Wednesday, July 20, 2011

What Inspires You?: Royal Milk Tea

Hi All! Another great guest post today coming from the lovely Lyndall over at Royal Milk Tea! She is so super amazing, sweet, and talented (check out those sketches!). I totally love the post she put together for us and I hope that you all walk away with a bit more inspiration, I know I have! Thanks so much to Lyndall for visiting with us today, it is a great honor! :) Enjoy and go check out her great blog! -Lo
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Hi everyone! I'm Lyndall and I blog over at Royal Milk Tea.



I am constantly finding and collecting inspiration from everywhere in my life, so I am really happy to be sharing some of my main sources of inspiration with you ♥



Books, magazines, and lovely films
I love to read, and I always feel inspired after reading an amazing book. My favourite stories have engaging characters, a setting that is somewhere between the real world and a fantasy, a journey, a love story, and (very importantly) a beautiful cover. I also love curling up with a big cup of tea and browsing my favourite magazines.

As a librarian, I'm so lucky because I can see all the new books as they arrive in, and I can order things that I want to read! Our periodicals officer shares a similar taste in magazines to me, so our library has subscriptions to some of my favourite titles like Frankie, Peppermint, Real Living and Australian Country Style.




I used to work in a video store, so I love watching movies and going to the cinema. Watching a really beautiful, engaging film always makes me want to run off and create a something wonderful. I find Sopia Coppola's movies especially inspiring, and my favourites are The Virgin Suicides, and Marie Antoinette. They're so dreamy with such a perfect combination of lovely music and soft light. I don't think I will ever get tired of watching them.



Getting back to nature
I live in the inner-city now, but I grew up on a small rural property about an hour away from Adelaide. I love the city, but I think there will always be a part of me that feels most at home in the countryside. I love the trees, the fresh air, and the way the sky is so clear at night. One of my favourite things to do is get in our little car and go for a drive to the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden for a little picnic. Leaving the city and having a change of scenery is so relaxing, and I'm always full of new ideas once I get back home.



Keeping a Journal
I've started carring around a notebook with me everywhere, so that when I have an idea, I can write it down! I write goal lists, blogging ideas, and sketch little pictures: either just for fun, or to make into bigger, more finished artworks at a later time. Most of the drawings I share in my Sketchbook Love posts come from my pocket journal.

I've found the more goal lists and plans that I write, the more productive I am. Having a list of blogging ideas is great for times when I'm having writer's block. And it's so satisfying to check off things from a to-do list! To be honest, I wasn't much of a note-taker or journal keeper before, but growing on me ♥

And finally...
One of my biggest sources of inspiration is other bloggers! I feel like the blogging world at the moment is filled with so many amazingly motivated and talented individuals. I love how there is such a culture of support and encouragement- everyone is sharing ideas and inspiring one another to live their dreams, be positive about life, and create wonderful things!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

What Inspires You?: A Lost Feather

Hi amazing bloggers! Today, I have the lovely Sarah from A Lost Feather! If you didn't happen to know, Sarah created my beautiful Etsy banner and business cards for my recently launched Etsy shop. She is such a creative soul and I am so happy she is here to tell us about what inspires her.
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Hello! I'm Sarah from A Lost Feather- a blog about art, travel and adventures. Lo asked me to keep you all company while she's away on an amazing vacation.. I'm so happy to be here!

Lo asked me to write about what inspires me. This is a topic I'm constantly asking myself since I'm an artist and I need to stay inspired. An uninspired artist is like a race car driver without a drivers license! Artist or not, we all need a bit of inspiration in our lives. Here are the places I search for mine..

1. The Great Outdoors. My boyfriend and I took this photo of ourselves in Yosemite National Park. Unfortunately, I can't go there all the time since it's on the other end of the country, but when I do get the chance to travel I try to take in as much beautiful imagery as possible. In places like Yosemite the inspiration is almost palpable.

Majestic scenes like this often inspire me to paint. In this particular case my painting (below) came before the photo..


2. The World Around Me. Having a phone with a camera is a great tool for gathering inspiration. Two of these photos were snapped while I was just out walking my dog, Boo. I'm constantly on the lookout for little pieces of beauty that could potentially go unnoticed. I love how the light is falling onto little Boo and my sister's soft expression.


3. Maps. I could stare at maps all day. I plan imaginary road trips all the time and I love making art that involves a map. When you look at a map everything seems so small and easy to get to. I like thinking of the world that way.. so much to see.. it would be easier if things were nearby. On a little map, they are!

4. Love: Matthew + Sarah= Love ... =Necklace (hehe)
My relationships with Matthew, my family and my friends are definitely a wonderful source of inspiration. Their constant support and love is forever pushing me forward in my artistic endeavors.



Of course there's also the internet.. amazing blogs, pinterest, flickr. Ah. I so love this online community. Where do you search for inspiration?



blogshop. drawings.

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Thank you so much to Sarah for such a beautifully written post on what inspires her. I hope that you will visit her amazing blog and shop. I love that as she spoke of "the great outdoors" inspiration took over and the painting came even before the photo, what a beautiful piece of art. Speaking of inspiration...I bought a print from Sarah even before I began working with her on my Etsy stuff. I loved this print and it spoke to me as inspiration for my Printed Peaks collections:
I also thought I would share with you two items from her shop that I would love to own one day:
Thank you so much for stopping in and visiting with Sarah! 
-Lo