on being inspired

i've always had a very difficult time mustering up a bout of creativity; inspiration comes to me in the most subtle of ways, and it's hard for someone who doesn't get "out into" the world very much to summon the flow of imagination we artists consistently crave.  i don't subscribe to (or purchase) any magazines, i don't have a fast computer connection to enable me to hop and skip from one site to the next; i haven't set foot in (god forbid) a mall for years, and shops like anthropologie might as well, for me, be stationed on the moon.  what to do, then, when the inkwell feels so dry?
a few weeks ago a reader/student friend wrote to suggest i go see the movie Bright Star, as she was reminded of my penchant for layered, quirky clothing, the hand stitched details, the use of beautiful words and quotes woven into the lives of two people falling in love.  ben and i were able to see it one rainy, blustery evening twenty minutes from his house in atlanta, and i sat wrapped up in the comfort of my cashmere shawl enthralled with the imagery, the poetry, the watery color of the light.   i remember at one point leaning over to ben and whispering that i wanted to rush right home and pull out my linens and lace and needle and thread.  and so, as you can see - i finally, finally did.  thank goodness the flow has returned. why did this movie appeal so strongly to me?  the clothing, of course, for starters - the close up shots of a beautiful young woman stitching intricate details onto a ruffled collar, or embroidering a bare branched tree onto linen throughout the night (how could she see by candlelight?!), white undergarments blowing on the clotheslines in the breeze - the emotions, the countryside, and especially - particularly - the use of natural light beside the windows, all throughout the film.  natural light - soft, ethereal, filtered.  all of that. i long now for a sweater of intricate, tiny granny squares, multicolored and pieced together by hand:    a wish, for me, then, in addition to the desire to be driven to stitch deep into the middle of the night.  or, to write love notes that are folded and held up to the wavy glass of ancient windows, notes that can later be transferred to linen and sewn onto the heart that is worn on my sleeve.  i'd like that - a valentine in linen form, embellished with bits of seed pearls and embroidered in the color of the heart.
for now, though, i've stitched a red heart onto a length of ribbon, a heart that dangles as adornment for the gypsy fairy queen.  for the length of two days i sat quietly with a lap tray of needles and pins and embroidery thread, gemstones the color of wildflowers and moss;   i sat and stitched and wrapped and embroidered until this little porcelain doll became the fairy that i imagined her to be.  i couldn't leave well enough alone, you see, and the color of greens and deepest reds and yellows that i've crunched through when walking in these autumn woods have transferred themselves to a little lady of the glen.  photographing these pieces of art has proven to be quite a difficult task, at this time of year when the sun angles into my southern and western windows with an unharnessed brightness i can't seem to tame. 
i tried on my wild gypsy necklace of nature yesterday afternoon, late, the minute i finally put down my needle and thread; out into the sun we went, my fairy and i, out into the woods and the bright dappled sunlight, to see if the colors could be properly captured out in the fresh air.  i closed my eyes, finally, to the light; and when i did, i could see the aura of trees and light patterns dancing under darkened eyelids.  and my little fae friend?  true to fairy form, she blends in well, in spite of her outspoken colors; true to gypsy fashion, she dangles with bold abandon on the one who summoned her from everywhere into here.  it feels a little like wearing the lore of the woods around my neck, a little like magic and mystery.  and all of this, for the classes i'll be teaching next july at valley ridge art studio - what fun to imagine the variety of victorian fairy and gypsy mayhem that will ensue while there...

so that is how it goes, this week, with this flow of mine, this final fit and burst of (long overdue) creativity - from ancient walks in british woods to current ambling under the autumn trees, through mossy streams, and finally to my own needle and thread with its quirky take on a gypsy fairy's dreams...xo

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art---
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors---
No---yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillowed upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever---or else swoon in death.

                                       - John Keats, 1819

Comments

[Cindy Ericsson]

So glad to read that you are once again overtaken by the need to create something from nothing -- to summon it from your mind into the here-and-now. I love the idea of your busy mind & hands eagerly working together!

[Cindy Ericsson]

I love the exuberance of it!

[katie]

a friend told me of this movie as well as i have been waiting, WAITing for it to come anywhere near where i live, so i could drive there (an hour or two away would be fine) and soak it all in. i'm going to look it up now and see if by chance there is something playing near by. xo

[Janine]

What a beautiful necklace! Beautiful words to describe all of your experience with your art, creativity and scenes from the movie. Now I have to see it!

