Inspire

Good morning, Dolls!

My posting has been sketchy the last two weeks for two reasons:

1) I've been struggling with my Lyme and an appendix that can't make up it's mind whether it hates me or not...

AND.....

2) My creativity well has been feeling a little dry.

When that happens, first of all I freak out, sulk and pout that my creativity isn't flowing like the waters of the Nile. And after my little tantrum has passed and I've had a really good cup of tea (trust me, I make the best tea in the world. No really...put me up against your toughest Geisha...) then I get to work.

I run to the old faithfuls that have been inspiring artists down through the ages.

Inspiration can come from MANY different places...art, music, photographs, books and even movies. They definitely do not stem from one genre. Sometimes the really great thoughts, ideas and beliefs come from something totally unexpected that only make sense to you.

If you identify yourself with a certain lifestyle…do not allow yourself to become one dimensional. You can draw inspiration FOR that lifestyle, from very different places.

People see me as a cowboy-girl…that is part of who I am. But that doesn’t mean that cowboy literature, music and art are the only places I draw on to aid me creatively.


What do you do when you feel that your brain and creative soul is feeling much like the Sahara desert?? When I struggle, I go back to the basics...I always try to surround myself with these things anyway but during a time of creative "blankness" I think it's important to amp it up a notch. You will find yourself inspired whether you are a saddle maker, dancer, writer, singer, painter, chef or janitor. The beautiful and GREAT things in our world inspire our work and push us to be better.

Here are some of my frequent haunts, so to speak, that inspire me. And all of these outlets further feed the words in my head and my cowboy-girl soul…

Every time I watch this, I am amazed. It inspires me to think big. 

Tumblr

http://p-olaroids.tumblr.com/ 

http://ablogwithaview.tumblr.com/

http://awelltraveledwoman.tumblr.com/

Tumblr is confusing at first and decidedly dangerous...more than one girl has dove head first into the many images found there and resurfaced hours later, surprised at how much time elapsed. Images stay in my head for days and frequently evoke thoughts that turn into stories, blogs or just little paragraphs that get written down and tucked away for later use. 

Riding

Working with my horses and being around hands that are better than me, in real life or watching a video like this, is invaluable. Can't beat it...

Travel

When I'm going different places, meeting new people and seeing the landscape and weather change, on this continent and others, I can't help but be inspired. Sometimes all that's needed is a long walk in the evening, you see something that sparks an idea and all of a sudden you are filled with inspiration. 

BOOKS

For me, surrounding myself with really good authors, is vital to becoming one. Reading is a REALLY big deal in my family. I will forever associate camping with C.S. Lewis, because we read the whole Narnia series out loud one summer when I was young. Good writers sneak their words and values up on you...you're enjoying the story and then BAM!!! The enormity of their cleverness hits you like a ton of bricks. Literature...good, strong literature I mean, not the vile cotton candy girly novels (which are fun sometimes but NOT where you should be drawing most of your inspiration from) has a way of seeping into who you are and quietly forming you into just that....good, strong and true. 

Food and Drink

Never turn up your nose at the power of a good cup of tea...look what it and madeleines did to Marcel Proust...


So this is what I have been doing lately, Dolls. Haunting my old faithfuls, diving deep into the well music, art, books and the feeling of the sun on my face. Don't worry, your inspiration and creativity always comes back, sometimes it's just a little slower than you'd like.

xo xo Liz