Birds, snails and exploring sock drawers

On finding inspiration

I woke up recently thinking about a professor I had in college for a “creativity 101 basics” class who taught us that being creative was the result of a general attitude of curiosity about things. It wasn't the external world that was the source of inspiration so much as it was the viewers willingness to be inspired by whatever is at hand. The professor said with an attuned attitude of interest and curiosity even a sock drawer could be fascinating to explore.

Our class homework was to document, by taking photos, writing, drawing, audio recording (etc) the things that we allowed ourselves to notice, be curious about or explore within our normal college student lives. During other class sessions as part of our homework we were to “turn those previously recorded observations/explorations into something” by combining and re-combining those noticed things with our subsequent associations and perceptions using a variety of expressive methods: writing diary entries, stories, essays, poems, making audio recordings, drawings, paintings and etc.¹

In the present day as I've been recovering from an allergy to some eye medication I've been thinking about the variableness of perceptions - how we can deliberately adjust our perspectives until something clicks. For example when seeing the world at a distance was a blurry prospect for me I began to look closer or nearer to hand.

One morning, while the bushes in the distance were blurry, we put out a pan of birdseed within my eye sight range in order to see who would visit.

I documented the visiting Scrub Jay with my phone camera on a zoom setting so I could see the bird without disturbing them.

Then later I worked at “turning my observations into something” in my sketchbook using ink and gouache paints.

I combined my observation of the bird enjoying seed with my own enjoyment of my coffee. Both the bird and I were regularly dipping our heads…

I also recalled my recent visit to the eye doctor and the feeling I had of visually “pecking” at the letters on the eye chart. So I combined the head dipping bird with letters on a page.

Another morning

J. L. Sullens

saw a snail on our patio and called it to my attention. Multiple photos were taken…

… and in my sketchbook I combined the slowly moving snail with my pleasure of slowly enjoying my coffee. The sunglasses here are a nod to eye issues. And I noticed the similarities between the snail shell and the spiral end of my breakfast croissant.

Here's a closer look at my drawing.

The above drawing also reminded me of a painting I'd made titled “Books by Snail”.

I'd put my art onto a mug because books and hot beverages are linked pleasantly in my mind. The snail in my painting wears sunglasses too and come to think of it in my mind sunglasses are associated with vacations and slower more relaxing times. (Mug link here)

Below is one of my favorite books about creatively exploring your own life. I love the way that “How to be an explorer of the world” by Keri Smith is about playfully documenting and collecting your own observations about life rather than about being an artist. It's a fun book that doesn't require or presume artistic skills. And it's fun to do some of the activities in the book with other people - including kids. (Book link here)

I wish you many happy explorative travels.

1. Here's an article that goes more in depth about the values of making associations, connections, finding patterns and seeing the potential relationships between things.

Da Vinci's recipe for genius ideas - and how to use it