inspired

Have you ever thought, that what you are doing is
kind of useless? Well, I do that often. So did I this
morning.

It's my turn again to sweep the court yart etc. It
was still windy. So, I was asking myself either I really
should sweep all the leaves away - new ones would
come by while I was sweeping... I've decided to do it
anyway (and I don't regret it).

The view when I was going downstairs was not so
pleasing. It has been storming and raining nearly
the whole evening yesterday. So, leaves, petals, pods
and more were lying all around. But then, it's all about
finding those small things in our life to make it more
beautiful, right? Time to open my eyes for those
beauties...



The colors of those 'nature junks' on the steps are so
brilliant and inspiring. I've saved some of them while
I was sweeping. As I was finished, I took them upstairs
and started to arrange them on a blank canvas (which
I've bought years ago and never managed to take my
time to paint on it). A tiny caterpillar (as well as some
other tiny creatures) was hiding in one of the buds and
I saw it later on my arrangement. It took it's way to a
twig and stay there till I was finished with my photo
session (I hope, it didn't get too dizzy while I moved
the twig around).


This was my first arrangement. I'm thinking of selling
some of my photographs, so I'm gathering photos I
love at the moment and thinking, how I'd print them.
But that's another story...

Anyway, this arrangement has inspired me to the next
one (you might remember, that I keep seeing faces
whenever I look around). I've rearranged the things a
few times until I'm satisfied with the result.

I really like the last arrangement (even though the pod
was falling apart..). It's kind of a self portrait, I think.
Not sure, but I see me (with my old, big glasses LOL).
Okay, I admit, she looks prettier than I ^_^



Viva La Vida and more is running on the background
while I was arranging the troves. Of course :) I got it from
their site here - the live version, kind of best of album.

So, let's stay inspired, friends!

talking about inspiration

This post should have been yesterday's night post, but I
didn't manage to finish it. A short roundup of yesterday..
I manage to ride my bike to the places I had to as I
planned - yay! Then I wanted to pick up my son from
school to go to the doctor with him, but we missed each
other, since he forgot it. I ran and ran not to let him
waiting for too long in front of the door. Gosh, my thighs
were hurting afterwards! Sadly I didn't manage to fulfill
my other goal to clean a spot :( I was so tired, I didn't
even had the energy to wash the dishes or to put the
washed dishes in the cupboard. Chaos ruled again in my
kitchen.



I made this picture to show Inger, that if I say chaos, it is
for real (and this is nothing in compare to e.g. my kitchen
table ;)). I only don't really want you to see it ;) But anyway,
this chaos has served me well. You'll see why ;)

Yesterday morning I found a message from Leina, that I
won an award. That reminds me, that I also got another
award from Alecia just after I posted about the last award
thing and still haven't said a peep about it. Thank you, girls!
I always feel honored, if I'm awarded, but I also feel the
pressure at the same time ;) I know, some of you feel the
same. So, I won't pass the pressure to others this time. I
hope you understand... Thought, I heard some sighs of
relief? Instead I would encourage you all to talk about
inspiration (as requested by Leina's award) either in your
own blog (don't forget to let me know, once you did! I'm
curious, you know ^_^) or by commenting here.

I'm about to observe everything and anything of my life
in my journey. So, would you join me this time to get a
better understanding of how inspiration and creativity
work for me?

Every single thing, that I've seen, heard, feel, smelt, tasted
and experienced is memorized in my brain. While smells
and tastes (and a hungry stomach) inspire me mostly to
be a creative cook, all other things are my inspiration
materials for other things. Nature, landscape, music, film,
silence, art and craft, light, shadow, dirt on the wall, water
splashes while taking a shower, technique, waiting people,
voices of people, people and the way they simply are,... just
to mention a few. All those inspirations have to mature first.
It happens subconsciously. My brain and senses do it without
my command.

Oh, let me tell you a funny story in between. My family and
I were once on the airport for a reason, that I don't remember
anymore. We were walking and chatting, as a group of persons
went by. One of them was talking in a strong Javanese dialect.
From one sentence to the next, I suddenly spoke in his dialect,
as if somebody else were talking through me!! I was so amazed
and a little bit embarrassed afterwards *lol*

Back to my journey.. To get me creative I need the right
impulse though. Often it is my feeling and mood. Different
than Leina, I can't create, when I'm in a bad mood or scared
or worried. Good and sad mood do the magic, as well as
colors, textures, patterns or shape of something. So, if I
want to make something, I either first need the right mood.
Or I take the material I want to use and look at it, feel it,...
Slowly the impulse comes up and also some tiny details of
the other memories come up like puzzle pieces of ideas and
my brain starts to match them around and build something
new. Sometimes the more ideas I implement, the more are
coming (I then get the problem, where to start and where
to stop - which is worth another observation for sure).