[kathy vk]

Exuberant is right! Glorious over the top lusciousness. Love the cuff's backdrop as well.
Burn on sweet p!
xx

[sandra]

whew! beautiful...

[Ann Somerset Miles]

Ah, such a sonnet - what words to inspire, even if one cannot get to the cinema. Somehow, I'd rather read the words and look at your creations, Nina. And inspiration comes from we often know not what, or when it will arrive, but come it does from time to time when we most need encouragement.

[Kim]

Keats was such an incredible poet. Such a gift he had. Thank you for the heads up on that movie. It looks like a gem!

You are such a gift, Nina. So much beauty flows out from you. ((hug))

[dorcas midkiff]

A ray of hope in this emotional weekend...Bright Star...on my way to find more. Thank you for sharing!

[kim]

2 gypsy faeries will be together soon.....xox

[Tina in McLeansville]

i was waiting with much anticipation to see what sprung forth from the well...it was well worth the wait!! hugs...xx

[Barbara]

Ah, Estrella Nina ... how inspiring YOU are;) Just wait ... You will see ...

[herhimnbryn]

Inspiration is always there waiting for us. We just have to gently look, then see.

[Roberta]

wow this movie looks wonderful...I've never heard of it until reading your post...I do not understand why all the overblown, action movies get so much publicity and oscar nods, etc. and this little, lovely movies are barely mentioned...what a great date movie...we just don't get enough of these with real substance...thanks nina for sharing. Love how it also inspired you with your stitching. have a great weekend, fondly, Roberta

[Jennifer Valentine]

Nina, you constantly amaze me......extraordinary work.......extraordinary.

[Laura]

So, so wonderful Nina. A beautiful, amazing work of art. Oh how I envy your students at Valley Ridge. Maybe someday I can be one of your students. :)

blessings
~*~

[mansuetude]

love your response to the preponderance of beauty... inexplicable and true.

mysterious one!

you look timeless... and knowing there... enjoy it.

.
i wanted to see it now i have to go up to Raleigh, not in the soulful way mood to go.... its so warm still in the waters...

x

[sara riches]

Hi Nina

I live in the UK and have been following and loving your work for so long. I was glad to read that you too have times when the creativity fairy goes walkabout, and, like you, I don't see many people and don;t like shopping, so it is hard to find somewhere inside that gives a positive push - there are so many difficult memories and life isn't always easy.

I love your blog. I love your work. I hope that one day I will be able to afford to travel to the US and take a class - or two - with you, and finally meet you.

Travel safe,
Sara

[Farmlady]

It's so interesting to see what sparks creativity in the artists heart. It seems, my dear, that you have answered my query, recently, about what inspires your creative vision.
Thank you for a lovely post.

[Ben]

it seems like some of the inspiration for the colors of your necklace have come from your new rain boots m'dear... so nice!

oh...and the best part of the movie was having you next to me while it played

[Nilene]

So very beautiful dear Nina. Your art has moved in such stunning new directions since I've known you. You take my admiration and awe along with you on these pathways of creativity.
Nilene

[Bonnie]

You are so AWESOME Nina. I love your stories and how you weave them into your jewelry.

I have to run find that movie! I used to collect vintage clothing but I loved the undies best of all. So dainty and of the softest fabric imaginable. I would hand launder them and lay them out on the green grass in the sunlight and they would dry as white as snow. (Bleach is unthinkable on older garments)

Oh....When Ben said the best part of the movie was having you next to him I think I literally felt your heart skip a beat Nina.:o) What a perfectly lovely thing to say to her Ben. (Yep, he is a keeper!!!!):o)

Glad you have your creative streak going on now. I missed you but it sure was worth the wait kiddo!
xoxo Bonnie in MN.

[Hol]

'Bright Star', yes, the film is all that you say... You captured it so perfectly. I'm thrilled for you that it helped open 'that door' again! I love the parallel of how she and you, are both very strong in commitment to your own design. You both are so TRUE to your art & heart. OXOX

[Renate]

I sit in silent wonderment; gazing at the intricate, delicate beauty of your creation. Seeing fireflies dancing around your gypsy fae - i am humbled and awed. xx

[HOLLY-UK]

How absoluetly stunning nina!! love the whole concept of this gypsy necklace INSPIRED by the colours of autumn and woodland walks...how beautiful!! xxxx

[delila]

it is "torture" to read your words about this movie! you write about it so beautifully and i long to see it so utterly much.

you have invented a wonderful necklace Nina. I love that you call it gypsy necklace.

