Inspiration

I have written before about finding things that inspire you, and how important it is to be inspired. This goes deeper than creative inspiration. Being inspired is a massive part of what keeps us ticking as human beings. We often look to others to understand how they do something that we want to achieve, and sometimes an idea can come from someone who does something quite different to us. My inspirations are often generated simply as a result of seeing someone else’s excitement about their work.

Today I watched an artist’s talk which, if you haven't seen one, is when an artist explains their work and what goes into its creation. This talk was related to an exhibition at my local arts centre. The artist in question works with glass. Now, although I am fascinated by glass making and in awe of what these artists are able to create, there is nothing that makes me actually want to do it. I have seen the patience and level of skill that it takes, and this amazing artist was no different. She has traveled in order to gain a phenomenal amount of experience, and is confident in her work, and yet she sees herself as someone who is still learning. As I listened, I thought about how much she delves inside of herself to produce her pieces and how much patience it takes to go from the start to the completion of her designs.

It put my work into perspective for me. I love a new idea and developing new aspects of the things which I do but the work that I do is far more immediate and that is what I enjoy. Her drive and determination amazed me, as well as her raw honesty. Glass doesn’t always reach the display shelf and she willingly showed a picture of different pieces which didn’t succeed. There was much I learned and walked back around her exhibition at the end with admiration and an understanding of how incredible her work is. That was inspiration!