Oh, to be inspired!

Author - Karin Whitaker 

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Oh, to be inspired!

Being creative means to be receptive to inspiration in one way or another, and this asks the following of the artist: to determine the techniques and/or media to use in order to express the inspiration, and to be open to outside influences, such as colour, texture, sound, the spoken and written word, nature and the elements, human movement to name a few. Or is it the other way around?

Once the channels for inspiration are opened, there is no end to the possibilities. One example I would like to give is that of a range of jewellery I started creating in 2011, after a holiday in Tenerife. I had been to this island many times before, and so knew the landscape and colours, the climate and even a small amount of the language. I had also started to learn to dance Salsa a couple of years before. Through those experiences I had become very relaxed about the environment, and so could let things flow, regarding designing new jewellery. The basic ideas were already there, I just added movement and colour to the design in mind.

In nature there is no end to the shapes, colours and textures to explore. Many jewellers create pieces inspired by the seaside, water, pebbles. Trees and flowers can be used in an incredible variety of forms, abstract or representational. Next time you go out in the garden, or the woods, take some time to discover the myriad of designs there are to be found.