For me, inspiration has always come from the work of other people. I can appreciate nature, and be completely awestruck by its magnificence, but what gets me wanting to create is seeing the work of other artists. So, where do you go to find your inspiration?
Obviously, its wonderful if you can go to galleries and museums to see art. Trips to museums remain my most memorable interactions with art. But alas, those visits are rare and what do we do in the meantime? Tap the internet, of course. I love Pinterest.
A lot of artists tell me they used to use Pinterest but now they don’t so much. With all the changes to these platforms as they evolve, I still think Pinterest has a great thing going with its algorithms. Yes, they offer you alot of options to BUY things, but they are also pretty darn good at finding “similar” images. I can pull up a piece of an artist I like, let’s say a Kurt Schwitters piece, and below it is a whole grid of images that are similar. Its a loose interpretation of “similar” but it works.. I have found art I really like this way. Not only that, I can SAVE it— something I am completely fond of, as you will see from a glance at my boards.
Another good online source is Artsy.net. You can look up an artist, see all the galleries offering their work and which pieces, and also a listing of artists that are similar. It is a great site for finding galleries that carry the kind of art you like (and might want to apply to). They also might have more obscure pieces by famous artist. I was searching for a particular piece by Robert Rauschenberg and his foundation website (which I would think would have everything he ever made) did not list it. But I found it on artsy, being sold by a gallery.
What else? Where do YOU get your inspiration? Leave us a tip in the comments below.
To an inspiring week,
Melinda