Friday 31 July 2009

Merry-go-round - Inspiration...


Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women from around the world as they link hands and tell you a little bit about their lives in craft.

Do look up the answers from the rest of this band of crafters (links to your left).
If they haven't posted yet, remember we all live in different time zones and check again later...
This month's theme:
What inspires us: a peak into journals, pinboards, folders or wherever we keep our little snippets of inspiring stuff...


I wonder.

O.K. This is as much as I could find time to write yesterday.

Now for photos. They will tell you a bit more...

I look around a lot: streets, flea markets, magazines, antique shop, the world WIDE web... But I don't keep many traces of all this really. I don't keep a style notebook, as many designers and artists do. Maybe I should, but, on the other hand, I think it's part of 'my way' to just let it ripen in my mind. Some of it will stick and evolve into some idea, at some point. A lot will vanish.

However lovely some of the stuff I see, it is crucial to me that I do not plagiarize it, consciously or otherwise. So my "designs" (if you can call them that— still shy about the grandd-sounding names here), must be triggered by my ideas and desires. Or made to order. I love custom work.

What I have learnt to keep a trace of is those ideas— if only because I usually get them at the most inconvenient time, like in the middle of a meeting or at two in the morning.

So, at home, I have a beautiful litte notebook on my bedside table— full of ugly, clumsy drawings and notes. Some of these are turned into something right away, others have to way for six months or so and others still are still waiting...

Here, it's the stack of Muscha notelets that you can see on the photos.

When I'm in a meeting, it's my beloved Mulberry organizer. Makes me look very serious, I'm sure, when I start scribbling furiously. Provided no one is looking over my shoulder, I'm fine.

Now, what I'm afraid I really do hoard is materials. They make me tick. I just did a workshop learning mosaics, a skill which I definitely mean to adapt and use 'my way'. When I came across those lovely pieces of wood, glass and clay, my head began to be filled with spectacular pieces of jewellery! Nearly drooling I was.
And that is just the latest...
In my tiny second bedroom, "the room formerly known as a study", I have, well just about everything: fibers, fabrics, paper. AND it's creeping into corridor and living-room.

My cat doesn't mind. Provided she still gets all the seats. And the carpets.

7 comments:

Lily Pang said...

It's good idea to keep a notebook. Sometime I found that I have lots of idea. When I concentrate on one of them and after I finish working on it, the other ideas vanished. I couldn't think of how they are anymore.

Easterya said...

Looking forward to your mosaic in jewellery, sounds great!!! I too remember well the furious scribbling during meetings, everyone thought I as young and eager, whereas I was just bored but inspired... :)

Ruth said...

I like the idea of tangible things you can feel like your stones and pieces of wood....My idea book is full of things that rarely move from there - but they spark other ideas that become something! Look like your cat is inspired by comfy rugs and chairs! Sounds good too!

florcita said...

I love Muscha!!! I think one doesn't per se need a book or something. I scribble down a whole lotta stuff but most of the time I don't really go back to it...stuff that impacted me, stay in my head.
Materials are ussually the inspiration, right?

'fancypicnic' said...

ooh - I feel like I wrote this! No notebooks..using your mind to 'ripen' the idea - me too!

I love gleaning inspiration from anywhere and everywhere...and mulling it over in my mind until one day, wham! I have to go and make it. And never copy anything...the golden rule!

Great post, thanks for sharing x

Sara Millis said...

I had a note book just like that... we often used to scribble on napkins and sweet wrappers too when I was at work... amazing how an idea pops into your head and you just have to write it down!!

Sx

Jenny said...

Ooo Mucha! Those wooden & glass mosaic bits stones makes me want to create something out of them too!. I love those big blue and aquamarine ones... where did you get those..? :)
I often find that a dull work is rather good for the inspiration.. the scribbles anyway..