French artist Louise Bourgeois once said "It isn't so much where my inspiration comes from but rather than it manages to survive." Well, lately, I haven't felt too inspired to create any art. In fact, looking through my work, up until recently when my friend Dan asked me to paint a portrait of Johnny Cash (to say Dan is obsessed with Johnny Cash would be an understatement) the last painting I actually finished was of a peony flower dated 2010.
Granted, most of my time back then was spent focusing on school. I made the decision to go back and get my teaching certification. So, if I wasn't in class or at work (hey, school doesn't pay for itself) I was doing homework or writing lesson plans for my student teaching internships. That didn't leave much time in my busy schedule to make any art. When I did feel inspired, by the time I could make the time, the need to create just wasn't there any more.
Now that school is finished, most of my energy is focused on finding a teaching job. But, I have all this paint, all these canvases, tons of yarn, India inks, a brand new memory card for my camera that's never been used, empty sketchbooks, and ZERO inspiration to use any of it. So, my question to you is this: what inspires you? What keeps you going when you feel like your creative spark has burned out?
I draw a lot of my inspiration from the stories that people tell me. When I have no inspiration of my own, I use the inspiration from others to try to keep me going. If I cannot draw inspiration even from there, then I know it is time for me to relax and not try quite so hard. I've most likely hit a point where my brain is shot and needs a break.
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