What's inspiring me on the World Wide Web
I just got back from a vacation spent in BC with my hubby visiting family. It was lovely. We went without the kids, which meant real rest and mental recuperation from a difficult winter, but by the end I was ready to come home and snuggle them. I didn't miss the computer, but it's nice to get back to CreatedHere after a good break.
I realized that I had a bunch of stuff that I haven't really shared yet. I thought I would share some interesting things that I've come across lately, books I've read, generally things that have been inspiring me, all in one post. I normally share all local all the time, but today's inspiration comes from the wide reaches of the internet
My hubby bought this for me for my birthday (at my request) and I really enjoyed reading it. Each page is filled with inspiring stories of female entrepreneurs who have started creative businesses. Some are young and just getting started, some are older and also just getting started! Whether they have been doing what they love for years and years, or just transitioning from a soul-sucking profession to their dream, each story is different and shows that anyone can take up the mantle of pursuing a dream. The photos are lovely too.
Nina Katchadourian - The Mended Spiderweb series
I love that she took the time not only to pay attention to something as small and ephemereal as a spider web, but to interact with it and observe the results. It's interesting how the spiders reacted to her reparations...
(Thanks Andrea Butler for pointing this out to me)
This artist is incredibly accomplished who works mostly with textiles to create installations and performance art all over the world. Her work is complex, evocative and conceptual, created to make you think and feel. I like looking at her work and wondering how she made it...
As someone who has always hoarded fabric not knowing what I might do with it someday, I love seeing what people make with theirs. I came across Pauline Burbridge's work and thought these are quilts gone to the art side. I love this layered one with the leafy imprints using indigo hues.
Misty Copeland
Misty Copeland! This uber talented African-America dancerina didn't start dancing until age THIRTEEN. One year after her first class she was dancing professionally, going on to break many barriers when it comes to women of colour in the ballet world. TIME magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015 - she appeared on the cover. You go girl!
Every time I come across a post by Judit Just while scrolling on Instagram it's like a juicy explosion, a colourful feast for the eyes. I just can't get enough of that texture and colour combos! You can see the influence that years of training in fashion and sculpture have done for this artist's aesthetic. As someone who is exploring the realm of tapestry weaving, her work is definitely one of my go-tos when I need some inspiration.
Alexa Meade is an artist who stumbled onto a new technique completely by accident. In her TED talk "Your body is my canvas" Alexa talked about her quest to understand shadows, which led her to paint directly on a friend's body, trying to paint the shadows. Instead she realized that she'd made him into a 2D painting. Boom! Mind blown. Her 3D installations look 2D at any angle. I love that someone can still accidentally come up with something totally new.
One more...
I like seeing artists who use their work to further a higher purpose. Banksy takes it to the next level with a art-filled hotel in the West Bank. It was built totally secretly, and provides work for 45 people while featuring the work of Palestinian artists. I think it's good to remember how much hope that art and humour can bring into difficult situations.
Thanks for reading, if you made it this far. I enjoyed this, there may be more inspiration lists!
-MH