Inspiration can be found in a book, nature, music…

I love to get up in the morning and spend time listening go or reading a good book, while sipping a cup of coffee. A good book gets the imagination going, it inspires. I find it gets me in a creative mood. Even as I am writing this blog, I am listening to a book with Julie.

When I paint I listen to a book or some music. It keeps me focused on what I want to achieve. It is also what they call white noise, which in some ways it is, but in so many other ways it isn't.

I appreciate a good book, for its entertainment value, for the distraction from the world, and for the fact that it gets the imagination going. It is to me a great way to appreciate someone else's creativity, the blood sweat and tears that go into writing a book. Every creative person puts their all into their works. I put my thoughts into creating the vision of the piece, then I put that vision on a surface and start making it come to full living color. 

The writer does things in a similar way, or so I imagine they do. It is their creativity that helps me with my ability to create because I am creating an image of their words in my mind. I can compare it to waking up a our cottage, making a coffee and Julie and I sitting on chairs looking out over the lake, or sitting by our fire pit and starting an early morning fire to toast a piece of bread over the flames.

Going for a drive in the country, the back roads, the roads less travelled. Seeing nature untouched in so many ways, see birds flit and fly between trees and bush. See rivers, creeks, ponds and lakes. All waiting to be captured by a camera so that image can be transferred to a canvas, and brought to life through the eyes of an artist.

As I squeeze paint onto my pallet so that I can begin to allow my imagination come to life, to make that inspiration grow and develop into a finished piece. Allowing that creative inspiration that started with a simple book, the view of a lake, the freedom of a bird take on a visual meaning. Creating a visual piece of art that hopefully inspires some one else.

When you look at a painting, a sculpture, or wander through a book store (yes a book store) think of the person who created it. Think of the time that went into that creation. What inspired them, what brought them to create that piece of work in front of you. Appreciate the complete work and all that went into it, because it represents a big part of the; writer, actor, sculptor, artist, musicians life. 

Inspiration!