creativity

My need to draw has come back - think it must have been the week off. It's so hard when creativity deserts you but the worst thing to do is worry about it - says I who does just that! I find that getting out and about, walking and taking lots of photos helps. Loving instagram at the moment as you can see from the past month.

© nickylinzey 2013

The August Break

I've long been a fan of Susannah Conway but have never participated in one of her August Breaks. 
The idea is to take a photo every day and publish them on your blog or instagram.
This August I'm struggling with family illness and my beloved JRT has been quite poorly (read 2 sleepless nights this week) but luckily he seems to be on the mend now. 
When I become anxious about too many things my personal creativity comes to a standstill - so the August Break has happened at the right time for me - Susannah has even provided a prompt word for each day. I'm not promising a photo every day - but you never know!

Lonely

'I wandered lonely as a cloud' by William Wordsworth resonates with me, as nature is my inspiration and helps me in times of loneliness and uncertainty. The clouds this weekend were wonderful and reminded me of this poem (the only one I can remember from childhood!) which in turn gave me the idea for Illustration Friday.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.


Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.


The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:


For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Rescue

Thanks to all your suggestions and support, together with a bit of drawing around my wire photographs, I've been rescued from my creative block!

© 2010 nicky linzey for Illustration Friday

Stuck

I'm loath to use the word 'stuck', however this is how I feel at the moment. I'm inundated with work, pitching for new contracts which is great for my bank balance - although it completely empties my head of all creative ideas for my own projects and this blog.

Visiting other blogs - seeing everyone writing wittily and creating fantastically - the more I do this the worse the 'stuckness' becomes.

I probably need to get away from this computer and go and play! Any ideas....?

I drew this alphabet a while ago and filled it with my patterns

© 2010 nicky linzey

Summer walk

Went on a lovely walk yesterday, then when we got home I made a 'Graham Greene ' cocktail - gin, martini and cassis with crushed ice, lovely but extremely intoxicating. I recently came across this quote from him in 'Ways of Escape'.

'Sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, that is inherent in the human situation'

I can identify with this, mind you the cocktail helps as much as the creativity!

Doesn't time fly by . . .

I knew it was coming up but I can't believe I've missed it by a day. My blog was one year old yesterday - I started on 5th March 2007! I do sometimes wonder why I'm doing this but the actual task of it has inspired me and I'm definitely becoming more creative.
I read the following daily and do so respect the amount of work and the generosity of spirit that it takes to produce blogs of this standard.
All Things Considered
Cool People I Know
Crust Station
dear ada
Dooce
Orangette
print & pattern
The Sartorialist
wish jar
Here's to another year!