Friday, March 22, 2013

Finding my own inspiration

You may be noticing a bit of a theme on the blog recently.

Nature.

I have made a conscious effort to steer away from scrolling through pages and pages of Internet 'inspiration', and instead I have embraced nature. It was a goal I made for myself this year- 'Focus on finding my own inspiration'. And it has made a huge difference to the quality of my work and frame of mind.
Watercolour Bliss
I'm sure most artists can agree (whether amateur or professional) that it's so easy to start off looking for something online to inspire you, only to find half an hour later that you have suddenly lost your will to do anything, let alone draw/paint because you will never be as good as the 'inspiration' you have found.  I have spent many wasted days not painting/drawing because of  this and I knew I had to take a new approach before it destroyed what passion I had left. I decided to stop looking online and start looking around me. Focusing on what mother nature has provided. For colour combinations you can't beat nature- one of my favourite things for colour and patterns are sea slugs.
Watercolour Bliss
There are so many things that can inspire you that aren't limited to nature. What about your own possessions? The shapes and colours of books on your bookshelf, the oddly shaped teapot hiding at the back of your cupboard, the jar of well used paintbrushes, the multitude of colours in a crystal collection, the pattern on your clothes, and of course food! And that's barely scratching the surface.
Watercolour Bliss
I still struggle with self confidence in my own work, but removing the opportunity for me to compare myself to others has led me to create some really cool sketches and paintings- some for which I have shared in today's post. It has been such a joy going outside and connecting with nature. But with Autumn here and Winter fast approaching, I'm a bit nervous how the change of seasons will affect my motivation to go outside. I'm already preparing a list of items/ideas etc to work though once the days are grey, short and rather miserable.

I would love to hear of ways you keep yourself motivated in the winter months. Where do you turn for inspiration?

-Rhiannon

2 comments:

  1. The feathers - love so much! Beautiful.

    Megan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Meggs :) x
      I am working on these a further so I can have some originals + prints available in my online store

      Delete