INSPIRATION
This has been a big word this week in my house. I have a big envelope in my drawer that I slip an image or quote into now and then that holds a creative spark. It may be a craft project that I'd like to try out, a gift I'd like to make for someone, or a shirt or dress that I look at and think, I could just maybe make that for myself or my daughter and skip the high price tag. My daughter has watched me make contributions to this folder and wanted her own. Once we had cut out several images she picked up some glitter glue and began putting them together in a collage. I've done this many times myself as a sort of visual wish list or even just as a way to lay out what I was thinking in a way that was perhaps not possible with words at the time. Thank you, my sweet P for reminding mommy how to use my inspiration for more than a folder that gets added to, but seldom taken from.
As this blog progresses I want to be sharing more of my personal experience and "expertise", but for now I am happy to point readers towards others who inspire me. Here are a couple of talented moms who really make it work.
Suzanne Del Rizzo has such an interesting style that reminds me to search for that something truly unique in my work. On a similar note, Holly DeWolf, who created the blog "Illustration Notes", has published a wonderful list to help artists define their UCP or Unique Creative Position. http://hollydewolf.blogspot.com/
It seems pretty obvious that I need to recognize my target market and what makes my work relevant, but it's also an easy thing to forget when, as a decorative painter/independent contractor, I have always painted from someone else's vision and am left with a pile of work that paid the bills at the time but very few pieces that speak of me. Running through this probing list of questions helps clear out what is less than and leaves what is crucial. This is very important to understand about oneself when creating a portfolio to attract THE job, an online presence that pinpoints ones' finest assets, and having the confidence to reach for that goal and believe in the possibility.
