Inspiration

**Meitou** · 09-08-2018, 11:04 AM

Anne, I thought this would be quite easy to write about but it's proved suprisingly difficult for me to get it down into words. However...

Firstly, found objects. Since I was 13 years old and discovered thrift shops and jumble sales, I've been drawn like a magnet to second hand, recycling, repurposing, however you want to say it. Although I do love to draw and recently started to revisit painting, I really love collage, especially from scraps of discarded paper, material etc. Our community has now adopted pretty strict regulations about household recycling and recently I've been looking at the (huge amounts of!) packaging I'm discarding every day as a new source of inspiration - corrugated paper, labels, envelopes, cardboard, netting etc. I've started to repurpose old books by painting the pages over with gesso and making lovely thick textured sketch and collage books out of them. I often go through old sketchbooks and cut up the artwork and use that too in new collages - a great practice in not being precious and attached to what I do.
1520325883951.jpg IMG_20180301_124528.jpg

Photography
Horizons - where the sea meets the sky. An island girl, I've spent a large proportion of my life gazing outward to horizons and trying to understand the feelings they evoke. I've found a link between the spaciousness of the mind and that unreachable untouchable place where sky and sea appear to meet. A few years ago I discovered the work of Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, whose seascapes have inspired me to find something more in my own photographs of the sea here where I live. My own snaps, taken on a cheap smartphone cannot in anyway capture the movement inherent in Sugimoto's work, but I continue regardless with love and respect for his wonderful work.
Seen everyday - litter in the streets, building sites, manmade objects offset against natural surroundings, urban landscape, looking up, down and closer at the stuff we see every day and take little notice of.
horizon 1.jpg

Drawing and painting etc
Still life - I automatically and intuitively group everything around me, I'm surrounded by what I call living still life, which in Italian is known instead as Natura Morta - dead nature.
Self portrait - laziness really, I've always got a familiar subject at hand to draw, and besides, Frida Kahlo..

Artists both present and past. it's a continuous and joyful education to learn from wonderfully talented, inspiring people. Here's where social media comes into its own - the pure, self indulgent pleasure of scrolling through Instagram for an hour is food for the soul.
And arching over all, the Japanese aesthetic of simplicity and wabi sabi, nothing missing, nothing broken, everything impermanent.

Thank you to anyone still reading

Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltodaylah

attached thumbnails because limit reached - lemon slice after a night out, still life with parsley

Attached Files

**Kyonin** · 09-08-2018, 05:24 PM

Hi Anne,

As a graphic designer I am often asked about what inspires me in my work. I always say that life inspires me, you just have to learn to see things a new.

It's easier to say it, of course. Sometimes I can come up with a nice illustration based on a forest or a city or even trash on the ground! And other times I turn to see the past and how other cultures communicated with each other. By looking at art from other countries and times, you can learn a lot.

And of course ideas flow when I simply remain silent and focus. Sometimes I don't even know what I want to do, but ideas just flow. I guess that happens when you just allow life to surprise you. The moment you think you have life figured out, creativity suffers... IMO anyway.

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

**Cooperix** · 09-08-2018, 05:50 PM

“I've found a link between the spaciousness of the mind and that unreachable untouchable place where sky and sea appear to meet.” Meitou

Meitou,

The clarity about where to put your attention is apparent and the products of your vision reflect that clarity. Every ‘thing’ can inspire, it’s a matter of being present and clear.

The fascinating aspect of inspiration to me is how different the channel of inspiration is for us each. How you are open to the magic of the subtle horizontal space between earth and sky, sea and sky. And because of your sensitivity to it you bring us that beautiful image, so we too can experience it.

Maybe that’s what inspiration does, it moves an artist to point out something that we may not have noticed in that way. Whether its trash, or the spare/harsh beauty of a lemon wedge on rough concrete.

Wow. Thanks for the response. Lots to think about.

Anyone else? Musicians? writers? Your inspiration might look totally different.

gassho,
Anne
~st~

**Tairin** · 09-08-2018, 07:54 PM

Hi all

I am a musician (guitarist) and composer. My inspirations are many. I was originally inspired to play guitar after watching two videos: Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock and Pink Floyd at Pompeii. Why? I always loved music but in these videos Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour opened my eyes to the possibility of making sound scapes with the sound of an electric guitar plus some effects. Couple that with the do it yourself spirit of punk scene in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I was off.

I’ve been making original ambient music ever since.

I love playing music and really prefer to make music live rather than programmed. There is something about the immediacy of what you are playing now and knowing that no matter what you’ll never be able to replicate this same moment in music. Performed music is truly now in this moment.

I play in an duo these days. Most of our music is improvised. My buddy plays synth and I play guitar. We don’t get to play live much in front of an audience anymore but we get together almost weekly and record our sessions. Things that work get compiled into CDs which we release on the web.

