THIS & THAT

Last week I was browsing the internet and I came across a question that made me think and ponder. What are 15 things that are inspiring you right now? Huh, there are so many things that inspire me, can I nail it down to 15 items? To tell you the truth, it was kind of hard when I wrote out my list and let me tell you why.

Earlier this year I attended an art retreat put on by one the Get Messy founders. I’ve been following their art journal community/website for some years now, so when I saw that there was a retreat that was going to be held in South Carolina, I signed up immediately. This retreat really got to me (in an EXCELLENT way). It reinvigorated my desire to start creating again on a daily basis. It made me take the time to look at things that may seem small in my daily life but really do have an impact on my happiness and sanity. It reminded me that it’s good to go out of your comfort zone and listen to stories of other women. It was awesome!

What does the retreat have to do with inspiration you ask? It changed me. It reminded me to be inspired…EVERYDAY! There’s so much “noise” in the world right now, the internet can take you down a rabbit hole of images, peoples opinions, good and bad, television, so many channels to watch, the algorithm constantly tell you what you should watch next, what accounts you should follow, blah, blah, blah. I think it makes it hard to think for ourselves sometimes. So yes, the retreat made me re-think the way I take in information and truly try to find what inspires me.

So, here’s my list. It’s what I’m enjoying right now at this moment in my life. Subject to change whenever I feel like it.

• The artists who participate in the Get Messy community
• The art of Wayne Thiebaud (saw a retrospect at SFMOMA).
• The flowers that are in full bloom all around the city.
• The colors of Spring like pinks and yellows.
• Travel, especially the city of San Francisco.
• Abstract art.
• Layering, ie in paintings and collages.
• Neon pink and the color red.
• Music lyrics from my favorite bands.
• Vintage Paris.
• Kate Spade’s book Places to go People to See.
• Clothing from teens and band members in the punk, nu wave and metal scenes of the 1980’s.
• Art tools that are not classic art tools. Examples spatulas used as a paint brush.
• Ephemera from daily life used in mixed media collages.
• Brainsparker app.

So, while I could easily jot down 15 things that are inspiring me right now, it’s harder to think why they are inspiring me, what about them are inspiring and how can that inspiration be used in my creative outlets. Maybe it was harder to jot down 15 things but I’m glad I took the time to think about it.