Inspiration and the starting point for any project can be challenging at times. Similarly, a writer starting a new novel can have writers' block, where no ideas can be formed leaving them feeling frustrated and this same block can happen to artists.
Some concepts come to us in a dream or be pulled out of thin air, but many require more thought and planning to cement a theme or idea for your artwork. When it comes to my inspirations, I use what is around me using themes like nature, the human form or emotions. However, with such a diverse range of possibilities from these subject matters, it can make it difficult to pinpoint what you want to focus on a single idea. For me my residency project I took a walk in my favourite places (the woods) armed with a lump of air-drying clay. I knew I wanted to immortalise this moment, the joy I felt being out in nature before the height of lockdown and the stay at home began. I started finding the trees I would notice on my walks and took casts of their lumps and bumps. These initial casts and ideas helped create a project that looks at my connection and relationship with nature. I find productive to physically work with materials to help focus my ideas and drives my projects forward. Initially, the shapes of the vessels were inspired by mushrooms, automatic drawings, mono-prints and lichen. Using music and sounds collected from my visits I let my mind go blank and allow my subconscious to create the shapes, textures and patterns.
Throughout the project, I have moved away from my relationship with nature to analyse our relationships with others. Parts of the project were a response to being inside. Finding ourselves pushed together with family or friends into the Covid bubbles during 2020 and 2021. I created the piece All the Lost Souls (2022) as a remembrance artwork for all the people I have lost during my lifetime, particularly those who made a lasting impact on my life.
Inspiration comes in many forms and is anywhere and everywhere. Unfortunately, our mindset can prevent us from seeing what ideas could be right in front of us. Advice for anyone struggling to find ideas for a project is to start by looking at your own space initially, your home, things you love and value or what is outside your window or your written thoughts. Always try and use what materials are readily available to you, sketch an idea, make a note on your phone or take a picture.
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