As I have talked about recently, I have been dealing with some pretty bad anxiety and depression and I have been using art to try to get out of this negative mindset. Still, my mind was getting in the way of expressing myself so I turned to music to help inspire me and calm my soul. And it's working. So far in April I am writing up a storm, well at least for me, editing, and painting. I am working on miniature painting of course, and I have finally started to teach myself how to oil paint. Below is my first ever kind of large scale oil painting entitled "Heartbeat". This is the first time in a long time as well that one of my paintings has been more personal, something literally from inside my soul. I'm not sure that it's finished but I am pretty pleased with it so far.
And I have one album to thank for helping to open me up, one artist that I have found some inspiration in lately and helped me get back to writing and painting again. Harry Style and his solo release from a couple years back. I randomly fell into some of his music on Youtube and something about his music touched me. I'm not as sad when I listen to his voice. Some of his songs just hit my heart and make me feel something. Now those who know me and my metal head ways might be shocked by this confession, but hey no one can predict what might inspire them. And I love Harry Styles' solo music, it's helping me during a dark time and I am so happy that I found it. Fun little fact too, we share the same birthday, though obviously he is a bit younger. Aquarius for the win! Plus he supports the LGBQT lifestyle so much that I am proud to support him right back. I know that he will never see or read this, but I am so thankful to have found his music even if I am way behind in discovering him. What was the last artist or album that inspired you? That helped you at a time of need?
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The last half of last year was a tough one for me on the writing front, I had lost my writing mojo and lacked inspiration. Taking this into consideration it should come as no surprise that I am seeking to become inspired once more. Not only do I want to be inspired, but I really want to learn and grow as an author, as an artist. I want to learn to be a more authentic author. Recently I watched the interview with Jack White (below) where he said something about his music that really stuck me. He said that he makes music in pursuit of trying to capture the truth. I like that. I feel that is probably what most artist in any field are trying to do. That is what I want to try to do more in my writing. Now I'm sure some people are going to laugh at that statement as I do tend to write a lot of romance, but I ask those naysayers this: What is more true than love? Though I do intend to branch out even more in my writing, exploring other genres and themes as I go. Sorry, I digress, this post started out being about finding writing inspiration and one of the things that inspires me the most is music. Music has the power to move the soul and how can you not find inspiration in that? I listen to a lot of music not just when writing, but when I'm plotting and thinking about characters. Selecting music to write to can help me set the mood for whatever I am working on at the moment. For instance while writing Quest for Redemption I listened to a lot of Arch Enemy, a metal band with a female singer whom I felt had the femininity and toughness that I wanted Zanna to represent in that story. As I am working on the long awaited sequel to Quest, I have found myself listening to a lot of Jack White (hence the interview that I talked about above). Why? He certainly does not inspire my female protagonist Nyx, but his music fits her journey none the less. She is unique, she is searching for something even she doesn't know. She has power and mystery and maybe that is why this music is inspiring her story. Who really knows where inspiration comes from? I know it sometimes comes from anywhere, from your own life, from music, from interviews with musicians, from nature, this list can go on forever. Personally I am just trying to slow down a little and actually listen and pay attention for these bouts of inspiration. One of the perks of working a day job again is being able to go to the movies a lot more often. I forgot how much I love going to the movies and how inspiring a different art form can be on my own creative endeavors. In the past couple of week my husband and I have finally been able to catch up on some big movies, like Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts (yes, we were very late seeing both). We also just went to watch A Monster Calls. All three movies inspired me with their story telling and interweaving of characterization. Fantastic beasts inspired my wonder of things around me, something that can really come across in writing. A Monster Calls inspired me not only to think of story telling outside of the box, but how stories impact our lives. On a side note it was visually so pleasing that it also inspired me to get back to my art, but that is another post coming up this week.
So back to writing inspiration, it's great to allow other forms of art and creativity to inspire you. Movies are just another medium of story telling and I think can help you add more visual cues to your writing. Books inspire other books. Non-fiction books can inspire fiction. Poetry and painting can inspire feelings that make their way into novels. All art is inspirational and I am glad that I am getting back to be inspired! What inspires you in your own creative endeavors or just in life in general? |
AuthorAuthor, artist, jewelry maker and all around creative person. I write in many genres and have a lot of fun doing so. Please take a look around and enjoy! Archives
January 2022
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