Inspiration Space

I'm sure most of us spent our teenage years tacking up posters and images that we loved on our bedroom walls, changing the world around us in the only way we really could.  How we decorated our walls was a way to define our adolescent selves.  We spent hours searching for our favorite posters and many of us spent hours in our rooms gazing at our posters just waiting for time to pass.  As an adult I think we were really on to something. . .Surrounding ourselves with images we love is not such a bad idea.

My space in my art studio has grown over the past 5 years.

So what is an Inspiration Space exactly?
Well it is typically a wall that you look at or a room you spend time in everyday.  For example the wall at your desk.  It doesn't have to be a wall, but you want it to be present in your every day life.  Not just something you notice if and when you open your computer or move your boxes in your closet.  The space is THERE.  It calls out to you when you wake up and make coffee, surrounds you during your day, and wishes you sweet dreams at night.  To create your Inspirational Space you chose the message with the images or objects you display.  These items can be personal creations, other artist creations that inspire you, letters, photos, sculptures, digital media, pieces of fabric, patterns, you name it you can use it!  Generally the number of items displayed starts small and as time passes it grows into something more and more meaningful..  There are no rules or agenda.  It grows completely organically with the idea to help you grow as an artist and as a human.

Frida's critical eye is always essential for the best work.

You chose the message.
​I chose to make my space a mixture of my work, other artists works, images I love, motivators, and lessons I've learned to inspire me and help me to remember where I am from.  As a very visually dominant person I have always built these spaces with images, either intentionally or not.  It is important for an artist to be surrounded by images and materials that can provoke thought and creativity.  When you are stuck on a project you can take a break, gaze at your space, and see if it gives you any help or change of perspective.  When you are having a bad day you can turn to your space for comfort.  When you need a push your space can motivate you.  In a way, these spaces help you to stay in a certain state of mind like a check list for life.

Me and Cary made it in this crazy collage.

Your space is a tool for your creative mind.
Don't be scared.  The space is not meant to hold anyone against their will.  Your space of inspiration can be anything you want it to be.  It is a simple exercise of you taking control of your space and intentionally creating a productive environment for your creative mind.  Start with a picture of your best and most supportive friend, or a favorite piece of artwork from one of your favorite artists.  As you go through life keep your eyes open for other gems to add and you will soon have built a space that is all your own and full of love and encouragement,

I painted this painting and my Grandma Pat always loved it. She loved it when I did not and I want to always remember that.

Teenagers have the right idea. . . or at least they used to.
I don't have kids and I don't have teenagers so I'm not really sure what they do with their free time now.  I know that when I was a teenager in the 90s and early 2000s we had a lot of free time on our hands to just lay in bed and stare at our walls.  I stared at a Vincent Van Gough painting for hours almost every day for 4 years,  Just stared at it and noticed different details, thought about my life, noticed color combinations and historical references, and basically just let my mind wander.  During that time I was not stimulated or "busy".  My mind was free to wander. . . and it did!  To create you have to let yourself be free of the busyness but not bored.  With an Inspiration Space your mind can wander in the direction you want to go.  Let yourself drop the "busy", slow down, build YOUR space, and be a teenager again.  Free to wander and create.