Joy,
Delila

[Liza]

I think why your necklaces are so wonderful is that they suggest a romantic encounter. Most an encounter with Nature. I think Ben has been woven into this one. Being excited and content at the same time (which seems to be the state youre in) is a winning combination !!!
Let Heaven and Nature sing......

[rachelle]

such deliciousness. i am obssessed with textiles, especially raw materials and the interplay with other things found in nature. handstitching is especially alluring with the mark of the makers hand so very apparent. love that. i love your creations, they are divine. must see that movie. i love old english films for that very reason, the costumes. the layers, the handmadeness and simple lines.

[Jen Crossley]

Inspiration comes in many forms to us,its amazing how we find it.My friend Linda who has been in hospital for over 2 months found her's in hospital.

[Karen Burns]

Most lovely. The very best part -- it came from your heart.

Karen

[Emily]

Nina, I've been wanting to see this movie. So many bright stars in your life right now Nina. Inspiration surrounds you!! Love your newest fairy necklace. It is soooo you. Layers of goodness for sure!

[Mary]

How perfectly lovely Nina.

OLD MEG she was a Gipsy,
And liv'd upon the Moors:
Her bed it was the brown heath turf,
And her house was out of doors.

My creativity level seems to be related to the weather or phases of the moon. Or maybe it's the sometimes oppressive routine of daily life that keeps it reined in - just being too exhausted for effort. I never know if I will be a desert or a blooming orchard.

[Aimee]

I left you a little something on my blog, go check it out hon!

[Ramona]

A dear artist friend of mine also lives in a rural area and deliberately does not try to see the work of other artists. She wants what she creates to come from her own vision. I think it must be harder to create that way, but the end result is more original. A jealous muse, indeed.

[Sharon]

~beautiful magic~

[robin dudley howes]

This is so beautiful and magical Nina. I love the marriage of colors and your story and inspiration that let to the final creation. It surely makes me want to pull out the floss and maybe velvet! I am heading to my netflix to see if I can order the movie.
robin

[Betty-Ann Kelly]

Nina, I haven't yet seen the film but intend to when it is on release here in New Zealand. It was in our international film festival, but I was out of action at that time. You referred to wanting a sweater of intricate crocheted granny squares: I've read elsewhere a guess that some items in the film were made by Sophie Digard who does the most fabulous crochet in that style. Do a google images search for that name, and you'll see marvellous confections with wonderful colour combinations - as your work also has.

[amy faldet]

These ponder creations are just joy, complete joy! Congratulations on so many levels dear one! I know that walk, the one where the high air pressure meets your cheek and the sun gives of itself one more time. I have a couple places, here, that are that for me and they imbibe and set the world a spin with breath and new life. Oh, congratulations on so many things. Blessings dear from Amy

[Amy]

Oh my... Breathless again. Such incredibly beautiful work--I have already looked up showtimes for Bright Star, because now I absolutely must see what inspired you so.

[Teresa aka Tess]

What a splendid post this is. Superb in every detail. I have not seen the movie and now feel I must. And the fairy necklace, my how beautiful. I envy those that will be in class learning from you/with you. :)

[Martine]

I cannot come to Valley Ridge but think your'e beautiful.
XXXm

[kris]

I have been waiting and waiting for Bright Star to play at a theater near me. ugh. Thank goodness for NetFlix. I love these lace bracelets! Lovely.
k

[rusted wings]

I just saw this lovely background on the movie 'bright star' by the director jane campion...http://www.theanthropologist.net
Your laced wristband is stunning!!! as is your ribboned neck garland....thanks for sharing so much inspiration nina!!
xo abigail

[Riki Schumacher]

Hi Nina! I loved that movie as well, I cried my eyes out. Like a little stream. I'm so glad it brought you inspiration, it was such a lovely, romantic and touching movie. Your piece is just beautiful, so graceful and full of heart.

[Julia Lyons]

Truly beautiful!....

[Isabel]

Oh my dear...everything is true, the movie, the close ups, he bautiful light...I simply adored the movie, now forever linked to your art.

xox

Isabel