Inspiration - You can find inspiration in everything & if you can't, then look again! (Paul Smith).
Whilst this is the title of an amazing book by the incredibly talented fashion designer Paul Smith, it is also something I believe in passionately.
To be a successful artist/designer you must be constantly looking, not just at the work of your contemporaries & historical geniuses, but also at the world around you. You need to develop the eye of a hawk! My lovely Dad used to call me 'Hawk-eye' when I was a kid (amongst other names), but that was because I was always looking & more importantly finding. The other magic ingredient to being a successful artist/designer is creativity, which in brief is the element of novelty, something new. It can be an "old idea" but if it is applied in a totally new way, new package, that same but recycled idea, it becomes a whole new entity.
You have to look, take note of, collect everything that interests you - who knows when it will feed into a piece of work or sketchbook. For the last two weekends I have been visiting a range of Artists/Designers studios & have been so inspired by some of the spaces & work that I have seen. I am going to share some of them with you (but not all - as there is no replacement for discovering people/work/interests for yourself).
This boutique based in the St.Martins area of Leicester is crammed with young designers work & is such an inspirational place to visit. It is owned by a designer (Stephanie McDonald Walker) who has a very sharp eye for well crafted & highly creative work. There is a range of work from fashion, to jewellery, and upstairs is a gallery with paintings & prints being displayed.
Leather accessory by Stephine McDonald Walker (c).
Various items by a range of designers - Right side image - Stephanie McDonald Walker collar (c).
Another studio/space that I visited is the workspace of Ruth Singer, who is also based in Leicester. She is a paper & textile designer, who has written many books about fabric manipulation etc.
Ruth Singer (c).
The above panel is made purely of paper shapes that have been cut & stitched together to form a huge panel that has an incredible sense of movement to it.
Ruth Singer (c).
Ruth Singer (c).
Ruth Singer (c).
All of the above have been found in Leicester (as I said there are more, but you will have to look around you to discover too). This week Leicester lost its bid to be the 'Cultural City' of 2014, what a crying shame! This city is full to bursting with culture & creativity, clearly no one in any position looked hard enough (remember what I said at the start of this posting - look & then look again). I visited all of the above in one weekend, found in a 10 minute walk of each other. I spent half of Friday morning in one of the Tailors shops down near to the Melton Road (the Golden Mile of Leicester), which is such a fabulous area to shop in. I bought all of my Textile students fabrics from my favourite tailor, who lets me go behind his counter & serve myself (he knows I am a real stickler for specific colour palettes) - his wife always makes me a drink, and I always leave feeling like I have been visiting an old friend. This is Leicester at its finest - full of opportunities & cultural excitement. What the judges missed is actually for the people of Leicester to savour & enjoy! #bigmistake.
There are warehouses up & down the city full of talented artists/designers creating & producing some amazing work, many have 'Open studios' during the year - especially near to Christmas - get out & discover as this is the way to meet & chat to like minded creatives - many are extremely generous with their time & skills.
(c) 2013 - As always all layouts & images on this blog are purely for the 'Moon on a stick' blog. I enjoy sharing information & ideas, however, I ask you not to use any of these images/layouts etc without permission or without noting its origins on your post. All rights reserved.
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