Recently I was told that my muse must need a vacation.  (I have been creating a storm and made more sets of beads for a swap then needed, even though I will only send in one set!)  I have found that I may need a vacation from my muse, although I sincerely hope that that NEVER happens.

Last night on my way home from work, I put in a CD that I haven't listened to in quite awhile.  Boy, did it get the creative juices flowing.  I know have quite a few more things I want to try!  The CD is moving from the car to the craft room/studio today and I sure that my husband will get sick of it! 

What do the rest of you do to awaken your muse?  Any sure fire ways?

Please sure!

Have a great day creating,

Helen

www.justbarrettes.com

My muse craves visual stimulation.  I might come from other jewelry, a cross stitch pattern, a pretty piece of scrapbook paper, a plant or flower, or just something with a pleasing color combination.

 I have experienced  a period of NO creativity at all. That wss scary. It was like I was getting bbored with making jewelery. I think I just needed a rest. Think of nothing for a while. I do look at other peoples creations. I joined a gem club and I think that inspired me. Now I find myself picking up tree bark for a possible project. Picked up a piece of drift wood and have a sketch for a bracelet. I cary a small (purse size) sketch book to jot down ideas wether they work or not. Now I find myself with too many ideas and lack the time to make them happen. That's a good thing I think. Looking through the book store I saw a picture of a basket weave. Right there I thought that would make for a great backdrop for a stone. It did! The pice looks great. One day when I find time to locate a place to house my photos I'll put my work up.

 

Gates
 

I too have a creative journal, which is a book where I write and draw anything and everything I can think of, when the muse is pretty active. When the muse is a little lazy, all I have to do is flip through one of my several journals and choose a design.

If the muse is REALLY lazy and doesn't find anything in the journals that feels inspiring, then I just go on a trip. Those really put the muse to rest.

:)

I too have recently suffered from crafters block but was lifted from it by poetry. 

Our local Arts Trust recently got poets and craft makers together so that we could stimulate each other and to see what would be created. We have a viewing in about 2 weeks. So fingers crossed it all goes well.

 I certainly will use more poetry for stimulation and maybe even the norse sagas (most of my jewellery is inspired from this time period)

 I will try and get some photos of the work sorted and posted in the coming week.

For me nature works really well. When there´s nothing inside my head, i like to look a book of micro and macro photography that i have.... all the textures, colors and lights always inspire me! of course walking trough a wood would be better, but i haven´t any near.....

This might sound strange, but I like to watch my ITunes visual. I listen to my music on the computer, and the visual mixes patterns and colors, swirling to the music. As I start to get into it I visualize stones of the particular colors on the screen and my mind decides whether they might look good together. It's kinda like playing with a color wheel set to Random! :) Angela

Angela,

What a great idea!  Something that I would have never thought of.

Thank you for sharing!

Helen

www.justbarrettes.com

When I hit block, I've learned to step back from what I am trying to make.  If I proceed, forcing the work, it takes on a strained, non-resolved appearance.  I rarely can bring these forced pieces back.  They end up being dismantled with the components being utilized in a different piece of jewelry.

To reduce these periods of block and non-productiveness, I find other stimulating ways to fill my time.  One of my fav's is to go out and see what new projects my art friends are working on and "talk shop" with them.  I also go to galleries, musical events, theater, even perfume shops get me going.  I do things outside and away from my studio for awhile that will visually re-stimulate me and take my mind off the block.

Another way, I blast my block is to go shopping for new jewelry materials.  When I'm done shopping, I pile all the new materials in a heap on my work bench along with unused favorites purchased previously and I dig in!  This visual trick never fails to get me re-excited.

I too keep drawing journals.  These are not formal drawings of jewelry designs....those come later.  My journals are filled with fast and loose sketches, jotted down quickly in the moment of inspiration.  The inspirations come from anywhere and everywhere:  leftover remnants of early morning dreams, colors and patterns of a rain soaked street,  the texture of a twig, the color of a beetle, the movement of my grand daughter's hair.  I also luv to watch couture fashion designer runway shows.  The designers' wild creativity in their clothing sets off a responsive visual chain reaction in me. 

All these thing help call out my muse.  The hardest thing for me has been to learn to trust in the knowledge that when block hits, the muse always comes back.  Even she needs a vacation once in awhile!

 

Last year I got myself into a pattern w/ breakfast.  While I was munching, I'd work on a page from my Kirigami Page-A-Day calendar [not that I was always caught up].  Kirigami is a a Japanese art form that's like Origami [folding paper] plus cutting patterns in the folded bits.  Then unfold & sometimes bend parts of the cut pattern.  The kit comes in a small open box w/ bright colored paper w/ the directions & dotted lines on each page.

This allowed me to concentrate on the process of making that particular design w/out my own mental input.  I learned about symmetry & repetition while playing w/ wonderfully bright colors!  It was something completely different & fun that allowed my mind to wander while I did something creative at the start of the day.  Relaxing, too.  Like getting my juices flowing by doing a non-jewelry thing.

sher

 Those are some great stories. I will have to think about what my inspiration is for my work.

