Feeling Uninspired?

by Sherri Stokey

 

Have you ever had one of those days (or weeks, even) when it feels like your creativity has left the building?  You've ground to a halt; come to an agonizing standstill.  Your muse is on vacation.  The idea fountain has run dry... I think we've all been there, but I'm here to help today with some ideas on how to find that spark again.  I find inspiration everywhere!  The wall decoration above is a good example.  I found it at a yard sale for $1 and besides the fact that I love it in all its kitchy glory, it gave me a little seed of an idea that turned into this micro macrame piece:

Fun, don't you think?  Flea markets and garage sales can be a treasure trove of pieces that may just transport you to another decade and change the way you look at things for a little while.  Anybody remember these Tupperware containers in avocado green and burnt orange (my mom is still using hers):

Try to change your mindset and look around you.  Common, everyday objects can provide you with ideas on colors and textures.  Even sand:

And water:

And street signs (this is from my hometown, Valentine, Nebraska, and yes, they really do stencil hearts on the sidewalks on Main Street):

If you have a talented person in your family (or friends), maybe you can piggyback on their creativity to jump start your own.  My mom makes beautiful quilts, but maybe you know a painter or a weaver or a clothing designer?  These are a couple examples where I drew inspiration from Mom's work:

Are you getting excited yet?  Seeing some possibilities?  If none of those ideas appeal to you, you can always turn to color palettes pulled from photos.  

Try thinking of the photos a little differently, too.  Instead of just pulling a color palette, consider the shapes, textures and movement in the photo.  Is it something you can use?  Like these undulating lines:

Or this texture:

Or just pick up a feeling from the photograph and go from there.  In this next piece, I tried to capture the feel of the waves lapping up onto the sand; the foam; the colder, deeper water further out:

One more place you can turn in a crisis and then I'll leave you to ponder.  One of my all time favorite color palettes is pulled from the raku finishes on some of the art beads I've collected (these are from Star Spirit Studio).

I think I could use these colors for years without getting bored (raku focal pieces below are from Star Spirit Studio, Spinning Star Studio and Elements Pottery and macrame work is by yours truly)!

If you get to that point where you're uninspired, try taking a look around you again with fresh eyes.  Hopefully some of these ideas will help you.