Been thinking a lot about the process of creation and finding inspiration. It’s so easy to get stuck in the online world, scrolling through beautiful photos on your news feed. I get a lot of e-mails from people asking for advice on creating posts that are Instagram- or Pinterest-worthy. I always say that your project brief should not be determined whether it will look good in a square photo. To be pinned or liked should NOT be the purpose of creating something. The final project should always be bigger than the photos you take along the way. Make stuff to make stuff.
When it comes to finding inspiration, make an effort to go offline, and to absorb the world around you. Be inspired by people, events, things, places, conversations. Connect what you experience outside to what it makes you feel inside, and then create from there. Your work will surely have more meaning, and that meaning is solely yours.
The other afternoon, I walked around UP Village (instead of taking the trike) to meet up with PJ. Apart from the restaurants and establishments on the main roads, there’s not much to see there, since it’s mostly a residential area. As I was walking, I had to keep weaving along the sidewalk because of the “obstacles” (parked cars, thorny bushes). That’s when I noticed the shrubs of bougainvillea popping through the front yards of the houses.
I love how these thorny flowers serve a double purpose of beautifying and protecting. It really is a great example of strength and beauty.
I always carry around an extra totebag with my art materials. Decided to use some gouache with my calligraphy nib, but instead of writing words, I decided to doodle. I used a G nib (one of the toughest nibs) to create these smooth and dainty curves. It’s funny how my choice of materials coincidentally matched my subject’s theme.
I mixed the gouache with some water until I got the consistency of whole milk. Used a waterbrush (from craftdoodle.ph) to apply the paint onto the nib. It’s convenient to use a waterbrush for this because I needed to keep brushing the nib with water, since the gouache dries up so fast (see nib below).
Still unsure of what pattern to make with these doodles. Thinking of making a repeat pattern with it and burning it on a screen. For bedsheets and pillowcases maybe? We’ll see. 🙂
♡