Lately, I've been thinking a lot about where artists and crafters find their inspiration. Where I find mine. I loved
Yarnwench's
Vermeer yarn, that drew it's pallette from
this painting, which Lynn explains
here. I always like it when spinners choose to name their handspun skeins, rather than assigning an inventory number; gives me a glimpse into their creative world.
I love books, and much of my inspiration comes from them; to whit, my
Lolita-inspired lingerie. Like many spinners and knitters (and others), I find inspiration all around me in nature. And sometimes, the two come together. I've been reading a lot of poetry lately, and I've found creative fodder in local poet
Jim Dodge and his compilation
Rain on the River. His poems and short stories are drawn out of the natural world, and I particularly like that I've experienced many of the places he writes about. The poetry of
Ted Hughes, also known for his nature themes but with a more visceral, animal quality, has been inspiring me in the form of his
Collected Poems. It's not just poetry that floats my boat. In the
Photographic Atlas of the Body, a whole new world opens up. It's a coffee-table picture book filled with MRI, x-ray, electron microscope, and other advanced technology images of the body and its inhabitants. The colors and textures in these photos should provide me with enough inspiration to make enough yarn to clothe a village. (I'm kind of a science nerd, can't help it; can't turn of the surgery channel!).
I picked up this
Thailand 2007 wall calendar last month (early, I know) that I got specifically for the spectacular colors in the cover photo. I want to make a yarn using these colors together. All the photos will be great jumping-off points for spinning. I'm thinking of making one yarn each month from that month's picture. Maybe a spinning challenge should be in the offing?
And I just couldn't wait for my copy of
Craft: to arrive (I sprung for a charter sub), so I ran out and bought one this weekend. I usually grouse about the cost of periodicals, but this one was worth the $14.99 cover price; it is packed with projects
and inspiration.
So find your inspiration, and tell me what you discover. I'd love to hear what
you draw on for creating. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this inspiring image from last night's dinner:
Pork steam buns and sausage, labeled 'Bits & Pieces' by the market, priced at 69cents! Yummy.
Thanks, velma. Interesting post.I think I may have to write up something on inspiration in me own blog. It really is interesting to see where the creative process comes from. I love that you get inspired by the medical body book!!
ReplyDeleteglad you found something of value in it, lynn. until recently, i didn't consider myself a creative person, but i've been rethinking what that means. i'm realizing that creative = create, which i do, rather than creative = artistic, which i probably am not. but my thoughts on this are a work in progress, so who knows where i might be in a year, or two.
ReplyDeletei'll keep my eyes peeled for your post; reading what others say on the topic helps me understand my own process(es).
woman, that last image just made me hork more soda out my nose. FABULOUS.
ReplyDelete(And you could block felted knitted boobies on those steam buns....) :)
<3
Hmmmm... besides the OBVIOUS sexual overtones of that last picture, am I the only one to also pick out the additional sexual inuendo of the price... 69 cents?
ReplyDeleteGreat pics, Velma!
wow, a visit AND a soda hork from the illustrious miss violet. i am honored! (and nice observation about the blocking opportunities, i might add!) so glad we tickled your funny bone, from one v to another.
ReplyDeletehi maven! yes, my friend at the market was bored that night and put the meal together for the deli; when she dared me to buy it for dinner, she also marked it down to that price to make it funnier. what we won't do to amuse our friends, eh? (oh, and thx for the links you've been sending; i need to share some in a post!)