That Question That Everyone Asks Artists...

Odd atmospheric conditions are one thing I really like. Strange clouds, really dense fog. Everything looks different. Also, I get inspired looking at other's photos of textures and bits of architecture.....corners, bricks, wall textures. I want to see what they see and many times I do. I get frustrated when I see a gorgeous brick wall with a lot of character and I don't have my camera....I guess "things" inspire me. Particularly old gnarly things.

I am inspired by the attempt to catch "moments" in life. I once described it as catching butterflies in a net. Stopping a single moment that feels like it will resume once you look away, is my goal.

Well, ... I would want to answer that question by first informing the asker that he/she might have a limited view of what drives artists to create.

For me, it is NOT inspiration, or I don't call it that. Rather, I feel a compulsion to resolve certain potentials, and I do not rest until I reach a resolution.

"I am not inspired; I am compelled." would probably be my short answer, which I am sure would meet with a dumbfounded look.

I think of art, I breathe art every day. It is always on my mind, so finding inspiration is not hard for me. I have to say I get my inspiration from many different factors.

I could see anything, like say one of my dogs, and see a great painting. My dogs bring me great joy and as we speak, I have a few in mind I am planning on doing. For me, it is the joy of my dogs that brings inspiration and I want to share it.

I could see an old abandoned home and see a painting. My inspiration? I wonder how many years of memories were in that home? Were they filled with love yet sorrow? For me, this is wonder and intrigue.

Someone could say something and I will "envision" it my mind. My inspiration? It is something I saw at the moment while no one else has, and I have to do that painting!

I could smell a cup of tea and it always brings me back to my early childhood memory of my grandma at a neighbor's house with the smell of tea lingering. I was about 4 when that happened. Now I smell tea, and I am inspired to create a painting of comfort, which can take many forms.

I could go on and on as I am always inspired. Like you Cynthia, an artist "sees" what other's may pass by.

"catching butterflies in a net"

Nice, Kevin. This really resonates with me.

Hi, looking in my work: Holy Vergin. The idea are behind the Image. And in a long design and create work the Image becme the finish.

Oh, man, I hate this question. I feel like people are expecting me to answer with something so much more profound than, "I imagined it in my head and decided to make it," but that's usually the truth. I guess I'm just not very deep. ;)

April,
I disagree. I think that if you imagined it in your head and then made it you are very deep indeed!
Kathy

Kathy K. McClellan
http://keppenart.com

Failing eyesight ? I think I see something magical, & I look again & it ain't so.
But I liked my original version better. so I paint it.
I also dream in paintings.

@April, Sometimes I have an image in my head that I want to draw. If I ask myself why I'm picturing this image, the answer is sometimes profound, interesting, or at least amusing. "Legacy" happened that way. I had this image in my head, and I was thinking a lot about a moving letter I had recently received. I finally realized that the image had to do with the letter. Try thinking about why the image is in your head. I'll bet there's a connection to something that's on your mind.

Life. The things I do or have done inspire me. Sailing, surfing, and especiallyworking outdoor with nature.

lol my answers are usually less profound lol. it's generally as simple as it was pretty so I wanted to paint it :P

No one wants to hear it, but you asked. My inspiration comes from the one who made everything for us to partake of. Every ray of sunlight. Every shape and color. The small of a woman's back. The leaping of a deer 7ft. from my lens, and on and on. I believe my work shows where my inspiration comes from, and it's all to give credit to Him who has perfectly fashioned me as well. For me to claim otherwise is to claim to be anything unique apart from Him.

I am sure there are countless "artsy" and wordy answers to that question.

But it is an odd question if you think about it.

Do we ask other people (essentially) why do you do the things you like to do?

Isn't that all this "inspiration" really is?

Just doing something you like to do.

I like to fish. Very few people ask what "inspires" me to do it.

I am sure I could come up with a list if I think about it.

But the bottom line is...I LIKE it.

Okay, I'm writing this down so I'll be ready next time.

I'm not inspired, I'm compelled to catch butterflies in a net;) Perfect answer.

-- mary ellen anderson

"I like to fish. Very few people ask what "inspires" me to do it."

