings Month Sites

A list of reader generated creative kick-starts

http://www.graphic-design.com/Creative-Net/0405_winners.html

A good little exercise to get the ball rolling

http://www.exploringwomanhood.com/mindbodysoul/creativitymuscle.htm

A list of “Silly, Bizarre, Crazy, Unknown Holiday Observances” that may spark ideas to solve the infamous artsy problem… what to do when I don’t feel inspired. Pick a random holiday and see what you come up with.

http://www.brownielocks.com/may.html

Unleash your creative side

http://sandspuronline.com/article?id=293401

Include Children

http://www.christianitytoday.com/momsense/2006/003/17.17.html

Some literary prompts that can be minorly tweaked for us painterly people

http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/margin/WritersRainbow.html

a woman’s reaction to learning of Creative Beginnings Month

http://wakeworkrinserepeat.blogspot.com/2008/04/in-merry-month-of-may.html

Macs are inspirational, an apple a day for creativit-ay

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:11:11 GMT

The glow of the mac apple logo sparks creativity according to Hundreds Migrate Towards Glow of Apple Logo For Creative Inspiration . Just thought that one was share-worthy. The mere fact that a base for igniting creativity is deemed valuable enough for Apple to place their bet and roll the dice on it. They essentially said through this:

aesthetics are valuable
original ideas are time-worthy
there really are people in the world willing to put their money where their mouth is and create a market for intelligence, creativity and growth.

That is some serious inspiration!

Expired Inspirational Products

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:06:01 GMT

On this lovely Tuesday evening, I am having a beer while surfing the web and came across this fantastic list of expiration dates of items... not just food either...

First here are some of the beverages I enjoy while drawing, painting or thinking about drawing & painting...

Beer
Unopened: 4 months.
Wine (red, white)
Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines
Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked
Coffee, canned ground
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated
Tea bags (Lipton)
Use within 2 years of opening the package

Next, the art studio items all you people like me are hanging onto long past the expiration date...

Paint
Unopened: Up to 10 years
Opened: 2 to 5 years

Spray paint
2 to 3 years

Clean Up stuff goes bad???

Bleach
3 to 6 months
Dish detergent, liquid or powdered
1 year

Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered
Unopened: 9 months to 1 year
Opened: 6 months
Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)
At least 3 years
Mr. Clean
2 years

Windex
2 years

Thank you realsimple for sharing that with me... I'm going to go through and organize my drawers of paint now. I had no idea Mr. Clean even went dirty!

Plant the creativity seed with innovative ideas, original solutions

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:33:14 GMT

So... Last week I had a doctor's appointment. I got to the office on time and darn Murphy & her law, I sat in the waiting room for 45+ minutes waiting. Well, it gave me some forced (and well needed I suppose) downtime so I browsed through some magazines. Parenting, Baby, some car magazine, a 6 week old issue of People, some health & fitness one, and Prevention. Some of this stuff was interesting but not 45 minutes worth. I did see an article in Prevention that I had to write myself a note to go back to...

The article was called "Houseplants Can Reduce Stress, Fight Toxins, and Even Boost Creativity". Apparently plants create a calming environment. Prevention reported that Texas A&M University did a study & found that women who worked in a room with plants and a bouquet of flowers came up with 13% more ideas than the women who were working in a room with abstract sculptures. They said "plants are a mood booster" & that when you're in a good mood there is more dopamine... and that is the hormone that "controls the flow of information throughout the brain."

http://www.prevention.com/houseplants/?searchType=slideshows

Some thought seeds...

University Research Indicates Flowers and Plants Promote Innovation, Ideas

The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity Study

(The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity Study at Texas A&M was conducted by Roger Ulrich, Ph.D.)

Plants hold a lot of power...

Texas A&M researchers found that people who kept a vase of colorful, blooming flowers on their desks, generated more creative ideas. And in a separate study of typists, those with flowering plants nearby were less stressed and more productive. They key is to have a flowering plant because you need some greenery to get the maximum benefit.