After the first photo above, I enjoyed some experiments.
Just for fun (BTW.. the inspiration of taking the out of focus
photo came from Heather's photo, as she was tagged on
Flickr). I sorted them. At the first sight, they were only
something blur. Colors, which would better suit for autumn.
But then after starring at it for a while, my mind has create
an imagination out of it.




Another example...

I first saw the chin, then the nose. As I draw the nose and
mouth, I wasn't really pleased with the mouth. So, I made
another layer and took a second try. You won't believe me -
the 2nd mouth has exactly the same shape as the first try.
Hmm.. I starred at it again. Finally I realized, it was the
form of the lips, which a sister of an old friend of mine has.
I haven't met my friend for a long time - over 20 years. But
just a few days ago, I saw her name and her avatar as I was
browsing a friend's profile on Facebook.


Another chaotic corner in my kitchen ^_^

As for jewelry, beads and other objects it is a similar process.
An object like art (of the same or of a totally different category)
or architecture or a flower could also give me an impulse to
create. It could be the shape or the color(s) or the technique
or the functionality. So it's only a tiny detail of a thing, which
makes my brain immediately browsing my own needs, habits,
feelings and other inspiration materials to form a new thing,
which I can call my creation.

So, now it's your turn to tell me about your inspiration :)


'the head must bow before the heart'

still busy

Yes, it's been a while since my last post again.

I'm moved in the new house, but still not finish
renovating. My son's room is still a construction 

site. It began quite poetically...


My son has helped me. We took the wallpaper 

down.

The wallpaper took the plaster down at some 

spots.

And at some other spots it's even worse!! 

The nightmare began for me...
The more I worked in that room, the more 

weird things I found.

Not only cracks are everywhere, but also the 

wall is slant. I don't know, how to describe it. 

Maybe you can see the very light difference on 

the door's bottom and upper side in this photo. 

Well, it's nothing!!


I was shock to see the left side of the door (the 

wall is flush with the door frame on the bottom).


The ceiling is not only bumpy, I thought, it would 

fall down, once I touch it. I saw more cracks!

Behind the old plaster, the wall is crumbling. No 

wonder it keeps getting new cracks. The previous 

tenant must have renovate several times. 

At some spots one can see up to four different kinds

of plasters.

And sometimes they just plaster over the old wallpaper.

I was really frustrated!! Didn't know, where to

start. I have never done plastering before (I only

remember, how the worker has done it, as they

built my parent's house 27 years ago) and I didn't

have the money to let an expert do it for me. So

I kept procrastinating it till 3 weeks ago. The other

reason, why I procrastinated, was because I knew

from the start, that I can't make it perfect. Ouch!!

Me and my perfectionism...!!!

I'll show you how, it looks like once the room is

ready. Right now it's only dusty in there. I'm 

finished with plastering and just started to

sand the walls. It was not easy to start, but I have

to say, that I love plastering (hate sanding though).

Oh, remember my passion to see faces everywhere?

I have to show you this one :)

imagination

As I was at school, I loved to
look at the footprints or dirts on the wall
(pupils were naughty sometimes ;-)).
I could find scenes and faces in there -
I love to imagine a story about them.
This continues up till now.
I've seen faces and landscape and shapes
everywhere I go.

Later on, at the high school, in our art class
we had to make abstract pictures and
tell a story about them.
I've enjoyed looking at my friend's creations,
found many things there and...
helped them describes them *lol*

I also love to browse Flickr from time to time.
I enjoy looking at the photos,
to see new places, where I've never been,
and to meet new people.
I collect some of my favorites.
One of them, which let my imagination grows,
is this texture photo taken by jan4photo.
She has more of those photos in her gallery.
I'm really glad to meet her there.

"And she got it!" - the first brooch in my shop -
based also on imagination.
I put down the story in the description.


And look at this tree,
I've found on my walk this afternoon.
Could this be the tree,
where she got the berry from? ;-)