That's because there isn't anything amazing about your fishing. However, if you catch a 7' marlin every time out lots of people would want to know how you do that!

If something is out-of-the-ordinary, people get curious. When someone constantly amazes others, it's natural to want to know what makes them tick.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

Usually when I'm painting en plein air ,I don't very often get the "inspiration" question.

Most often someone, usually a little kid (ever notice how much more fearless kids are than adults?), will come up to me and say either "Whatcha' paintin' mister"? or "How long have you been painting mister?" The first one I answer very patiently something like "That big huge ocean out there in front of us, son." With the second question (which is also, I might add, a favorite of adults) I have a little fun with and reply, (knowing they mean how many years have I been painting) while glancing at my watch "Well. let's see...about an hour." That usually sends them packing with a quizzical look on their little cherub faces. ;-))

Bill Tomsa

http://billtomsa.blogspot.com/

Dan - I'd love to "catch a 7' marlin" just once in a while - an analogy of selling one of my creations.

I'm inspired simply by my fascination of being able to do it - and that goes back to drawing, painting, taking photographs, or creating my digital abstracts.

I am compelled only to eat and breathe - to stay alive.

Dan nailed it.

What makes creative people tick is pretty different from what makes accountants tick. There has to be inspiration when creating art, or music, or poetry, or a fine meal... whether it's April's imagination or whether it's the texture on the back of the 7' marlin that John hauls in.

In other jobs, in other hobbies, there is motivation (I enjoy it, I need the money, I like being able to support my family), but not always inspiration, if that makes sense.

Funny that. My brother's an accountant, he doesn't understand me and I don't understand him. He has his future planned out right up to his funeral (and he's younger than me).
And I am like the butterfly flitting around trying to escape the net.

I'm inspired by anything that compels me to share it with someone else. It is glorious that life is filled with the opportunity to witness incredible beauty, wondrous creations, and creatures, as well as beautiful places. Truth be told though, if I didn't find myself deeply yearning to capture what I saw, with the sole purpose of sharing it with someone else, I would simply just witness it and breath in all of it's magnificence rather than try to capture it. To me this whole experience of life is really about sharing the experience with others and somehow contributing in some way to what we each endure, and celebrate.

There are far more poetic ways to put it, bt as an abstract expressionist painter, I wake up in the morning and throw up on the canvas.

With all my years of painting and creating, no one ever ask me that question yet!

Hey, Alfred, what inspires you to paint?

.

OK Marlene, since you asked, I am inspired by experiences of life, places I been to, people I met, things I observe.

"Where do you get your inspiration?"
To be honest I really dont know Cynthia.
Even though I already have a theme in mind, but when I start creating, its a spontaneous action.
Its as if my hands are the one's guiding me to create that very moment.
And when I'm finished, and step back and see the outcome of my creation...it puts a smile of satisfaction on my face.
Oh by the way I'm a papier mache artist.

"There are far more poetic ways to put it, but as an abstract expressionist painter, I wake up in the morning and throw up on the canvas."

I love this sentence!

Thanks, Cynthia...feel free to borrow it, but be prepared for the looks of shock!

Marlene, Have you seen Millie Brown?

"That's because there isn't anything amazing about your fishing. However, if you catch a 7' marlin every time out lots of people would want to know how you do that!
If something is out-of-the-ordinary, people get curious. When someone constantly amazes others, it's natural to want to know what makes them tick. "


What is amazing about photography or painting or sculptures? We have all seen them before.

I know artist like to think they are "special" but I still maintain it just gets down to doing something you like to do. If you like doing something, you do it often. If you do something often, you get better at it. If you get better at it, you like it more.

Like I said, I could come up with a list of why I like doing certain things. But who cares? I like it for personal reasons.

If something about one of my images "inspires" you, it inspires you for your own personal reasons. It doesn't matter to me what those reasons are. Nobody sees the same sunset.

I really liked what Alfred wrote, I'm in that court.