So yeah, spring is right around the corner so bring home some flowers & plant-life & paint them. (no, mojitos don't count no matter how many mint sprigs are in there... or do they? ah the tangents... Let's do our own study... Does plantlife in a cocktail have an impact on fine creativity like the greenery in the A&M study?)

Technorati Tags: Plants,Creativity,A&M,Study,Inspiration,Productivity,Art,Innovation,solutions,environment

Help, I'm trapped at my desk

Art Blogger — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:39:34 GMT

Ok, so you're working... wishing you were home drawing or painting. What to do ??? Here's an idea : artpad.art.com/artpad/painter/

This looks like it could be way too entertaining - but still somewhat inspirational - a temporary escape from work....

Art for art's sake... for that idea this is inspirationally illustrative

Art Blogger — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:06:36 GMT

So funny, and quirky and temporary - but quasi inspirational...

http://www.dirtycarart.com/gallery/index.htm

is it art?

Art Blogger — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:56:25 GMT

A little girl, born in 2000, sells paintings at $25,000...

OMG, people would eat poop if it were marketed to them proplerly! That was my instinctive response but after thinking about what art is to me, I am finding myself shifting sides here.

Art to me is a visual stomping ground for thought and emotional development. Those are conveyed so naturally through abstract art... and the uninfluenced pure thinking of a child creating abstract art is simply interesting! She does it so well too... the colors in her paintings were all so crisp and vibrant! Not a drop of mud!

This one "Colorful Rain" just kind of caught my attention with its vibrations of rhythm.
www.marlaolmstead.com/ColorfulRain.html

href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2007/11/but_is_it_art_1.html" target="_blank">http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2007/11/but_is_it_art_1.html

Interesting article on USA today...

Art Blogger — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:17:41 GMT

Alzheimer's program is one from the art

"What's nice is that a piece of art doesn't require any memory," says Rosenberg, MoMA's director of community and access programs. "It's right in front of you."

I think this quote is pretty mind-opening and inspiring... makes me wanna go home and paint!!!

One problem for the artist with a 9 to 5

Art Blogger — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:55:33 GMT

The thing about having a 9-5 job vs. being a full time artist is the element of talk.

When someone asks me what I do for a living, I tell them that I make websites for a local newspaper group. I should be telling them that I'm an artist. That is what I'd rather be doing, so that's what I should make the primary answer.

The answer to this common question opens or shuts doors... so fellow artists, be aware! People are fascinated with art, artists and their lives so chat it up!

How to stretch a canvas...

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:48:47 GMT

Venus in Retrograde and Creativity

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:02:18 GMT

So with a brief glimpse at my horoscope this morning... I learned that Venus is in retrograde until September 8. I didn't know what this meant in terms of creativity and my inspiration levels - so I did a little bit of research.

From Astrologycom.com, what does Venus affect?

In general, Venus, the goddess of love, rules feelings and emotion, aesthetics and tastes, fashions and all forms of desire, money and wealth. Venus rules social attitudes and behaviour, along with aesthetic tastes and inclinations. Venus symbolises female relationships and social interactions at every level. Venus indicates our values. She governs romance, marriage and other partnerships, capacity for humour, and the pursuit of pleasure.

During a retrograde period the things Venus influences will be less apparent, or be of less concern to the world. Visual sensibilities are reduced. People dress with less flair and our colour sense tends to be muted. This is not the time to purchase clothes or jewellery, change one's make-up or hairstyle. Redecorating or refurbishing homes or business should also be avoided, though there is no reason why decisions that have been made earlier should not be allowed to come to fruition during this period.

With Venus retrograde, the pace of relationships slows down and this is not the best time to get married or give big parties. Since Venus rules diplomacy, slowdowns in all sorts of negotiations can be expected, including industrial disputes, legal issues and diplomatic endeavours.

It is a time when we are called upon to go back and take care of unfinished business. Often we are forced to deal with deep feelings that have their origins in past events. They are activated on an inner level but are often difficult to express to ourselves or others while Venus is retrograde.

