Literally anything can be inspiration. It just depends on how I look at things. A different perspective or light may make the same thing more or less inspiring. For example, I live near a park, I love the area, I enjoy being close to nature. I try to go for a jog at least couple of times a week and sometimes I find this park so inspiring I have to stop several times during my run to take photos. The rising sun, the fog, the frost may create a magical view to die for. Or I see a conker or a leaf, which I have to take home and paint. There are obviously times when I don’t see anything that catches my eye. That doesn’t necessary mean that I am not inspired otherwise. A good exercise and refreshing air works too. Sometimes I have the best ideas for a new series of paintings or other projects during my run.
In pursuit for inspiration, many artists I know, travel to exotic places. I don’t mind travelling. Well, that’s a lie. I really don’t understand why people bother to take long journeys. It is a lot of hassle but I get that everyone likes different things. I like being home. If I go for a holiday I treat it more like research of the area for my future home. When I get very rich I am going to buy a home somewhere where I would feel like I am on holiday all the time. For now, my home is in London and for inspiration I just look around, it is everywhere, I don’t need to take a train to find it. It is on my table, outside the window, in the background, in a scene, when I watch a movie or the news, or as a shadow on the wall in my living room created by the setting sun.
I am lucky to feel inspired most of the time. To be honest, there is more that I am capable doing. It is only a matter of what I am going to do with my inspiration. The best ideas are not necessarily the ones that lead to my best paintings. Many times my inspiration ends up as a big frustration, as I don’t know how to put it on a flat surface, on the canvas but it is always an interesting lesson. Lots of ideas come to me when I am trying to fall asleep. This is very inconvenient, but I just got used to it. I am usually too tired to get up and walk to my easel, so I just paint in my head, I paint myself to sleep and those are the best paintings I have ever seen. Shame it was only me.
