sugarpinkrose ([info]sugarpinkrose) wrote,
@ 2006-02-15 08:55:00
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Inspiration...
I have been watching project runway (reruns I think) which is a guilty pleasure for me since I usually disdain the TV set as a total waste of time.

Anyway. An episode I saw recently was entitled "inspiration". All the designers were given digital cameras and let loose in NYC to run around taking pictures. Then they had to use one picture as inspiration for an outfit. One guy made a sensational dress and his inspiration was a photo of New York City gutter water! I thought it was amazingly creative.

It "inspired" me to ask you guys...
what inspires you?
who inspires you?

This question is not just for the artists on my friends list...it is for everyone. We are all creative people...everyone is inspired by something...

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Hmm...
[info]rurik_lebedov
2006-02-15 05:06 pm UTC (link)
Well, ceratinly my son inspires me to be a better example. And the older he gets, I'm sure the more he'll inspire me.

My wife inspires me to be a provider and defender for our family.

Jesus inspires me to look on others through God's eyes instead of my own when I'm capable of thinking beyond myself. I am also inspired with hope of my own redemption and sanctification.

Good fiction/sci-fi/fantasy inspires me to imagine worlds that aren't and dream dreams that are beyond my knowing.



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Oh...and of course...
[info]rurik_lebedov
2006-02-15 05:07 pm UTC (link)
...the past inspires me to learn from it and to create a better tomorrow....the past inspires me with lessons on human nature.

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Re: Oh...and of course...
[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-15 05:09 pm UTC (link)
Beautiful answers! :)

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[info]babyulu
2006-02-15 05:22 pm UTC (link)
Oh my goodness. I started watching that show, and as I turns out, I love it! I mean I'm a sucker for reality tv, but I didn't think I would like that show... and, I LOVED that episode. That was a great dress wasn't it... you could see where/how he got his inspiration.

I've never really thought about who or what inspires me though. I guess I get alot of inspiration from my friends... people around me. Sounds kinda cheesy, but God's love is an ispiration. Nature ispires me too... the beach, the sky, anything that I find beautiful.

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-15 05:36 pm UTC (link)
I loved the gutter water pic too! I thought it was so beautiful. He definitely translated his inspiration well.

Also I love your answers. All are very good sources of inspiration, I agree.

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[info]babyulu
2006-02-15 05:39 pm UTC (link)
So what about you... what's your inspiration? I always LOVE your work... so now i'm curious! :)

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-15 06:24 pm UTC (link)
Thanks!

It's really hard sometimes to put the creative process into words, isn't it?

A lot of times my ideas come to me first thing in the morning or when I am driving or doing the dishes. But usually they were inspired by something in my life and it's often hard to pinpoint what that something was.

As far as art goes, I am always humbled and inspired by all that God has created. God is the ultimate artist...anything I do is only a pale imitation of what He has already done.

Kaffe Fasset is an artist who has inspired me greatly. I first discovered his work when I was a teenager and he has been a constant companion ever since. His thoughts on color have really influenced the way I work. Although my work doesn't look much like his on the surface, he has probably been my greatest influence artistically.

My first job in the textile industry was creating colorways for fabric- basically taking patterns that already exist and recoloring them so that they look new. When I was new they gave me all the most difficult customers...I had my fair share of customers who did not have good color sense and would ask for really bizarre color combinations, and I would have to use their color choices to come up with wearable fabrics. It was a challenge that I grew to enjoy. I still draw inspiration from that time in my life...if you look closely at my work you will see a lot of color combinations that should not realistically work together. I just find it fun to try to make "clashing" colors look like they belong together. These pieces mostly manifest as small work, not really anything I would expect anyone to hang on their wall...I am constantly surprised at how they turn out. I have found spin painting to be a really good vehicle for this kind of expression, and I haven't become bored with it yet...

Fabric inspires me significantly...I used to be director of design for an upholstery fabric distributor and I had so many fabric ideas that for one reason or another were unworkable to mass produce at that time and place. I adore upholstery fabrics- the way they feel, the colors, the textures...

Well I could write more (much more) but I will leave it at that for now. :)

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[info]babyulu
2006-02-15 06:30 pm UTC (link)
Wow... that's really cool. :) Your inspiration works very well... I can see reflections of the inspirations you shared in the pictures of your stuff that you've posted. Thanks for sharing!

