Saturday, May 5, 2007

The Artists Who Inspire!

Do you have favorite artists who inspire you? I do. Some of them are Nicol Sayre, Christine Crocker of Deerfield Farmhouse (she once bought one of my patterns and I was so honored!), Wendy Addison, Melissa Nuefeld, Lori Mitchell, Bethany Lowe just to name a very few.


Just looking at their work makes me want to create! I would love to spend a day with any one of them and have a peek into their imaginations, to see what their typical day is like, to know where they find their inspirations and where do they shop that they find all those wonderful things to create with!


The book “Where Women Create” by Jo Packham gives us a glimpse into some of these inspiring artists studios. I remember when I first bought this book and was thumbing thru the pages the excitement that I felt. I hadn’t been this excited or inspired in ages. My sewing room was a total disaster and here these women had beautiful studios and they were decorated and organized with everyday finds and items, so I took that and started putting it to use in my own space. I still have a ways to go, but I’ve come very far from where I began and so I will continue to enjoy the journey of not only creating, but creating a space in which I can work and create and be inspired by.





I’ve found that using cake stands adds more space--it’s like a mini shelf and a pretty one at that. Old jars are pretty and inexpenisve containers to hold just about anything.


I decided I needed an old hutch or cabinet for my sewing room to help store supplies and not long after that I found a hutch at the Goodwill store for only $40! I had intended to use it for storage of fabric, however as you can see I’m using it for treasure storage instead. It’s just as important to have things out that you love and that inspire you as it is to have proper storage and besides there are lots of drawers below and each one is filled up, so this little hutch is filling it’s purpose.

A quote and a tip by Wendy Addison that I really enjoy are..

“Pick up a thread-any thread-of something that holds some meaning for you. Follow it and you will find other threads that, woven together, will give you something to hold onto”

Her tip is this--“To launch your imaginary voyage, carve out a private space and time, even if it’s only an hour sketching in a closet.”

Find your space, find a time and begin your journey today. You never know where it will take you.