Gateway to Inspiration

I am under high pressure at the moment… The Getting Purly With It party is behind me and next up is an indie designer Holiday party at my friend’s place the Ginger Suite Salon December 5th where my work is going to be displayed… And I have still so much to knit!

This morning, while I was chowing down my chanterelle omelette, I almost choked by the thought of how much work lies in front of me. Suddenly panic creeped up on me and  I allowed the gates of doom to open; thoughts of insecurity, feelings of not being able to live up to certain expectations and fear of my work being judged and frowned upon caused an unpleasant storm in my head.

I stuck my fork into my omelette and hung my head low. Then, suddenly, in the eye of my irrational storm, I noticed my gateway to inspiration. And at the same time I recall a knitter asking me a question about inspiration.

Nancy, where do you get your inspiration from?

During the party, a knitter asked me where I get my inspiration from. It struck me how long I paused to finally articulate an answer.

See, it is from everywhere. It is from great artists, books, paintings, nature, people, fashion, photography. Let’s open the gates to where I draw my inspiration from.  I am going to show you in this post, what images whirl in my head.

Most of the images you will see in this post are from certain books. If you click on the image, it will lead you to my flickr account in which I mention the source of these images.

The visuals of this entrance at hotel Tassel in Brussels are so pleasing to me. It takes my breath away. Victor Horta (1861-1947), a belgian architect and designer, inspires me beyond belief:

Artist Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Ballo in cita (particolare), 1883. The Impressionist Style has a profound impact on me.

Here you see a close up of a card I purchased at the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon. It depicts a geisha standing against a tree in the snow and she is wearing a beautiful blue kimono. It is the bottom of her kimono, and her footwear that draw my attention:

Another geisha…her gorgeous kimono mesmerizes me:

Images of fabric and wallpaper inspire me too:

fabric by the brand Liberty of London

Wallpaper design by Henry van de Velde, Brussles, 1895

And flowers… they inspire this knitter!

Fine lines of feathers. I love to follow the lines. So fine and elegant:

What gives me great inspiration are grids from traditional tibethan thangka paintings. I did a workshop in Amsterdam right before I left for the United States of America in 2005. I loved to do it so much. It still inspires me:

Most happy in the realm of inspiration

Dear reader, it is in this realm where I am most happy and where I can float and play. Where I can dream about future designs without fear and insecurity.

In this realm, there is so much beauty! And I want to share this beauty in the hope it will inspire others. Because this is what it is all about for me: bring forth beauty and inspiration. It is not for me alone. It is for everybody. The source of this is immense and accessible to all.

Now back to production work!

I wish I could blog some more about my beautiful realm… but i really have to go back to production knitting. My next event is December 5th, so that is my deadline.

I despise deadlines. What a dreadful word too DEADlines. Sigh…

So back to knitting, blocking and sewing pieces together! Wish me luck!

Thank you for reading and until the next entry!

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