I bow down to the creators of Pinterest. Never have I ever had such organized imagery inspiration to keep track of all the things that make me look or think twice. As you can imagine, the boards closest to my heart are those related to my craft – art, installation, and illustration. Here is some of my favorite illustrative work found via Pinterest:
eats
animals
fashion
plantlife
For more illustrious inspiration, check out my illustration board on Pinterest!
Not sure where I stumbled upon this work, but I’m sure glad I did. The delicacy, the subtlety, the dots… it just all screams my name.. or rather, whispers. Patti Roberts Pizzuto elegantly layers media to create ethereal compositions, sometimes abstract and other times using familiar symbols of home, sky, earth, and sea. The balance she creates has an ancient quality, almost as if they were mental or psychological maps of times past.
When I first began this interview series, I had no idea what I was in for. I thought it could be a fun side project that would push me to connect with other creative individuals and provide a platform for the inspirational voices of others. It indeed does those things, but I couldn’t have predicted how important it would become to me, to my own journey. The opportunity to ask a question and have it genuinely answered with thought and care, is a joy I truly cherish now. To think that people I admire would generously give me their time and a piece of their mind… well, it just really humbles me and motivates me.
I can say without a doubt that this interview is one I’ve anticipated more than any other. Why is that, you ask? Well, it’s a multitude of things. Jacob Van Loon is an artist I’ve admired via tumblr for a while now; I stumbled upon his work organically and have been a fan ever since. Watch the video below and you’ll understand why I’m so enraptured. The infrastructure he builds with pencil and paint is complex and layered, existing somewhere in-between creation and destruction. I’d like to think (maybe hope is the better word) that the universe I draw within could maybe be a neighbor to his own. But enough words from me. Van Loon is the 27-year old sage here and his words are the ones I want to share with you.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/2TNW8oY-Tys]
The uninhibited imagination of a child is truly a beautiful thing. We all begin our lives with whimsical ideas of how things come about and dreams of what they could be… and then at some point along the way, we learn otherwise. We are educated on common sense, science, physics, and so on, telling us what things are possible and logical – and what things aren’t. Thankfully, like Mica Angela Hendricks, we may be fortunate enough to produce offspring who will show us the way back to our former worlds of wonder.
Read this. Long story short, every parent gets backed into a corner at some point or another, when their child uses their own rules against them. But when Hendricks, an illustrator by trade, was forced to relinquished her sketchbook to her daughter, the results turned out to be sort of magical.
I am so ecstatic to be continuing my Creative Makers and Creative Masters series! I had fallen off track because of how busy I was in the past few months, but I’m on the road again and ready to introduce you to some seriously awesome entrepreneurs.
Sitting down for coffee with Bethany Putnam reminded me how much I love interviewing other creative individuals; she’s a kindred spirit with a warm heart and a genuine desire to help others connect with their life’s bliss. I felt so comfortable chatting with her that I easily forgot I was supposed to be asking her actual questions! Bethany acts as one half of Foxboxes, bringing vintage-themed flasks to the drinkers of Atlanta and Los Angeles alike. Their sweet and nostalgic creations feature upcycled antique imagery with a cheeky sense of humor and whimsy to match. Having just been voted Best Indie Crafter in Creative Loafing, it’s easy to see that Foxboxes is on a steep trajectory towards indie craft stardom.
I’m totally feelin’ on these psychedelic designs by Melbourne based artist Emily Green. Watercolor patterns are all the rage these days, but hers seem especially fresh, straightforward with a lovely clarity of color and shape. 
Getting myself mentally and emotionally prepared for making work is as important as actually making the work. The first step always is and always will be finding inspiration in the talent of others. Thankfully, Pinterest and Tumblr make it easier than ever to find new artists to be jealous of. One such artist is Bridget Davies.
While it doesn’t fall in line with exactly what I do, it has that wonderful balance of whimsy and elegance that I am always so drawn to. Her lines are fluid yet thoughtfully articulated, almost like a great outfit that looks effortlessly fabulous.
The year of 2013 has been quite a doozie for me. I’ve had three different jobs and teetered back and forth between “my dream is to become a full-fledged professional artist” and “god, I really want to be able to buy this pair of boots”. It’s driven all of my friends and family crazy, I’m sure, but is also completely necessary for me to move forward. Underlying all of the insanity, my ultimate goal (which maybe I’ll see a glimpse of by the end of the year) is to navigate the roads to achieving balance. Balance between being practical and being a risk-taker, balance between being a homebody and a busybody, balance between listening to others and listening to myself. Balance between art and life.
Art and life have always been at war with each other within me. It’s always been, choose one or the other. Be great at one or the other. But I’ve never been able to give up on either and so I’ve been struggling, pulling both of them along at once, sometimes equally and sometimes not.
One of the best things about being an artist is having other creative people in my life. We all forge our paths differently, but at our hearts we are the same; we have an irrepressible impulse to create beautiful objects and meaningful experiences. My hope is to eventually introduce you to every single one of my amazingly talented friends because their gifts deserve to be shared. They’ll be sprinkled throughout my Creative Masters and Makers series, which I fully intend to continue developing as soon as I get more time to interview!
Til then here’s a short introduction to my friend, Ashley Barnes. She’s beginning her journey into flourishing as a professional ceramist and her whimsical pieces are sure to put a smile on your face.
During my college years, I spent many a night (and morning) toiling away at projects in my various classroom studios. At the time I dreaded it – the lack of sleep, the feeling like I couldn’t possibly have enough time to make something worthy of presenting, the endlessness of it all. Little did I know that not too many years later, it would be a lifestyle I miss.
