What inspires me to create art?
That depends. I can get inspired by a set of colors, or a photo I took, a flower, a butterfly, or a special event. Sometimes I’m inspired by special requests for original artwork. Sometimes my inspiration comes from memory.
Click on the image to shop for artwork inspired by the super bloom of California poppies this spring.
The past couple of months, I’ve drawn inspiration from Spoonflower’s challenges. While useful in getting the creative juices flowing, I’ve also found them to be stressful. I want to do well at them, but sometimes my quirky out-of-the-box creative bent takes me off in unanticipated directions.
And sometimes, my original ideas just don’t connect with my intended audience. Stress is bad for creativity. Stress also knocks my inspiration down and stomps all over it. I don’t perform well at all under pressure. Oh, let’s be honest here: introduce stress to the mix, and my creativity and inspiration take a hike and refuse to return for quite a while afterwards.
In talking with other artists, I’ve discovered that I am not alone in this.
Stress interferes with inspiration
Other artists have mentioned that they can only create if they know that the finished product is theirs to keep or give away as they choose. If they have to sell their artwork, that shuts down their creativity.
The unfortunate reality for most artists online is that if we don’t sell the artwork we create, then–we don’t make money. No money makes creating more art that much harder.
So this is a dilemma we face.
For me, I find that the more of my artwork that sells, the better it sells, the lower my stress levels are. This is also why I’m constantly looking for more inspiration that connects with what customers really want from me in terms of design.
There is so much I can do.
- Hand me a set of family photos and request a special design, and I can create that for you–as long as you’re willing to pay for my time and effort.
- Give me a photo of your dog or cat, and I can incorporate it into a design as well.
- Maybe you have a favorite flower or a favorite place you like to visit, or something that makes you laugh or smile. Anything is possible as long as you ask.
Need some custom artwork? Please contact me. I’d love to help you.