Cynthia Decker
"What makes creative people tick is pretty different from what makes accountants tick"

I think I may have to differ, Cynthia. First of all have you ever asked an accountant the inspiration question? You say "There has to be inspiration when creating art, or music, or poetry, or a fine meal... ". The big myth is that only artists, musicians, writers, chefs are "creative thinkers" but if you just substitute "problem solver" for "creative thinkers" you'll widen that perception to....eveyone. "To carry on a successful business a man must have imagination. He must see things as in a vision, a dream of the whole thing." So said industrialist Charles M. Schwab. And a very famous physicist said "Imagination is more important than intelligence." That by Albert Einstein. Frankly I don't differentiate much between inspiration and imagination. Just my 2 cents.
Oh yes, one more potint....ever hear of "Creative Accounting"? Something the IRS frowns upon. :-))

Bill Tomsa

hhtp://billtomsa.blogspot.com/

Wow Bill, that was cool...

I think it is important to put the source of your inspiration in your artist statement so they don't have to ask, or if you are caught off guard you can direct them to it. The more information available the better.

To answer the question: For me it's light, and how light reacts with surface materials, and volumes.

For me, my inspiration comes from thoughts or feelings left unexpressed. Quite often I paint or photograph something that says something in an image, I couldn't really convey properly with mere words. The trouble with this is that it then becomes a skill that needs to be learned to interpret the art for others. Sometimes, I don't even bother. I like very much that others see something I don't. I find that a great compliment.

I once had a conversation about art with an elementary school Physical Education (PE) teacher. She must be an excellent PE teacher. She really has what they mean when they say someone has a passion for their career. She talked about having a zillion ideas about different playground games, and things you could do to play with a ball. "So many ideas for games, so little time," she said. It was clear to me that coming up with the new ideas was part of the fun, a game in itself. She asked if that's how it is for me, with art ideas. So many ideas for art, so little time. It is like that sometimes. Other times it's not so fun. I once read a short story about a person with writers' block. That's one end of the continuum, and I'm pretty sure we've all experienced it - can't generate ideas when we need them, and the usual sources of inspiration are suddenly dry wells. The main character entraps a muse in order to get more ideas. The muse, in revenge for ill treatment, drives the main character to madness by overwhelming him with a torrent of ideas that will never stop. One of those "be careful what you wish for" stories... I can't remember the title/author of the story, if anyone knows, I'd be interested, it's a good story. There's a middle ground, of course. Enough ideas to spark your creativity, not so many that you're overwhelmed.
To answer the question, I know where most of my ideas came from, which experience or thought process generated a specific idea, but the sources are so diverse that I'd have to say I can't answer the question where my ideas (plural) come from, but I do usually know where an individual idea, or small handful of ideas came from, that resulted in a particular piece of artwork.

My inspirations come from wine, old homesteads and flowers. There are other artists that really inspire me as well to try my hand at this or that. I always collected art prior to taking on my own paintings. I use the same color palette over and over.

I find this thread very interesting. Thanks for posting this question, Cynthia.

Never had anyone ask that question. I always get "How long did that take you?" I just really hate that one, always wondering if they are trying price my work by how long a piece took (woodburnings, pen and ink...long time ago) I finally started saying something like ''it take a lifetime of experience and learning art, blah blah, etc'' I never felt comfortable with any answer I gave though! Who has a perfect one liner for that?

edit: I much older now, I can probably pull off the 'takes a lifetime' better now! lol

Half of my answer is like April's, I see images in my head. But the other half of my answer is in my education in the arts, I need
to set up my own constructs. Of course I dont see the Mona Lisa in my head, but if there is any quality at all in my work it is based on
how I see the art as I keep altering it in PS. Very often I have several versions and I need to synthesize a final concept.

I am inspired by the artists I use,
by the education I have,
by the images I use,
by the tools I have,
by the processes I go into,
by the final outcomes.

I also show up here to be in contact with kindred spirits. That is its own inspiration.

Dave

For me it's simply the land and my desire to call attention to it's beauty. In particular the open land, whether rural or natural or even parks. I see so much beautiful land being gobbled up by development, I hope my art some day will help more people realize what we are losing and motivate them to help prevent some of that loss in the future.

Nature, in its wonderous beauty, surrounds me with inspiration.



