Inspiration is such a fleeting thing. Sometimes, it is just a spark of an idea, which you have to battle out in your mind and on paper, until it takes on a complete and workable form. At others, a piece will come up in my mind, with all details and ready to be made at the bench. There are times when my imagination seems to be racing and ideas will spontaneously pop up at the oddest times. At others, nothing seems to happen.
Since I want to make my living as an artist, the second situation is very worrying. I am actively trying to develop a consistent artistic vision (won't that sound good on my artist's statement?). I find that the more I work, sketch, look for unusual shapes and colours and go through life conscientiously, the more easily inspiration comes. If I slack off, then I can easily fall into a rut.
A support network, where I can bounce ideas and get feedback, is also very important to me (like my wonderful team that inspired this post). Sitting down and making things help me focus and figure out what works and what doesn't. And, since I am an engineer, figuring out good proportions, interesting design rules and when to break them is also a constant challenge.
For example, I was doing forging exercises to develop some hammering skills. The result was an interesting shape. I love long, thin pendants and my exercise piece was crying out to be used. By playing around with the shape, I was inspired by the flow of the metal to add a delicate blue green stone to highlight the liquid shape. The result was a gorgeous, elegant piece (in my humble opinion, of course).
Cheers!
Each month the Aspiring Metals team chooses a topic and each write about that topic on their blog. This month we want to know what inspires you, and where do you look for inspiration?
See what we have to say by visiting the blogs below:
- Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
- Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
- Crow Steals Fire - http://crowstealsfire.blogspot.com/
- Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
- Stacy - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
- Cabbing Rough - http://cabbingrough.blogspot.com
- Brightstar109 - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
- Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
- City Rustic Jewelry - http://cityrustic-art.blogspot.com/
- Becky Campion - http://www.ladysmythmetals.com/blog.html
- Julie - http:/wabibrookstudio.com/blog.php
Beatriz - I love your work! This piece is such a classic example of your beautiful shapes and sleek designs. Your engineering background comes through and also your love of gems enhances all of your designs. Really nice work. Somehow I doubt you'll ever be without ideas for long. :)
ReplyDeleteThat pendant is definitely elegant! It is so true that when we are playing with an idea, the muse strikes and leads us to something new. I love it when that happens!
ReplyDeleteLove your piece! AND, you inspire me to be more faithful in keeping up with my idea notebook. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that slacking off leads into a rut. I think it is something you have to exercise to keep in good shape :) I can definitely see your engineering background in your work.
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