Tairin
Sat today

**Cooperix** · 09-08-2018, 09:16 PM

The moment you think you have life figured out, creativity suffers...Kyonin
Performed music is truly now in this moment...Tairin

Kyonin, I suspect that's what the Buddhist sayings 'don't know' means and 'beginner's mind'. I find I cannot go looking for inspiration. Just doesn't work that way for me.

Tairin, I've always been fascinated by the immediacy of creativity in the performing arts, dance, music. I think it's there for painters too. Once years ago I commented to a musician friend how focused and present he was performing and how spell bound he appeared. He said it was such a wonderful state that he felt that was why some musicians do drugs, trying to recreate that flow.

_/\_
Anne
~st~

**Tairin** · 09-08-2018, 11:38 PM

Originally posted by Cooperix

he felt that was why some musicians do drugs, trying to recreate that flow.

No drugs here but I agree that the flow can be truly magical when it happens

Tairin
Sat today and LAH

**Eishuu** · 09-09-2018, 01:41 PM

I think I find inspiration by keeping the door open. I try and write poetry/haiku every day, even if it's dreadful and then I'm grateful when a wave of inspiration arrives. I also try to never turn away an idea when it comes knocking. I often wake up with images in my mind that feel like the start of something -- if I ignore them then they usually completely disappear whereas if I tug on the thread an entire poem appears out of nowhere. I like the way Mary Oliver talks about her relationship with the muse. She says you have to turn up; you have to show you are reliable. It's a relationship that you have to nurture. If you turn up regularly then the muse will start to turn up when you do. I've definitely found that to be the case. I made a commitment at the start of the year to write a haiku a day. I have already more than doubled what I aimed to produce by the end of the year and had no idea where the journey would take me. So I really believe in making a commitment to creativity, however small. I think it has consequences.

I kind of feel that my muse is really my unconscious, and getting in touch with creativity for me has been about developing a relationship with my unconscious, learning it's language, being there to listen. I have found it helpful not to filter, not to try and make things pretty, but to write whatever comes even if I don't have to show anyone or publish it. If I try too hard to construct something then it doesn't work and it doesn't seem to speak to people. It has to be authentic.

I am a little limited when it comes to stimuli for inspiration being housebound. I read other people's work pretty much daily, and I use my memories and imagination. I pay attention to dreams and often use them for inspiration. Also I try to pay attention to daily life.

That's all I can think of for now. Great topic!

Gassho
Eishuu
ST/LAH

**Meishin** · 09-09-2018, 09:28 PM

Hi,

Thank you for this thread. It's great.

An artist friend looked through a stack of my photographs yesterday. She pointed out details I had never noticed. Once she mentioned them, I saw them too.

I respect photographers who pretty much know exactly what the finished image will turn out to be. Ansel Adams, for instance. But my own work is more from the gut. I do compose in the viewfinder. What leads me to compose in that way I haven't a clue. But I know it's a sense that can be trusted.

Gassho
Meishin
Sat Today LAH

**Meitou** · 09-10-2018, 01:13 PM

Firstly thank you Anne for your kind words of support, I have a hard time seeing myself as any kind of artist, but your words have lifted and motivated me.
Thanks also to everyone for so many thought provoking contributions, I've been really inspired to think harder and look deeper at what I'm doing.
It seems to me that we all recognise that sitting around waiting for inspiration doesn't work, it never happens, nor can inspiration be grasped at or forced; but something within steps up and responds to something without responding in turn to something within. It reminds me of this from Dogen's Genjokoan which I'm reading at the moment - the context is different but I can relate to the sense of it ..

Conveying oneself toward all things to carry out practice-enlightenment is delusion. All things coming and carrying out practice-enlightenment through the self is realization

I've been constantly searching for ways in which my practice can inform my creativity, but looking deeper at my work, I can see that perhaps it's been doing that all along - and in the same way as our awareness is obscured by the clouds of thought, I just didn't see it.

Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltoday/lah

**Tairin** · 09-10-2018, 01:27 PM

I've been constantly searching for ways in which my practice can inform my creativity, but looking deeper at my work, I can see that perhaps it's been doing that all along - and in the same way as our awareness is obscured by the clouds of thought, I just didn't see it.

Great observation. Don't force it. Don't make creativity and Zen (or whatever spirituality you follow) become one. Just let them flow naturally. They already are one.

Tairin
Sat today

**Meishin** · 09-10-2018, 03:12 PM

Originally posted by Meitou

I can see that perhaps it's been doing that all along - and in the same way as our awareness is obscured by the clouds of thought, I just didn't see it.

