Nearify Blog
Every three months a super glossy magazine comes out called “Where Women Create – Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women.” Published by Stampington & Company’s Somerset Studio, it’s a delight to the senses – filled with feature articles on women artists – their studios, their back story, their creations, their challenges and their aspirations.
I look for tidbits of inspiration and encouragement. I am never disappointed. Here’s a few that pull all the threads together:
Theresa Cano, antiques seller:
I’m constantly learning new things, not only design trends but how to improve what I’m currently doing…we are always working toward our next adventure.
Suzi Brown, freelance mixed-media artist and instructor:
[My] greatest joy is sharing and encouraging those who say they aren’t artistic or creative. Even the smallest, simplest projects and accomplishments can brighten a person’s day and make them realize they do have creativity within, setting them on a wondrous new course in life.
Caroline Kirsch, mixed media textile artist:
When I encounter a creative block, I see it as an opportunity to take a step back and reflect without criticism…stillness let’s the next move rise from the unconscious mind.
Lucy Farmer, creating wearable beauty from salvage:
The value of networking should never be underestimated…find people you can collaborate with…surround yourself with people you admire. I have many artists I look up to who I’ve reached out to for advice and they always respond.
Rachel Butch Williams, oil painter:
Believing in my work and myself has been my biggest challenge…painting is a lonely enterprise. The little voices of negativity can get started without warning and before you know it, you are looking for a job in health care…so far, my most meaningful life lesson has been to make sure that I do what I love and to always fit it in somehow.
Karen Way – quilter, crafter, decorator and upcycler:
Organize and label everything. Spend your time creating rather than searching for your supplies
Jodi Heiberg – self taught artist:
I decided I finally deserved a real studio. ..I gathered all of the furniture I had collected over the years from the side of the road, painted everything white and transformed my unused living room into a studio that I can say is truly me. I am living proof that art has no rules.
Polly Hood – deals in vintage and repurposed items:
When you hit a creative slump, and you will (because we all do,) take some time to rest. For me, when I can’t seem to come up with one single creative thought, it’s almost always that I’m worn down and just need to rest.
April Cornell – artist and creator of table linens and feminine apparel:
She says she hit a wall in 2005 when she and her husband split up. “I looked around the house and decided to make it mine. Instead of hanging paintings by others on the walls, I painted the walls with poetry, my own words …today I find painting on walls without borders one of the most joyous things I do … Good ideas will stand the test of time, repetitiveness creates expertise, but being inexpert and trying new things is very creative and exciting.
And my two cents worth: Bloom where you are planted! And then Preserve That Bloom.
Happy Creating!