What fills you up when your having a creative dry spell?

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Permalink Reply by Knitted Gems on August 21, 2007 at 7:47am

I head straight to the kitchen to cook up comfort food and dessert. It works everytime.

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Permalink Reply by casey on August 21, 2007 at 5:24pm

I love this discussion topic! I often find simple things like music (usually of the more oldie/folk variety gets me going... dunno why because I normally listen to hard rock!), sunbeams, color... it just depends. During the wintertime, its more apt to be things like paintchips of saturated colors (just spreading them in front of me does wonders to jumpstart the creativity again!), smells (woodfires!!), and going through old magazines (a wintertime activity for me!). Other times it can just be a conversation I have with someone, or even just a pattern or detail I notice somewhere... When I'm really bummed about my creative dryspell, browsing Flickr usually gets me pointed in the right direction. Other artists never cease to inspire me to create! :)

Cheers!
-Casey

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Permalink Reply by Dawn Brandt on August 21, 2007 at 7:24pm

It really depends. Thankfully, I haven't had too many dry spells. But when they do hit, it's usually a whopper!

I have found that going to the good 'ol library and flipping through art books or books on photography, stained glass, gardening or architecture really gets my gears turning. One of my favorite inspirational books was a publication on tropical fish. Wow...the colors and patterns! Of course, my jewelry isn't very colorful, but I am always drawn to patterns.

Sometimes just putting on a good CD or cleaning off my workbench seem to help too.

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Permalink Reply by casey on August 22, 2007 at 4:15am

Ah yes! How could I forget the library?! That is definitely one of my favorite resources too. So many cool art books--all free for borrowing! Yum. ;) lol.

Cheers!
- Casey

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Permalink Reply by FuzzyIzmit on August 22, 2007 at 8:51pm

I look though art books, magazine etc to get inspiration. I also listen to music, that seems to help.

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Permalink Reply by SusanThornton on August 22, 2007 at 9:31pm

I love everyone's posts to this topic.

When this happens to me I also get out my book that I have things cut out and drawn over and collaged that I call 'The Book'. I also go out and 'fill my artistic well' by doing something I usually wouldn't do like going to a pro shop and just looking at stuff. There are a lot of odd things in those stores and they have great textures and packaging and some have GIANT fish tanks. I just got a subscription to a new design mag called ID that has all kinds of design ideas in it. I like to look at things outside my area of interest to fill my creativity well.

Thanks for this topic!!

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Higgins on August 23, 2007 at 10:50am

Many things can get my creative juices flowing, magazines, going for a walk or drive, going to the mall or craft fair(if there is one in town) Happy creating

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Permalink Reply by Ivy Toh on August 23, 2007 at 11:39pm

my ideas tend to come fast and furiously when they do so i alwas make a diagram/list of what i think up and keep them becasue i'd go mad if i did tem all at once.

That becomes a store for me when ideas do run out... i just go flip through my scrap book and make 1 of those ideas i dreampt up ages ago XD

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Permalink Reply by Margaret Almon on August 24, 2007 at 3:57pm

I like to go to the library and get books about other mediums than mosaic--beading, clay, stained glass, quilting, printmaking. I also take "field trips" to museums or art galleries. Playing with tesserae(tiles etc) helps too--focusing just on color or whatever catches my attention. Finally, making something, no matter how dry it feels--that's really hard for me, but sometimes actually mosaicing is what I need to do to refresh myself, even if it feels anxiety-provoking or tedious, because eventually the dryness passes if I am in the present moment, creating something.

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Permalink Reply by Fabletoo on September 22, 2007 at 9:46pm

I'm currently not painting as much but I am listening to Peacemaker and Tata Young (two Thai musical artists) at TOP NOTCH and dancing :-)

I'm also on my way out soon to the local weekend market here in Bangkok (it has over 8,000 stalls!!) to buy myself a new shirt, jewelry box, food, flowers, jewelry and more music, and take photos - that should get me thinking creatively.

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Permalink Reply by Brooke on August 24, 2007 at 4:32pm

Great discussion question!

When I'm going through a creative dry spell, I do one of two things.
1) Look through some of my favorite design books/magazines that maybe I haven't looked at in awhile and usually something in one of them will spark an idea
or
2) Go a few days without doing any project and just try to clear my creative mind. Usually in a day or two, new ideas start popping up when I'm not trying to force them.

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Permalink Reply by Chad on August 24, 2007 at 9:44pm

I find that a lot of daytime T.V. can really inspire someone to be creative. Yes that's definitely it lol. No really I've been in a dry funk for 8 years. I've had the ideas it's just that when I would try to draw or paint it either wouldn't flow from my pencil or it wouldn't look the way I wanted it. Kind of an artistic constipation rather than a dry spell. I think signing up on this website has helped, that and my wife encouraging me to do something creative.

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