What Inspires You?

I find that my inspiration comes not only from the works of other photographers, but also from a variety of artwork/artists, music, stories, nature, and all sorts of creative endeavours. Sometimes inspiration will prompt me to do something more specific; for example, reading about RV travel might inspire me to draw & photograph motorhomes; or it might prompt me in a more general way, such as seeing someone else's creative efforts at something completely different from what I do & being inspired to work on my own art or blog.

Among the many wonderful artists who inspire me is my mother, Ugly Stepsister. I've always loved watching her draw or paint & getting to see how her work turns out. In recent years she has also taken up wax encaustics & oil painting and has created some really fabulous works of art, as well as a cool blog all about what she does!

Ugly Stepsister working on an encaustic

Oil painting by Ugly Stepsister

I also like to watch documentaries or films based on true stories about artists & other creative types for inspiration. Recently I watched "Séraphine", a film about self-taught French painter, Séraphine Louis ("Séraphine de Senlis") who lived from 1864 to 1942 and was discovered in 1912 by German art collector/critic, Wilhelm Uhde.

A documentary I watched a couple weeks ago that has really inspired me to get creative & to put some serious thought into a cross-country road trip is "Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock". This documentary takes you behind the scenes of the Burning Man with interviews of the artists, organizers, participants, & founders. If you haven't heard of Burning Man, it is a week-long creative festival that takes place every year in the desert of Black Rock City, Nevada, and culminates with burning a giant wooden man, as well as with burnings of many other art pieces. Each year a new man, new temples, and new art installations are built, and each year has a different theme. A city is created, complete with streets where art cars roam, and at the end of the week it is all packed up & removed from the desert. Burning Man is the largest "Leave No Trace" event in the world! I would love to eventually make it out to Burning Man as part of a long road trip - can you imagine all the photographic opportunities on that journey?!

Where does your inspiration come from & what are you most often inspired to do?