Finding Inspiration

Making art usually is not something that comes to me like divine intervention from above. It is not always romantic (in fact rarely) where I get up in the morning full of energy and fabulous ideas, then create the perfect works of art in a beautiful studio with no worries of the mortgage or other bills. In fact, it's not like this at all. Inspiration comes in bits and pieces and sometimes in the most unlikely of places or times. For instance, I've been feeling inspired lately to create at a time when I have to go back to work, my son is leaving for university and the army, and my credit card is trying to run from me. Sometimes the hardest of times can create the best of art, perhaps because emotions are running high. A few years back I created a series of paintings based on cancer cells. Not exactly uplifting. I was at a time when I had lost my grandmother to cancer and several friends as well. It seemed to be everywhere, and as a result I reacted to the sadness by painting . I have talked to other artists who have had similar experiences. Inspiration can also come on a walk, at the grocery store, anywhere. It helps to get out and have a wide variety of experiences. I am at a stage lately where I am painting and quilting on fabric. I have been sticking with whimsical themes, but the self critic in me thinks that this work is not "deep" enough, that somehow painting pretty things isn't serious art and won't be accepted by critics. I am probably correct, so it helps to develop a thick skin. I'm not quite there yet, but hope to be someday.

So what is serious art anyway? I always think of it as something that has a message, depicts emotion, is well crafted. I also believe that you can be an artisit and be self taught, although in the art scene there is great predjudice against those who have not gotten the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Correct me if I'm wrong.