Finding inspiration

Inspiration is a funny thing!  Always present in your dreams, but once awake, disappears like smoke! How can we corral something that ephemeral?   Why is it so hard?

Let's start with the definition, according to Google:  

"1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

2. the drawing in of breathe; inhalation."

In other words, inspiration is a mental stimulation of your creativity, and is as natural as a breath of fresh air!

I'm often asked, where I get my ideas?! While seldom stuck for an answer, I find this one a little difficult to answer.   My current theory is that they come out of thin air!   Probably too broad a response, so I'll expand it to say, that inspiration is a product of your environment, and is often triggered by images and emotions!  It could be a colour, photograph, walk in the park, life event, beauty, or even some of the horrors viewed on the evening news.  Take a walk in the park....spot a brilliant reflection....flash to an inspiration!

  I once noticed a simple SuperDuo bangle on someone's wrist, told her that I was going to "steal" her idea (she didn't mind), then went home and made a bunch of them.  I was working on these bracelets in both the Thursday afternoon, Bead Tea, and the Wednesday, Open Beading Night (both free - at BeadFX) and BAM! Others noticed my stolen idea, started buying up SuperDuos, and making bracelets of their own.  Last week, I spotted someone, showing yet another person, how to make the bangle.  Where will it end?  Inspiration, obviously never dies!

Now how about that fabulous selection of stones, pearls and crystals at BeadFX?  Surely we can all find inspiration in those beauties?

Just prior to the Swarovski Launch, I spotted some of the new green Scarabaeus pearls, inspiration struck, and I knew I had to have them! I purchased a couple of strings, and quickly threw together a necklace!  Of course that was not exactly the end, as soon after, I noticed the new Oval Pendant in Crystal Light Chrome, and my muse insisted on another necklace!   Unfortunately, I'm not able to show them to you right now, because they'll be featured as BeadFX "Inspirations", in the coming weeks.   Remember, patience is a virtue!

People think that it's always easy for creative people to find inspiration, but in reality it's not! We need to work at it, just the same as everyone else. The only real difference is that we seem to have trained ourselves, to observe and act on our visual, emotional and environmental clues.  So the message in this blog post, is to open your eyes and your heart to the creativity that surrounds you, allow that knowledge to flow freely, and let it influence your jewellery projects.  Also, don't forget to take your camera with you on your strolls!  You never know when you'll find the perfect inspiration, to translate into fabulous jewellery!  After all, nobody does it better than nature....but we do try!