Among his many talents, my husband is a jeweler. I used to tease him for always having a paper and pencils nearby to sketch ideas. He brakes in front of house with interesting doors or gates and if I have my camera handy his says things like, “baby, will you take a picture of that fleur de lis for me?” We could be in the middle of an intense action scene of a movie and he’ll pause it to point out a cool necklace on one of the extras. I guess he figured out the secret before me.
Honoring our inspirations is the key to creative ideas. Only recently have I begun practicing this. I spend most of my day in front of a computer so I usually email myself ideas. I created folders in my inbox for this very purpose. My ideas folder contains good stories I’ve read on blogs, pictures, songs and other art I find throughout my day. When I get stuck – this is where I go for inspiration.
I also have a wish list folder and skills folder. My wish list folder is full of camera lenses and art supplies. These inspire me to keep practicing and creating so I can earn these bigger, badder tools. In my skills folder is where I keep tips and articles on taking better pictures and tricks to try in Photoshop. I believe that by understanding all the tools available the more options we have to create.
I was talking to Steve the other day about making some more art pieces like the ones I created a month ago. He asked me if I thought I could finish a few before Valentines Day and I froze. It wasn’t until he put a deadline on it that my mind went blank of ideas. But the next day I looked for ideas. I started flipping through an old book – not to read but to look. I scanned words not sentences and in no time words inspired themes which turned into visuals and soon I was sketching my next project.
Later that day I tried a tip from Jamie Ridler and listened to every single station on the radio during my long commute home. Lyrics sparked ideas. Melodies sparked ideas. Even annoying voices sparked ideas. I honored everyone of these inspirations with a text message to myself reminding me to look up something when I got home or listen to something again.
And then there’s the “just do it” factor. Sometimes there are days, like today, when the sun unexpectedly comes out and burns off all the fog. I must take pictures right now. Right now the light is perfect. Right now I am inspired. I’ve never shot into the sun like this before. I’ve never taken pictures in of this part of the yard before. I took 63 pictures in a 3′ x 3′ space, kept 32 of them, and now I have to buy ceramic tiles. Bet you’re wondering why! I’ll show you soon – promise.
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