Inspiration is Everywhere!

Today I want to talk about inspiration, as in where to find it. My approach to many things creative is to get inspiration from things around me. This is why I'm constantly finding patterns in the most unexpected places.

Building in Charlotte, NC

Poster for a play in NYC

Xmas tree

I also like to skim through websites, magazines, books, as well as look at other people's work, quilty or otherwise.

Stained glass window in a hotel in Arizona

Artwork found in coffee shop in Asheville, NC

Nature obviously provides unlimited fountains of inspiration

Moth found one morning outside my kitchen screen door

Night sky in Arizona

Produce in a stall at farmers' market, Santiago, Chile

As I said, I'm always on the lookout for inspiration ideas. Sometimes even the patterns on floor tiles, or even sidewalks spark the creative genie. The fact that I particularly favor improvisational quilting, makes this type of idea gathering process quite appropriate. The more I quilt, the more I find that I don't want to follow pre-established patterns, such as those well known in the traditional quilting world, i.e., Saw Tooth Star, or Churn Dash, or Drunkard's Path, etc. Although I love traditional quilting just as the next person, when it comes to actually making a quilt I will always go for the unique, the unconventional, or a different interpretation of a traditional pattern. I guess one might say I'm a "color outside the lines" type of gal.

I'm still waiting (and hoping) for the opportunity to put all these ideas into practice and come up with the quilt(s) that will materialize all those snippets of inspiration I've been gathering along the way. Wish me luck!