Inspiration

One of my good friends posted an entry on her blog about "misplacing her inspiration" as to how it applies to machinima projects. I think it's fair to say that inspiration is a part of all endeavors which hold us captive. And I guess it's also fair to say that there are just as many different sources of inspiration as there are reasons why we do the things we do.

I had commented on her post, and she returned an interesting comment to my comment, which inspired me to want to comment on the reply :) And as I began to type that first word, I thought perhaps it would just be easier to blog about it, as my reply was going to be a lengthy one.

For my understanding, I place artists into two categories. There are the practical artists and the romantic artists. The practical artists are able to apply their talents and creations through avenues of business ... earning an income from their art ... turning it out as if it were a product for mass production. And I have a lot of respect for those who can take their talents and make them work for them in financial ways.

Ah, but for the romantic artists ... and I have to be honest, I fall into this category. We often struggle with things like "writer's blocks" or "lack of inspiration". The romantic artist is always trying to "express" something, whether it be something about him/herself or about things which move the artist in some way.

The practical artists are more efficient with being able to meet deadlines and are usually individuals who are better focused. They can draw inspiration from simply knowing that a project has to be completed at a certain time to earn the "big bucks". I had a friend in college who was an extremely talented artist and was earning a degree in Graphic Arts. She would go on to set up her own business making T-shirts boasting her brilliant designs, and eventually would land a fantastic job with The Cosmopolitan magazine.

And the romantic artists are often those who are better known as the "starving artist", and fortunately we all don't cut off our ears when the love of our life leaves us. But we struggle and this is reflected in our art and creations. We procrastinate and postpone and scrap ideas and stress over the fact that we aren't getting anywhere with our creations.

Because the romantic artist is so motivated by inspiration and the desire to "express", any little moment of life can derail us from our focus ... the weather, a loss of a loved one, the job that pays the bills that our art does not. And as life changes, so does the source of inspiration, and as we change and grow, so does our source of inspiration. But sometimes it's just a simple matter of not knowing what it is we want to express. But then one day it suddenly hits us and a masterpiece is born.