"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web."Pablo Picasso

 After my creative block last week I thought I had to write something good about inpspiration again (since that was the original intent of this blog ;-)) . First of all, two lovely illustrators  gave me some great and heartfelt advice:  Elizabeth Stanton (please check out her work on her Penspaper Studio Blog, it is gorgeous) and TJ Lubrano (her illustrations on her blog A Look in a Creative Mind, are also lovely). 

What they showed me is that you cannot force your creativity to come out. Elizabeth wrote "It will come back when it is ready" and I think that is very true. Sometimes it takes an hour, sometimes it takes a couple of days, but it will definitely come back. (Mine actually did, and then I felt like I was even more creative than before). 

The second thing that happened to me was that my first gift from an artist arrived yesterday!!! It is a beautiful print by  by Liam Stevens, an illustrator I interviewed a while ago. He makes amazing paper cuts, once he actually created an animation video completely made of papercuts, I think that took him about three months in total! The print he sent me is also amazing, I can't wait to frame it and put it up on my wall! I couldn't believe it when he asked me which of his prints I would like to have (I actually had a hard time deciding, they were both so pretty!!!) 

I think I figured out what keeps creatives going: and that is the heartfelt and supportive advice from other creatives, who know 100 % what you are going through. That's what did it for me, I guess. 

And lastly, something Vincent Van Gogh once said: "In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing."

Craving Creativity: Why my new website is practically empty / Where is my inspiration currently residing? / Any creative ideas to offer?

Update, April 1rst: the reader who gives the best inspiration advice will get featured on my blog, comment below! 


I've been working on my thesis for some weeks now - the deadline is approaching SO fast, even writing down the word deadline just made me shiver. Turning the pages of a book seems to have become the greatest social interaction I've been getting lately. (Does watching TV in the evening count too?)

In the beginning my thoughts were only wandering off occasionally (to my blog mostly, I was sooo creative in the beginning, my Addiction to Creativity has diminished)  my thoughts, and my creativity, have decided to take a vacation. How do you get it back? 

I took a short break today to work on my new website for TYT (okay, I admit, it lasted longer than I intended to)  and somehow, the site is still almost empty, even after working on it. Isn't that weird? Shouldn't it have been full of inspiration and ideas, almost bursting with creativity? 

Not only is my mind blank, but also my website. I already had this amazing "I launched my new website post" planned but I'm still centuries away from that now. Light-years.

These are the moments where I'd love to be able to illustrate or draw or have any artistic talent, then I could at least fill my site with beautiful illustrations. I actually did some doodling, but after a while I  was even shocked by my non-existant artistic talent. I couldn't even identify what I had been drawing in the first place. A friend of mine once told me anyone could learn to draw, but I think with some people it is just hopeless. (like me, I guess). 

So now I've decided to ask my readers: What would you like to see on my website (it will become a creative collaboration platform one day, hopefully ;-) ) Is there anything you have always wished to see on a page dedicated to art? 

Or: Are there any illustrators who'd love to sketch something for my site? I will offer you lots of credit, that's for sure.

I was even thinking about doing a small competition, the one with the best idea will get a full feature on tradeyourtalent and more (that will be a surprise, of course :-) ) 

For now: I hope my inspiration will be back from vacation tomorrow. I hope. Otherwise it is going to get into REAL trouble for abandoning me like that ;-)

I almost forgot: a big hello to my thirtieth follower, Dana Carey, check out her beautiful illustrations on her blog http://danacarey.blogspot.com/

Susanna

Addicted To Creativity

I've been working on my new website/art collaboration/magazine project this week, neglecting the things I should be doing, again! But I have so  many ideas that it is hard to stop, I've become a little addicted to being creative. 

I think I'm going to start a new side event, Bloggers Anonymous or something like that, although creativity is someting positive, right? If there is someone else who can relate to ATC (Addicted To Creativity) please make yourself known...

And here are the five things I would love to have for creative support (in my creative dreamworld):

1)  a smart and friendly computer nerd who has lots of time and will and patience to help me (for free OR alternative payment: lots and lots of thank you emails...)

2) an artsy sponsor who would love to help me build my artist community 

3)  a creative partner

4) free time to develop my crazy creative ideas (I have just been avoiding what needs to be done all day!) 

5) a location where I can hold my first blog/arts event this year (by the rate I'm going, maybe next year :-) ) 

If you think you have any of the above qualities, don't hesitate to contact me :-)

And now the good news (things that are going to happen for real): 

three lovely exhibitions are coming up on Trade Your Talent soon. Please look out for them! 

-Maybe at some stage between dream and reality I'll be able to host exhibitions on my new website! Who knows...