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-17 03:50 am UTC (link)
Thanks. :)

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[info]lneef
2006-02-15 06:44 pm UTC (link)
I once had a quasi-religious personal revelation based on an episode of the X-Files.

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-17 03:49 am UTC (link)
This sounds absolutely fascinating. Was it recently? Did you blog about it, and if so shame on me for missing it.

Sorry I am a lousy LJ friend...:(

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[info]lneef
2006-02-17 03:56 am UTC (link)
No, it was quite a rather long time ago. The episode was entitled all things and dealt with Scully running into a man from her past when Mulder was out of town.

The general idea I picked up from it is that there are signs all around us and if I can just sit still and pay attention I learn a lot from the universe. Oddly enough, in one of my very first RCIA classes last fall they started talking about the same thing, only instead of "the universe" they said "God".

To me, those terms are fairly interchangeable.

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-19 09:26 am UTC (link)
Yes there's a lot to be said for being observant...This is a really really good point.

I don't watch the X Files but Mike does occasionally. I wonder if he has seen that episode.

I suppose we will have to agree to disagree about the God/Universe idea...to me they are distinctly different as creator and created...But I didn't actually set out for this to be a religious conversation. Well. The more I think about it the more I realize that it is impossible to discuss this topic without religion coming into it at least a little bit.

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[info]lneef
2006-02-20 08:31 pm UTC (link)
Isn't there some of you in the art you create? I think it's impossible to create something without leaving yourself in it in some intangible form.

That's what I mean by God and the universe being interchangeable. God created it, and that's the ultimate creative endeavor. He's all through it so much that an act of the universe in many ways is an act of God.

I don't mean that quite literally... just sort of a shorthand. When things around me happen at seeming chance, if I pay attention I can learn a lot from them. And that all goes back ultimately to the way God chose to make things. That's what I mean; I don't think it's really that different from what you're saying.

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-22 09:21 pm UTC (link)
OHHHHhhh!! I see exactly what you mean. That is a good way of explaining it...I definitely misunderstood you- sorry!

By way of explanation, I have friends who are very "new age" and their belief system, in a nutshell, is that everything is connected and that God is in everything and everyone...and it seems to me (if my understanding is correct) that they would literally agree that God and the Universe are interchangeable concepts. While I respect that viewpoint, it clashes with my own...

Anyway, back to the original point you were making- very insightful. I really appreciate your posts. I should pay more attention, too- I think you are absolutely right about that.

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[info]abbie3
2006-02-15 09:58 pm UTC (link)
i find that relationships inspire me. whether they were bad, good, nonexistant, essential, romantic, friendly, confusing, or clear - they all lead to how i feel and how my life is. so that is what drives me, what pushes me, what inspires me...

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-17 03:48 am UTC (link)
How beautiful!
I agree, relationships are very inspiring...don't even get me started on all the ways my husband inspires me. ;) I could write pages of entries but I will spare you that! :)
Thanks for answering.

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[info]u_make_me_mute
2006-02-16 01:05 am UTC (link)
I am stuck in a drought of inspiration, left with obligations and hopes.

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-17 03:35 am UTC (link)
I am sorry to hear that...well, the hopes sound good anyway. If there is anything I can do to help please let me know.

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wow.
[info]hotarunokokoro
2006-02-16 05:03 am UTC (link)
i could spend a lot of time on this one. well, my live journal friends inspire me,and my kids inspire me... art inspires me also, and i think thats why i have a lot of artists on my friends list. look at my user pic i am using for this reply. the last time i needed inspiration was when... well, here. read this. posted last week

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Re: wow.
[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-17 03:44 am UTC (link)
Wow right back at you!
I am now kicking myself that I haven't kept up with my friends list better. I bet I missed all kinds of good stuff, but I am so glad you pointed that entry out to me. Thanks!

I AM A LOUSY FRIEND!
Sorry everybody...:(

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[info]stylishchic1
2006-02-18 08:02 pm UTC (link)
Places, atmospheres, vibes, and moods

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[info]sugarpinkrose
2006-02-18 08:32 pm UTC (link)
Great answers! Thanks! :)

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