I am deffinitely curious to weather this will give me the content frame of mind that I need to be able to go back and finish the plethora of half-started paintings I've managed to collect. I also wonder if the social distractions that have been keeping me from focusing on further developing my ideas about art will deminish enough to get the spark back in my painting-love life. What about the difficuty in expressing oneself? Will this apply only to spoken words or will it apply to artistic expression too? Or will the build up of unexpressed emotions enhance the creative experience? Time will tell and I'll keep everyone posted.

Glasses! Who'd have thought?

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:42:16 GMT

Glasses... completely inspiring! I had no idea that my eyesight had gotten so poor. I am having a great night on some strange level. I got glasses and I can see things I didn't realize I couldn't see. It is ultimately inspiring because there are edges to things that I must have forgotten about because the world is beautiful... more beautiful than I had remembered. Well, that got me into a "get-r-done" mode... for a little down home perspective. Content-ness! That's what this is.

Lately, I've had this little gray rain-cloud following me around or so it seemed. I am realizing that this is a blessing. I've been feeling emotionally funky lately. Despite the money that I've been spending that brings the temporary endorphins... it does ware off rather fast. Back to the blessing... I went and got a mocha latte and a $5 coffee didn't even make it better. I dropped my best friend off at the bar and I went home. Grabbed a beer and my new glasses and moseyed on into the boat room (that's where I paint). I think I made some remarkable progress on a painting that I started months ago. Things are just coming together for me tonight on this otherwise mopey night. I've got some good country music going and the words aren't even screwing up the art-mode. It's quite nice. I may not have stopped to put the glasses on, look at the world, interpret it... and then paint it without the ultimate funkiest of moods. It feels good to continue with a painting that I've set aside.

So this is me in my twenties... Home on a Monday night having a beer, painting and recording my personally remarkable inspiration for the world. Ha ha ha, strangely fabulous!

Creativity is allowing yourself...

Art Blogger — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 21:24:01 GMT

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

Scott Adams
(American Cartoonist, b.1957)

Bob didn't, but I do - Funny!

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:28:00 GMT

Cool Video

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:10:42 GMT

Jasper Quote

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 11:17:05 GMT

I think a painting should include more experience than simply intended statement.
-Jasper Johns

I completely agree with this! Paintings evoke things, thoughts & emotions! There is art for the sake of art... materials, composition, color, light, rythm... and there is of course the first level of excitement and emotion as if there was some encrypted message decoded but there is more. Like with thumbnails, your first idea is usually okay but when you dig deeper and really look and think and draw or whatever, the following thumbnails often have more substance. Or like dreams, they often have meanings so far from your innitial instinctive thoughts when waking up. It's the same idea with the painting and accompanying ideas. Jasper Johns is so right! A painting absolutely should include more experience than simply intended statement!

Quote

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Sun, 13 May 2007 17:41:00 GMT

It's not a matter of painting life, it's a matter of giving life to painting.
-Pierre Bonnard

the i-sight self portrait with an artist cap ... not so much!

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:30:45 GMT

Haha. so I just browsed over to my blog and I got a little chuckle! That goofy picture of me on the sidebar seemed like a good idea yesterday. Amazingly, I'm not quite sure it's a good idea today! LOL!

I run into the same issue when painting! I'll get some brilliant, deep & profound idea about whatever I'm painting (sometimes while painting and drinking) but the next day I realize that I've done nothing but give myself more work to do.

So Yes, I am so aware of the rediculousness of the picture on my sidebar but it's staying there anyway... as a reminder of sorts to think about things or do more work...

It is still a way home...

Field Juice? Free Juice? Choose Your Juice's Use!

Fine Artist Inspiration Finder — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:29:03 GMT

So a question... just how important is it to work in a field you love? Yeah it's great to know about a field you love, but should it be your employment? I think i'm thinkin not...
This is something I constantly struggle with! I am an artist by degree and a web-designer by paycheck. I've gotta share the fact that I feel like I'd be better off as a waitress by day and an artist by night. I feel like my creative energy gets sucked up by my soulfully low-paying, financially lower-paying web job. I wonder if i'd be better off using my creative juice to make some juice-based paintings and sling some cocktails made with someone else's juice for my truck payment... thoughts and comments please!!!