Sources of Inspiration.

I often hear people say that they are not creative and ask where I get my ideas from. To me, everyone has a form of creativity, they just need to be shown how to find inspiration and then follow it through to an idea that can be converted into an object.

Over the years I have created many pieces from wood ranging from the humble utilitarian bowl fashioned from a tree that was cut down hours earlier, through to non-functional complex forms that have evolved from the basic bowl or container form.

Along the journey of exploring form, whether it be functional or sculptural, or both, I have drawn inspiration from a myriad of sources, frequently from things I see in travels. I often say that travel is the best form of education, providing you do so with open eyes, ears and mind…

The world is an incredible place and we can see so much of it sitting in our lounges watching television programmes, searching for topics of interest on the internet, or being ‘fed’ what algorithms pick up as things that appeal to us. But as much as these experiences broaden our understanding of the world, nothing matches the smells, the dust, the discomfort and the sounds of witnessing the world in the flesh, along with ailments due to the local food.

All of these factors go into what I often refer to as the ‘cranial computer’ surfacing in the most unlikely of times as stories we recall to friends or family, but sometimes they develop into ideas for projects that can come forth at the most unusual moments.

Take for example a painting in a hotel we stayed in, which may not seem so unusual; however, the painting was mounted on a wall of the bathroom, which I pondered while soaking in the bath-tub, a luxury when we’re away from home. Made up of segments of circles, my mind soon saw potential for conversion to the lathe, and with sketches and notes in hand, the idea developed. The result was far from the inspiration, but for some reason, as the project developed colours I opted to use somehow related to those I saw in traditional work of the native people of Canada. All of this just evolved without a final idea in mind.

But then there are the ‘lightbulb’ moments when a texture draws attention, and after some time draws the mind to a new idea, way beyond the original inspiration.

Recently, during a visit to the Balkans a small feature on a hotel wall made of what appeared to me as burnt Oregon, caught my attention. Oregon is a relatively soft timber with hard growth rings interspersed with softer timber, which when burnt allows its hard lines to stand proud. I’ve made use of this technique many times: however, this time my mind went off in a different direction resulting in a segmented bowl of which I painted the interior. The technique I used was one I learnt from a fellow maker during a collaborative event a number of years ago, during another trip from home.

However, there are images that linger in my mind just awaiting the right trigger to set a concept off to evolve. Visiting the Taj Mahal, which in my opinion the most beautiful building in the world fired up my imagination a number of years ago, but it took a proverbial ‘kick in the pants’ to finish prototypes started, I don’t know how long ago and put on the back-burner… Eventually I completed the piece combining the theory that there was to be a black replica of the Taj, which housed the body of Mumtaz Mahal, on the opposite side of the Jumna River, which would house the remains of her husband Aurangzeb?

I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited the Taj twice, and if the opportunity arose again, I’d be there without a moment’s hesitation. Last time Kate and I were leaving, I kept looking back over my shoulder just to catch a final glimpse of this marvel of architecture.

I should also add that while we were in the inner sanctum of the Taj, a bird shat on me. Is that an omen??

Recently travelling through southern Europe, one is constantly faced with buildings of devotion based on different religions, but so often they have similar architectural fundamentals. Seeing too many, their basic forms worked their way into my brain and I suddenly saw a turned project, which rapidly became a lidded container, but then, my brain needs to process the conversion of what I see into something that can be made on my lathe.

These are just a few examples of how things I see develop into ideas for my own work, but there are times where I just shrug my shoulders and ask myself ‘where?’  It’s just one of those strange ways in which my mind works, and I don’t care to understand how or why, it’s just the way it is… but keep your eyes, ears and mind open, and there will be a source of ideas for your next project.