 I am glad i stumbled across this post, its nice to know im not the only one who loses their inspiration from time to time! i have been working every day for the last month, and about 4 days ago i sat at my bench and just stared at all the stuff i have to work with and for the first time had no idea what to do. i need to have about 100 pieces done by february, so these last few days have been killing me! someone wrote earlier that when they try to force it their work looks strained and unfinished. i can relate!  i dont have time to wait for my inspiration to come back, but i also cant afford to bring anything less than the best i can do to this show. i guess i just had to vent.

I too have seemed to have lost the desire to start or finish new projects. I have been stuck  in a rut for a while and I think it has to do with the amount of joint pain that I have. I have recently started taking some new medication which seems to have changed the way I look at life. The medication has done wonders for the nerve pain  that radiates from my neck down my arm but I think that it alters my artistic vision to a great degree. I have been spending time looking a web sites that have neolithic, chalcolith, early bronze age jewelry and also rock art for inspiration but seem to be unable to translate it in to anything useful.

gosh yes, it happens to everyone. I had not made anything from polymer in about 2 months. I burned the one good batch I made a month ago.  I finally got started again and made a bunch of junk... kept at it and slowly I am coming up with good stuff. very slowly...

Maybe everyone is experiencing post-holiday show burnout?  I know I am.  That muse is doing her best hiding job ever!  I need new tracking techniques...

sher

My studio is in my garage and it's plain cold out there now. Plus, I love to work with the garage door open and watch the ebb and flow of the neighborhood. I love long days and warm weather, so I'm a little less expansive than I prefer to be.

I have a lot of things I want to experiment with, but I'm in my winter rut. It will pass. I'm trying to be easy on myself and let this be a time of receiving inspiration. 

Do something that involves "newness" - even listening to a "new" radio station or looking at a magazine that "isn't your type" or walking/driving/jogging a new way.  All of these help creativity - especially when you try to use all your senses.  Don't just look at a flower, touch it, smell it think about it's colors in relation to its surroundings.

Also, I find a great deal of stimulation for my creativity when I don't really have time to work on my projects - jewelry and glass mainly.  As soon as I'm obligated to do something else - 5 loads of laundry, several doctor, dentist, etc. type appointments - all things that stop me from being creative - I just can't wait to get back and try a new idea I thought of while watching my dentist using certain tools.  Also when something negative happens in my life and I'm trying NOT to think about it, such as someone is unhealthy or I'm worried about a friend - by forcing myself to think of other things I often get a creative idea.

Looking at items in stores which are mass made often gives me an idea for something truly unique and handmade.  The idea comes as what I call retaliation-creativity because I get tired of seeing 100 exactly alike necklaces, or 50 vases right from the same mold with tired colored combinations.

 Often my mistakes and seeming Disasters stimulate curiousity and creativity.  How could this have gone wrong?  And did it really go "wrong" or can I use this broken bowl to create mosaic tiles or some such idea.

JJ Glass

My muse comes and goes at random... I'm sure it's very much linked to my emotions as well, so stress doesn't bode well for me.  I ordered a really special kit from my favorite supplier, but then I realized I didn't have the right tools, so I ordered a new pair pliers and waited for those to arrive.  Once the pliers got here, I toyed with these new techniques to get the hang of things and just went with that.  Nothing substantial, just wrapping beads and getting the hang of things... mulling if you will.  Work got really busy and I had a bellydance festival to go to, so the beads took a backseat for a bit.  Then my order of wire came in and I was just on a complete roll for 4 whole days.  Maybe it also had to do with avoiding V-day, but I was making earrings like no tomorrow.

 And now I'm back in my "nope, not going near the beads right now" mood.  It doesn't help that I bought a Wii last week but it sure does give my muse a break.   Hmm, I should make some Zelda earrings...
 

My muse comes and goes at random... I'm sure it's very much linked to my emotions as well, so stress doesn't bode well for me.  I ordered a really special kit from my favorite supplier, but then I realized I didn't have the right tools, so I ordered a new pair pliers and waited for those to arrive.  Once the pliers got here, I toyed with these new techniques to get the hang of things and just went with that.  Nothing substantial, just wrapping beads and getting the hang of things... mulling if you will.  Work got really busy and I had a bellydance festival to go to, so the beads took a backseat for a bit.  Then my order of wire came in and I was just on a complete roll for 4 whole days.  Maybe it also had to do with avoiding V-day, but I was making earrings like no tomorrow.

 And now I'm back in my "nope, not going near the beads right now" mood.  It doesn't help that I bought a Wii last week but it sure does give my muse a break.   Hmm, I should make some Zelda earrings...
 

This works every time...I clean the studio.

I find the most incredible items hidden in drawers and on shelves (I am embarrassed to say...most I don't remember purchasing).

As I moving, sorting and collating my muse usually wakes up and starts singing...or whatever she does!!! All I know is my brain kicks in trying to utilize some of the treasures I have unearthed.

Of course...when I'm ready to sit down to work...I can't remember where I've placed the items...now that the studio is clean.

Laurie Prophater