---------------
~ Bill
~ US Pictures .com

I have way more ideas than I have time to use in paintings and drawings.
Music of coarse is super inspirational and have done I know at least one piece based on a specific song (Willard by John Stewart).
I think of it more as lifting my spirit than inspiration. Some music Coffee in the morning and a couple of brews in the evening help.
I'm inspired by people and figures. I love drawing quirky characters. I like seeing people out on the street and always laugh to myself how many are stranger than the ones I make up. People are fascinating.

For me my inspiration comes from the way I feel about "stuff". It could be about anykind of stuff….madness, thoughts of sadness, happiness and that all forms things…more stuff I imagine in my head. Song writers write songs and writers write words, us artists, we express our way of being this way. So it comes easy to find inspiration, as it is not really inspiration but an evolution of our initial thoughts and way of being alive.

For me it's often colour. Colours in nature, combinations of colours, sometimes bright, sometimes muted.

Seeing great work inspires me. Especially from artists who produce consistently great work. Photography is about training the eye and being able to see compositions among a disorganized world. Constantly exercising your skills of seeing includes constant practice and a steady diet of good work.

Otherwise I'm interested in expressing how I see the world through my work.

Just caught up on this thread. I am really enjoying these comments and as I look at everyone's art I can see the inspiration they claim.

Bill, I didn't mean that there can't be creative accountants, I was more trying to give examples at the extreme ends of the spectrum. But you're right. I'm an artist and I can't stand chaos. Many people think artists thrive on chaos. I need order and neatness and I like to have a plan. I'm a list maker and an organizer. I do know people who have jobs that are way at what many would call the left brain side of the spectrum, engineers and others who trade in precision, and they're just a walking tornado of disarray. So maybe it's less about what we do and more about who we are.

Cheryl, I loved your response!

While working as a creative art director for a major ad agency in Europe and some days lacking inspiration, I would leave the office and hang on the corners talking to prostitutes. The conversations relaxed me. They took my mind off the stress that I had trying to create campaigns for picky clients. This practice has worked for me over the years...from the 60s up until now, It has become the inspiration for my work today.

The 'what else-ness' of things, be it a line, shape,form, etc. coupled with 'feeling' rather than 'thinking' works for some of us. 'What arrives is real' philosophic starting point subjected to the formal issues of aesthetics and the medium of choice. Where was Abstract Expressionism going...or where was Pollack's work headed when he died...for that matter, where was all of modernism heading when it detoured to something else? Perhaps it is still moving 'underground' back in the currants from where it arrived and is still 'unfolding' to our eyes...Inspiration is not a tricky word, it is merely a depth bearing word...less spoken about in our currant time but eternally present and as noted above involved in the divine mysteries and ontological mysteries...tdp

Wonderful tread.

@Cynthia - "So maybe it's less about what we do and more about who we are."

I'm so glad you said that Cynthia. Because if we take that statement one step further we can see "who we are" comes down to who we BELIEVE (or imagine) we are. In other words we are what or who our self image defines us as.

"Humans always act and feel and perform in accordance with what they imagine is the truth about themselves and their environment." This is the core of the book about self image, "The New Psycho-Cybernetics" by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. I highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to learn more about Self Image.

Bill Tomsa

http://billtomsa.blogspot.com/

Whenever I am asked that question, I always reply, "Look around! The world is full of amazing images."

Valerie Reeves
"Whenever I am asked that question, I always reply, "Look around! The world is full of amazing images."


And if anything separates artists from all the others it's this. We see that "The world is full of amazing images" while others don't see it. So isn't it our "job" to help others see what they're missing through our art? On several occassions I've been out painting a landscape or cityscape and a passerby has stopped to look at my painting and has exclaimed, sometimes with amazement, "I've probalbly passed this scene a hundred times and never saw that before!"

Bill Tomsa

http://billtomsa.blogspot.com/

I do NOT separate artistic motivation from other life motivations. All motivations stem from the same pool, as they are various gradations of one another.

I rake leaves with a similar intensity as I use to try drawing a figure. I have a goal and energy to keep going until something gets done. Sometimes this sort of energy leads to money. Other times, it does not. All my effort is my signature, no matter what I am doing.

Everything is a medium, and all effort is art.

.