Art inspiration is everywhere…
Music credit: Supine, Peter Sandberg
This week, I walked to the train station. Nothing remarkable. Just the usual fifteen-minute route through the centre of town. But instead of rushing I slowed down. On purpose.
I set myself a small task: Notice what catches your eye. Not the big, obvious things, but the tiny, hidden interesting shapes and patterns, motifs and moments.
I paid attention to the shadows cast by railings. The silhouette of a plants against a clear sky. Stripes of fencing, angular and imperfect.
Noticing became a kind of tuning fork, helping me tune back into my own visual sensitivities. That part of me that’s sensitive to shape and pattern. Line and contrast. Colour and texture.
I paused often.
Not to capture the perfect photo, to simply notice. And as I looked, I found more.
More shapes. More visual whispers that I’d perhaps normally pass by.
It reminded me that inspiration doesn’t shout. It waits for us to seek it out, to pay close attention, to slow down enough to notice it…
This kind of wandering and wondering is one of the easiest creative practices I know. A way to gather and reflect. Because inspiration doesn’t always come from grand views or planned studio time.
Sometimes it starts in the space between errands, on a Friday morning. Walking through the centre of town, looking and really seeing.
If you try it, you might be surprised by what reveals itself.
Materials
Here are some of the materials I was using in this video:
The paper I am using is mostly Academia Paper from Fabriano
The large A3 sketchbook is from a British brand called Daler Rowney
The small sketchbook is a Venezia Book from Fabriano
The black brush pen I am using is a Pentel pen similar to this one
The glue I am using was Liquitex Matt Gel Medium
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