The Creative Portfolio
Happy December sweet things. I hope your Advent arrived with a bang, and that the confetti of seasonal frivolity showers you all month long. I already have a batch of ginger biscuits in the oven and Micheal Buble’s seasonal standards serenading me from the other room, so I’m set.
Drama in the Theatre: Scene Process
For most projects I begin with a brain dump, mind map, or some kind of storyboard, where I spew out all of my ideas onto paper. I like to think of these ideas as clouds swirling in my head. Some are light and fleeting, some are heavy and storm-like, bursting at the seams with inspiration. This particular idea of a dancing bird, has been brewing in my head for quite some time. I decided to sketch out vague little thumbnails on paper, and rearranged them on my drawing board until a narrative began to emerge…
Autumn in the lakes
Last month I escaped for a few peaceful, grounding days to the lakes. We stayed in a village called Mickleton, surrounded by sheep-dotted hills and winding country lanes. It was a week of red skies and smoking chimneys, falling leaves and antique shops. I also collected a lot of visual inspiration with my camera, attempting to capture the magical landscape that I couldn’t bottle up and bring home. It’s been two years since I’ve truly been out in nature, and I’ve been tired of city life for a while. I hope this post brings a little peace to your day, wherever you find yourself!
3 Simple Steps to find Inspiration
Last month I read Show Your Work by Austin Kleon, who explains that as soon as we become familiar with our creative practice, it’s time to ditch what we know and start searching for something new. That’s how we grow as artists - breaking away from what we’re comfortable with in order to discover new ideas that challenge the way we think about art. As creatives we are often aware of our finite cup of inspiration, which we must continually fill in order to stay in the flow of creating. But however inspired we may find ourselves, inevitably that cup will, at some point, dry up. So if like me you’ve been searching for new ideas this month, here are some of the simplest ways I stay creative when I feel uninspired.