This is a technique to unblock your artist's block. I hope you find it helpful.
There is a vast array of visual information out there just waiting to inspire you. Look around right now. Find an ordinary object you like, something you find aesthetically pleasing. Maybe it's your coffee cup or your wooden desk, or the jeans you are wearing. Try to stay away from big romantic things for the moment. Keep it small and simple. So don't pick a sunset, keep it mundane. If you are thinking of the forest, try to narrow it down to the bark on a single tree (and bravo for finding an internet connection in the woods). Seriously, don't cheat, find something that is actually near you right now.
Try to figure out what you like about that object. Don't think about what it is, think about what it looks like. If you like your coffee cup because it reminds you of your mother, pick something else, keep it concrete. Is it the shape, color, or texture? Describe it in your mind. Maybe your coffee cup has a nice shape with a subtle curve and clean lines. Maybe you like your desk because of the rhythmic patterns of the wood grain, and your jeans because you love the look of that faded blue. Get specific, try to isolate just one quality of the thing you like.
Now consider making your next art piece based around that single quality-- a color, a texture, a type of line. Then build it up from there. Maybe you liked the crescent moon the other night. Maybe the rough peeling paint on the back of the rusting dumpster behind your work inspired you. I once made a web design based around the colors of my cat. Remember that the point of this exercise is not to be literal. It's not about painting the moon or the dumpster, or putting cat charms on your next bracelet. Instead, consider knitting your next hat in the color of that dumpster's rust spots, or making a necklace in a crescent shape. Find the subtle motif. The web design I made had nothing to do with cats, but I liked the warm french gray, darker cool gray, white, and orange spots she had and realized it made an excellent color palette....
CONTINUED HERE
http://industrialadornment.blogspot.com/2012/02/finding-inspiration-in-everyday-things.html
