Carol’s Top Ten List

This is one of my “Top Ten Lists” for finding things that inspire me!carol's top ten brush

1. Continue Learning

2. Doodle Everyday

3. Mother Nature

4. Trend Shopping

5. Retreat- Relax- Refresh

6. Get Out and Socialize

7. Travel to New Places

8. Keep a Sketchbook

9. Try Something New

10. Daydream

 

It’s always a good idea to be open to new ways, to new opportunities, to new experiences. Sometimes something new  is just the right thing to give you pause for thought..to let your mind wander…to try a new approach based on what you found. We are on a continuing educational journey and one that delights us as creators as we discover something wonderfully exciting to get those creative juices flowing!

Doodling is not only fun but frequently serves as a fun way to find inspiration from some of those funny little lines you put on the paper in an almost uncaring way. So keep the pencil or pen moving as you drink your morning coffee watching your thoughts come out on the paper ! You will be surprised with what you unknowingly create.

No one does it better than Mother Nature…Revere her inspiration, be in Awe…..Observe her, take in all she gives you and create something of your own that is influenced by her genius. She is truly amazing!

Shopping is a key element in finding inspiration. Everything starts in the Fashion world, so put on your walking shoes and hit the malls or boutique shops in your town and see what is out there…what’s trending…what artwork is on clothing and again on products and how would your images fit in to what is out on the market?

It’s good to retreat now and then…walk the beach, breath in the fresh air which I try to do several times a week being fortunate enough to live on the ocean. Wherever you may be, find a place you love and just relax and refresh your thoughts to allow for the new ones to enter.

You cannot create in a vacuum so get out and socialize…see what is happening in the world, what are people talking about, what’s on T.V, what are the magazines writing about, the newspapers, what’s on social media, what is the buzz going on…listen and learn and be enlightened and be aware.

Traveling to new places to me is the best of all for finding inspiration. I always loved the quote by Mark Twain-“Throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Being introduced to new cultures, meeting people from other countries and finding new ways to look at things allows us to take it all in and act like a sponge! Traveling influences us as creative souls to try a different approach and makes us realize how very small our world really is.

I keep a sketchbook and take it wherever I go especially when I travel. I have hundreds and hundreds of sketches and dozens and dozens of books from all the many trips we have taken over the years. I jot down everything I see that is interesting, I sketch and draw the places, the shops, the products I see, the folk art, the people, the store windows, the town square, anything and everything that I am excited about. I love looking back on them and revisiting my favorite spots and picking out ideas for new images based on something I saw in another world that inspired me to create.

As a creative soul, we should always be up for trying something new. Whatever it is…It could be just trying out a new medium like carving stamps and printmaking, it could be learning to plant a perennial garden, to do power walking, riding a bike, it could be taking a class in something like astrology….again, it is that continuous journey that leaves us open to learning something new and watching and observing  how that influences us in our creative process.

Daydream…Daydream…Daydream…what else is there to say about that experience…it just takes us places we never knew existed before and let’s our minds flourish with abandon as we follow this moment to wherever it wants to take us.

 

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