Inspirations of creativity

It's amazing how anything truly can be an inspiration to your soul. You look around, you see a color, a texture or the architecture of a building and you are inspired to create something, take a photograph, sketch or paint your bathroom the color of the title of the magazine on your coffee table.  I did that... Dwell magazine had the "Dwell" in a rusty, coppery red tone... I was CRAZY in love with the color of the font.  Fortunate for me, I took it to the local hardware hank, he scanned it, poured it, mixed it and I was off to paint the hall bath. 6 coats of paint later it was PERFECT!  I miss that bathroom now that I'm divorced.  Lesson learned.

I've been to a few business seminars lately and the buzz words are PERSONAL BRANDING.  What is your personal brand.  How do you sell yourself.  What makes you...well you.  Your look, your talents, your education... your creativeness.   If you aren't happy with your brand...well change the brand.  With that in mind, I was inspired to take a look at my brand and ask myself... self do you like what you see?

Madonna is notorious for constantly changing and evolving and reinventing herself.  Why can't we?  how do we get there?  I don't know about you, but I'm a visual person.  I've been low on art creativity with the lack of sunshine lately, so I've invested my time in creating my Personal Branding Journal.   It contains everything from fashion, music, articles, poetry, visual aides, yoga, weight loss, diet, cooking etc.  whatever moves me goes into the journal.  I thought it may be a waste of space and efforts, but the time it takes to work on it, gives me the time to take for myself.  It forces me to think about me and only me.  Without a strong and confident me, there is no strong and confident relationships with others...

Do you need a change in brand?  Create a new you... let's get started!

The feeling of earth between my fingers... and toes?

I've been contemplating my next art project... I was thinking mosaic flower pots for my ever growing balcony garden at home, however, I'm not fully committed to it in my head.

In viewing some new blogs I think I found my inspiration....POTTERY!  Yup, I want to finally conquer the wheel.  Ok, I realize conquer is a strong word.  Maybe just make friends with it so that I can get some mildly normal looking bowl to put "things" in.  I did ceramics in high school and still have pieces around my home that take me back to the day. At my age the memory is going, so it's good to still have "concrete" pieces around to remind me.

I find that I'm a great supporter of local pottery artists... I have more coffee cups, vases and bowls than one family needs.  But I think there will be a certain level of accomplishment when I'm holding the lopsided, 1/2 glazed yellow round thing in my hands.

Does anyone know of a great place in Louisville to take a class that is decent and won't break the bank?

Bobbles and Beads and other Goodies

And then there was a studio...

I originally took the space at Mellwood Art Center so that I would have a place to store my art supplies and a place to have a creative outlet.  My living situation had changed and my spare bedroom was now going to be occupied by an artistic little 4 year old girl. :)  

I started Studio 212 in September 2010.  I had someone very close to me introduce me to Mellwood and encourage me and assist me in getting this space and making it my own.  In my opinion everyone should have a space of their own, no matter what you use it for.  

I love being surrounded by the colors, mediums, textures and artistic spontaneity that this space provides.  I think that sometimes the biggest joy is that I don't have to clean up a project I'm working on, I can leave it waiting for me at my next visit. 

I can't wait to go there tomorrow.

Artist Statement~

I can’t remember when I began to create, but I’m sure it was as a child.   My childhood was lonely being an only child.   It wasn’t unusual to hear “go to your room and play”.  My imagination started there and has developed over the course of 40 years.

It’s impossible to choose one medium to work in.  Currently, my creativeness is flowing through glass beads.  The colors, shapes and textures inspire me to create pens, cocktail picks and jewelry.

Sketching relaxes me.   I have sketches from childhood and sketches I recently found from 10 years ago.   I enjoy looking through magazines and books for inspiration.

Greeting card making happened accidently.  I found through mixing the textures, colors and layers of papers it gives me a release of imagination and a way to share my passions with others.  The idea of sending a card is lost in today’s society. I’d like to think I’m rekindling the love of receiving a handmade note.

I’m inspired most by colors, texture, pictures and sound.  The only way I can explain it is, when I see something that catches my eye or touches my inner artist voice, I have to have it or find a way to recreate my version of it.   Music invokes my emotions.  Most often it will be playing as I create my next piece.  It can be today’s top 40, a “classic” from the 80’s or the standards of Frank Sinatra.

My other interests painted with a broad stroke would include museums, music, culinary arts, food art, animals, New York City, estate sales, and flea markets.  Pretty much anything I see on a daily basis that strikes “that feeling” in my soul.

Suzanne