The Orchid Show "Allure" at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. Winter 2023
"Serious art is born from serious play."
- Julia Cameron
Ideas for creative projects can come from anywhere. Walks in nature, flipping through a magazine, a chance conversation with friends. Even the fabric of the shirt your brother is wearing in a picture he sent you from a recent trip to Bora Bora. (True story.) There really is no such thing as running out of ideas.
In a previous blog post I talked about the importance of Play when approaching creative projects. This is similar. But to back it up a step, in order to have creative ideas to play with, the creative cup must first be full. And despite the fact that there are endless sources of ideas all around us, the truth is - the well can run a bit dry at times.
If I’m running on empty, or if inspiration is flagging, the solution is almost always to get out of my head and go look at some art. This can be paintings at a museum, or flowers in a garden, or graffiti, or architecture, or fiber colors in a yarn store. Anything.
The writer Julia Cameron famously created the concept of “Artist Dates” which are weekly, solo expeditions to generate creative inspiration. She has said “The Artist Date need not be overly “artistic” - think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates first up the imagination. They spark whimsy.”
I love this. In other words, Artist Dates are meant to fill your cup.
It’s safe to say that creative inspiration can run a bit low during the dreary late winter in Massachusetts. Then last weekend I visited the annual Orchid Show at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. Even though we’ve had a relatively mild winter, there is nothing like spending time in a greenhouse to absorb all the warmth, and glorious color. And the orchids! Oh my gosh, the orchids. Magical. So much color, so many shapes, such incredible fragrance. The cup is starting to fill again.
What helps you find creative inspiration?