Studio Notes: Ebbs and flows of creativity

Looking for inspiration

After finishing two rather intensive projects - 100 days of collage landscapes and finishing a watercolour sketchbook in a month - I felt a little drained and stuck. I tried to get “unstuck” through making more art, but it didn’t work (obviously). I realised that what I need is to fill my creative cup in a different way, so I followed my own advice from a older post:

Go out to a gallery, museum, a local exhibition or art fair to feed your own creativity. Art books and catalogues are a great source of inspiration. Learn about old masters, contemporary artists, various genres and types of art. Go see a performance at a local theatre, watch a movie or listen to music. Read a new book. Listen to podcasts & interviews. Find inspiration in the everyday things. Learn what inspires you outside of art making - walks in nature, learning a new language, cooking a new dish.

Overcoming a creative block

Going to museums, antique shops, old book stores

As artists we cannot create in vacuum, we need inputs from the outside world to spark new ideas. Going to museums and exhibitions seems like an obvious choice and it can provide us with a lot of inspiration and some of the greatest experiences.

At the same time, thinking outside the box in search of inspiration can be surprisingly rewarding, that’s why I like antique shops, thrift stores, flea markets and old book stores. It feels a little bit like treasure hunt and you can get unexpected ideas, for example during my recent walks I got the idea of framing some of my art pieces in old / vintage frames from flea markets.

Traveling

I realize that traveling is a privilege that is not accessible to everyone and there were long years in my life when I travelled very very little. But when it’s possible, traveling never fails to inspire me. Even one-day trips or something simple as going for a hike or a bike ride can be extremely helpful when I need rest and feel stuck.

I am really grateful that I was able to make a super quick trip to Amsterdam at the end of August and visit the Van Gogh Museum. Last time I visited the city I didn’t have the time to go there, so it had been an unfulfilled wish of mine for almost ten years. As Van Gogh is one of my absolute favorite artists, it’s needless to say it was a very emotional experience.

Being open to broader topics

Although I am a big fan of art podcasts and YouTube channels (especially when I am painting, it helps me to focus my mind), I realised that I need to open up to broader topics. There is a shift in my practice and I feel that listening to discussions on philosophy, writing and culture helps me to nurture and clarify these new directions.

I am exploring that corner of the Internet more and will be glad to hear your recommendations!

Some watercolour play

Although I wasn’t painting as much as usual, I still devoted time for just playing around using watercolours without any specific goals in mind.

Citla's custom set of 12 colours

If you didn’t know - my dear friend

Citla Flores

is making her own watercolour sets now! And she even teaches the process in her publication

The Sketchbook Games

. I had the privilege to try her mini custom set of 12 colours:

• Titanium Buff

• Hansa Yellow

• Yellow Ochre

• Chinese Vermillion

• Cadmium Red Light (substitute)

• Burnt Sienna

• Primary Blue

• Ultramarine

• Green Oxyde

• Raw Umber

• Iron Purple

• Jane’s Grey (Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna)

First thing I did was creating a mixing chart - oh boy how lovely the mixes look! There is a lot of granulation thanks to some of the pigments and the results look amazing. The mixing potential of the pigments is enormous and I love that the set is travel size.

After creating the mixing chart I painted a quick floral study to explore the palette more - I love the movement created by the granulation and how the pigments interact with each other on the paper. So many possibilities! The palette is refillable and you can fill it with your own paints from tubes when you use up the set.

This set is available to Citla’s paid subscribers (the Founding member tier). Citla is planning to create more sets as she is adding more colours into her watercolor-making repertoire and is about to open her webshop!

So if you’re looking for something like a travel sized watercolour set, please consider supporting Citla’s small art business.

You might also like:

The Experience of Art

Making space for personal projects

Thank you for reading and being part of this space. If you enjoyed this post, feel free to give it a like, leave a comment, or share it with someone who might appreciate it.

I always love hearing from you in the comments - what is your art practice like right now?

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Until next time!

Lisa