Pure Inspiration

On Saturday, I had a rare and wonderful opportunity to get out of my studio and go exploring with my friend Sandy. When I say "explore", I mean going places where I can see things that will trigger my creative soul. We went to Westin, MO to visit a boutique that might possibly be interested in carrying my work. That part didn't work out, but that's a topic I'll save for later.

First of all, it was an incredibly beautiful day. The drive was nice and the fresh air cleared my mind. Just being out of town and out of my studio with no real agenda made it such a vacation for me. We went in all of these wonderfully artsy shops and I got to talk to some of the artisans. There were really creative garments, made from natural materials, handcrafted jewelry, and beautiful things created with fiber.

When we had visited the places in Westin we wanted to go, Sandy drove us to Parkville and we went in the most amazing yarn store. It is so much more than yarn though. Maybe it is more of a fiber art materials store, or a color haven. Visiting this place was like walking into the most amazing garden. The colors in the walls and walls of yarns and cording were just mesmerizing. And to feel of it was incredible. I walked around the store and touched everything.

I have been using creative fibers in my cording, but wanting to incorporate it into my designs in a more prominent way. This experience confirmed for me that this is a direction I need to explore in my art. So, at the moment, I am digesting everything I saw and touched. Hopefully sometime soon, a vision for how I will design with it will come to me. I am excited to see what is going to come of this experience. When my work evolves to a new level or arrives at the next part of the journey, it is always a surprise to me. It is never a surprise to anyone else. My friends and clients always tell me that it is a natural progression. When I get further down the road, I can see that as I look back. It's how I know I am doing what I should be doing and paying attention to what speaks to my artist spirit.

One of the things that made this trip so special is that I got to experience these places with someone who completely understands my vision and my work. Sandy totally gets it, and understands why I can pick up a glob of green wool and say, "Ooooo! Check this out." It is a rare and wonderful gift to have a non-artist friend who completely understands what I am trying to say in my work.

So, in the weeks ahead, I will be sharing with you what I am doing with fiber, and what inspired the use of it.

The above photo was taken from a blog called The Yarn Designers Blog. Very interesting, worth visiting.