Many times we as designers are asked "What inspired you to create that design?".
Sometimes it is a very easy answer I find but other times not as easy........I don't know about you but I am inspired by so many things that it is hard to pinpoint exactly what I was inspired by yet other times I completely know what was the inspiration for a particular design. Simple, right to be inspired? yes & no.....each of us are inspired by so many different things.
I personally love to travel and I am definitely influenced by the places that I visit, whether it be Tucson each year in February and all of the luscious beads, gemtstones and of course mypersonal favorite- SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystals, ancient China, India with all of it color and striking contrasts, the lakes, sunsets and the cherry blossoms in Northern Michigan, the city scapes of Dallas or the simplicity of the wildflowers (I personally love the bluebonnets best) throughout Texas in the spring, the Ozarks, diamond fields and natural springs of my native Arkansas, the old school charms of the east coast, amazing Australia, Mexico in all of its beautiful colors or fabulous Europe just to name a few of the places that I have visited.
I have been very lucky in both my personal life and professional career to have been able to visit some amazing places. In the USA, I have visited just about every state at some point with only a handful left on my personal wish list! Inspiration galore!
I know that I have been extremely blessed to have the opportunity to have visited such beautiful and wonderful sites around the world! I am a big believer in that each place has a certain charm if we just look for it, do you agree? If you think about where you have had the opportunity to travel, what inspirations can you think of that have truly inspired you?
I am always amazed regardless of how many times I see the sunset how truly breathtaking it is each and everytime in all of it color and glory.......think about how many necklaces, bracelets, earrings or home decor that has inspired how many different designers that were all looking at the same sunset in so many different countries across the globe yet we each take something different away from that same sunset. That is inspiring in itself, don't you think?
I love how the color of the water on the Great Lakes, the gulf coast of Florida as well as the stunning oceans of Australia can inspire so many varied designs yet it is water in its essence that really connects each of us...........beautiful, again inspiring!
Architecture in so many ways can inspire a wirework design, maybe a polymer or metal clay piece or even a stiched or crochet design.....we each can look at the exact same picture, building, sunset, etc. and each walk away with a different piece that becomes a part of us as we create a piece of jewelry......
So with all of this, my charge to each of us is don't take for granted what we are looking at, taking pictures of, the places we visit, a painting in a museum, let's look at everything with our eyes wide open and see what beauty there is in front of us and how we can bring a small bit of it into each and everyone one of our world's!
I can't wait to see and hear what really inspires you! I look forward to seeing and hearing about what you create and design that were inspired by the places you visit or even as simply as something that is right in your backyard.
Sparkles & Happy Designing!
June
