SO DAMN INSPIRING

I got a kick out of some French travel tips for visiting America that I read. The funniest thing on the list was tip number eight, Everything is so Damn Inspiring: "'Inspiring' became a word I heard every day: everything must be 'inspiring' and push transcendence. We go to the movies, there is a choice between the biopic Lincoln, the Avengers or Miserables, each so inspiring in their own way. The books are inspiring, everyday people are inspiring (such as all the people with children and a job at the same time, teachers, etc...). I confess that I have a little trouble with this cult of everyday heroes." Mathilde, I'm right there with you.

Image taken from Thought Catalog.

People associate inspiration with art a lot. Certain paintings are supposed to be inspiring. We hear about the artist's inspiration, but "inspiration" has become a watered down word. It implies that something is so cute or heart-warming that you need to pin it and share it on all your social media accounts. At it's worst, people might say a disabled person is inspiring when what they mean is, "I'm so glad that didn't happen to me. You can't even walk, so I can definitely make it to the gym today."

A Calvin and Hobbes comic by Bill Waterson.

Image taken from CEA.

That's why I tend to stay away from the word "inspiration", but the fact is, there are certain things that undeniably inspire me and my work. Bitch Media inspires me to use my voice, especially when it seems like the world of corporate greed is so big that I don't have a voice. Charles Burchfield is an artist who inspires me to make art that I want to make and not the art that I think it will take to make it into the flashy art world. Gardening inspires me to calm the fuck down and take the time to take care of myself and seek balance. 

Charles Burchfield. The Sphinx and the Milky Way. Watercolor on paper, 52 5/8" x 44 3/4". 1946. I love this painting so much that I wrote a whole research paper about it.

Image taken from Pintrest.

Inspiration, really, is a non-art person's muse. The difference between surface level admiration (or back-handed compliments) and true inspiration is action. Does a disabled person inspire you to vocally advocate for their rights and accessibility? Does a heart-warming story inspire you to help the people who warmed your heart or to live more fully? Acknowledge the things in your life that spark some motivation in you to turn intention into action, and it's there that you'll find yourself some inspiration.

If it weren't for my inspirations, I would never have made the work for an event I'm really proud of, Sotheby's Super Southern Social.

The Baptist Hymnal. Mixed media on paper, mounted on gessoed plywood, 44" x 27". 2015

Image taken from my website.