Yes that's true, I believe. My understanding is that this thread is for posting work as well as describing the process by which we come to the work. I've had no luck in posting images on Treeleaf. Always too big or something. So I'm going attempt to link this to Flickr. The image I hope will be available is a sample of the process. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jhpsyc...n/photostream/

This was taken just after we rounded a corner into a courtyard in Basel, Switzerland. I took it immediately and only later saw the shadows pierced by light, the focused woman at the fountain, and the dog staring at me. Of course there was also the fountain itself as well as the windows framing the scene and the road leading off into....

There is always the need to be open, without preconceptions. There is always being awake. There is serendipity. There is not "I am a photographer." There is not "what is the subject?" There is act before intellectualizing. (Later one edits, polishes.) There is no time thinking of some imagined outcome. And finally there is throwing away 99% of the shots.

I hope I have understood the purpose of the thread. Thank you, Anne, for starting it.

Gassho
Meishin
Sat Today LAH

**Meitou** · 09-10-2018, 03:47 PM

Originally posted by Meishin

Yes that's true, I believe. My understanding is that this thread is for posting work as well as describing the process by which we come to the work. I've had no luck in posting images on Treeleaf. Always too big or something. So I'm going attempt to link this to Flickr. The image I hope will be available is a sample of the process. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jhpsyc...n/photostream/

This was taken just after we rounded a corner into a courtyard in Basel, Switzerland. I took it immediately and only later saw the shadows pierced by light, the focused woman at the fountain, and the dog staring at me. Of course there was also the fountain itself as well as the windows framing the scene and the road leading off into....

There is always the need to be open, without preconceptions. There is always being awake. There is serendipity. There is not "I am a photographer." There is not "what is the subject?" There is act before intellectualizing. (Later one edits, polishes.) There is no time thinking of some imagined outcome. And finally there is throwing away 99% of the shots.

I hope I have understood the purpose of the thread. Thank you, Anne, for starting it.

Gassho
Meishin
Sat Today LAH

Yes, the photo shows beautifully and I really like what you say about a sense that you can trust. Without 'seeing' him/her, you nevertheless found that wonderful moment of the dog looking at you. I find that I'm at my most open and intuitive when taking photos - it's exactly as you say, the act before intellectualizing. I have an immediate response but only the vaguest of ideas about what I'm actually responding to- it's usually only afterward that I can tell if I've captured something or not, sometimes there's a great moment, which isn't even the moment I thought it was. The process is almost instantaneous, I like that too.

If my images are on my computer they are generally too large too, I usually downsize them using old school Windows Paint, starting at around 600 - 800 pixels. They seem to work better if I upload them directly from my phone gallery which also accesses my Instagram posts, I only just learned that this week, every day is a school day!

Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltodaylah

PS the photos immediately before and after, awesome, love the gallery shot.

**Kotei** · 09-10-2018, 05:35 PM

Hello all,
thank you for sharing.

I find inspiration in examining thoughts, that seem to hold somehow a contradiction, that is not easily or not at all, sayable in words.
Some of these are expressible with different techniques.
I see this in the found item collages from Meitou. Discarded waste, that is living a new, preserved way.
Also in the picture of the sea, meeting the sky. There is not a millimetre room between the two, and yet, all our daily life happens in that little gap.
Works that show passing time in a frozen moment.
...

Also ideas, conceptual works, that, from a certain point on, eliminates the artist from the process.
I see this in some traditional Zen arts, like Suiseki (displaying found, unaltered stones on a fitting stand),
garden design, that evokes certain emotions, in reaction to given surroundings and changing, growing plants,
also in Sekishi's algorithms, that alter pictures to something he may have not exactly thought about.
In Meishin's way of taking pictures, in contradiction to Ansel Adams's way (loved reading 'the making of 40 photographs').
An automatic art generator, gathering data from the web and automatically combining to a picture/wordcollage. The artist being the people on the net.
I see this in conceptual art like 'social sculptures' as described by Beuys. Seeing Treeleaf as such a Social Sculpture, Jundo, the Unsui, all of us, sculpturing the Social Sculpture Treeleaf. All of us being the artists.
Performances. Music, Concepts, Improvisations, working with people.
Growing germs on culture medium.
...

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

**Nenka** · 09-10-2018, 06:49 PM

I'm often inspired by randomness. I keep almost all of my metal scrap, experiments, failed projects, broken stones, along with beads, founds objects, and other "good stuff." Most of it is kept in trays and from time to time I bring out the trays just to take pieces out and lay them next to other pieces. That's how this piece, for example, happened: I had a bundle of scrap sterling silver wire that I fused together one day just to see what would happen, and an unknown blue-ish stone in my collection. I had both for probably three years until I put them next to each other and knew they had to be!

jgp.jpg

I think Eishuu is right about "keeping the door open." Or to use another metaphor, someone once said that creativity is like a well that you can tap into, rather than something you "have" or "don't have." I think that's pretty accurate. Sometimes you hit on something and sometimes you don't, but you have to go to the well over and over.

Gassho

Jen

ST/LAH

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