Inspiration comes from many places.....what inspires you?

As an artist I am inspired by many things and in many ways. I find youtube is a wealth of creative inspiration; from video demonstrations of techniques or supplies to the ability to see other artists work and their inspirations. The internet itself is quite inspiring. Through any search engine you can enter key words and view images of an infinite amount of inspiration.

For years I have enjoyed searching a wide variety of tarot sites to view the wonderful art that is Tarot Design!!! One of my all time favs is Stick People Tarot:

It's fun, whimsical and full of inspiration!!! I have always thought it would be fun and adventurous to attempt my own tarot deck with my non-objective (pattern and doodle) art. Imagine the possibilities!!! I think I would like to start with two of the most (to me in any case) inspirational cards of any tarot deck; The Fool or Death. Neither name truly incorporates the depth and scope of the esoteric meanings and visual cues of these cards. The Fool is a carefree, adventurous card that inspires one to be more childlike and receptive of new ideas and adventures. Certainly it offers the caution of not being so childlike that you are not aware of the dangers associated with any new venture but is also encouraging and invites walking a new path. The Death card doesn't necessarily (actually quite rarely) depict the death of anyone. It is a more holistic view of the word death. Death in it's most simplistic, means the end of something. It could mean the end of self in a very spiritual sense as when one changes employment, ends a relationship or even graduates from college (as I will do in June...lol). It is the ending of our old selves and the beginning of something new. 

When you really look at the many artistic renderings of either of these cards you begin to see how much symbolism is in each picture and how graphically they truly represent the esoteric meanings of each. I think it would be quite interesting to very mindfully (keeping the meanings foremost in your mind) and yet absently (without pre-design) begin to create my own representation of these cards and then the entire deck. I am hoping to feel confident enough to trust my own instincts to do this before the end of the summer this year (2012). 

In one of my favorite facebook groups, Dream Doodles by Lyn., we have been sharing our artistic interpretations of the hand. These have been represented through photography, watercolors, zentangles and more. With Lyn's permission I am including the link below to her "Hand Jive" album so that you can check it out and get inspired yourself;

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.193633300752336.42440.184018491713817&type=3

Right now I am working on several various pieces that have been inspired by my continuing journey on the World Wide Web. I look forward to sharing them here soon. What is inspiring you right now? Not just artistically, but culinarily, the entertainment you enjoy (books, movies, tv, music,etc.), and in your personal lives. Tonight I am inspired by tex-mex cuisine and will make a rice and andouille sausage casserole. My friend Lora recently inspired me to take up crocheting again and my grand daughter is inspiring me to make a easter bunny cap...if and when (lol) I complete that I will share the results.

Now it's your turn...what is inspiring YOU???

Self-Worth can teach an old dog new tricks...I'm proof...lol

Last Friday was the We Care Arts Going Green Fundraising Auction. As a former student/client I was asked to give a "speech" as a success story for them??? ME??? A success??? I was flabbergasted!!! lol As a 40-something with several mental illnesses I never put success next to my name. But it made me think and ask myself questions. Am I a success? If I am, how has We Care played a part in that? I will save you the 10 cent speech and get to the heart of it...SELF-WORTH!!! "We Care Arts is a place where people with disabilities learn independence and build self esteem." That is a direct quote from their site. And it is sooooo very descriptive of what they do and how they became a part of my success story. I was put on disability 10 years ago and I never in my wildest imaginings would have believed that I would be where I am at this point in my life. I graduated from our local community college in 2009 with honors!!! And went out to Wright State University where I will graduate with my BA in Nonprofit Management this June. And somewhere between 2002 and 2012 I began to believe in me again and believe that I could achieve anything I wanted to. I stopped calling my cute, quaint drawings "doodles"...heck, I stopped calling them cute and quaint...lol I call myself an artist and I wouldn't have done that 10 years ago. And in June I will add CNP to my name as a "Certified Nonprofit Leader." And as I told the crowd of apx 200 people on Friday, all this started with the quiet acceptance and sincere encouragement from the teacher and staff of We Care Art. When someone else believes in you that you respect, you begin to believe they may be right and you begin to believe in you too! They gave me back my self worth!!!

Thanks, Bruce, Terry, Shari, Theresa, Sharen, Marie, Carole, Brenda, Mary and all the others at We Care!!! You truly made a difference in my life!

To top the night off, I had donated one of my paintings to them. I did a series called the Giving Heart. One of the international symbols of "giving, volunteerism, and nonprofits" is 2 or more hands extended with a heart. The painting below went up for auction and I am stunned and pleased to tell you that it raised $325 for We Care!!!! Glad that in some small way I was able to give back to those who gave me so much!!!

The Giving Heart II

This doesn't convey they terror I felt at speaking in front of so many people...lol