CREATIVE INSPIRATION:
Leaning into sadness to find something beautiful
Creative inspiration can strike at any time, and from any direction. As an artist I am highly tuned into my thoughts and ideas for inspiration. As well as being influenced by external factors and current experiences, this melting pot of ideas and inspiration is also, naturally, heavily influenced by my past and my memories.
Inspiration: Difficult, Sad, but Beautiful
My art has been magically inspired by loved ones who are no longer with us. It's not easy tapping into this creative vein - it can be a vulnerable and sad place - but, leaning into these feelings and actively looking for way to use memories, symbols and mementos of loved ones in my artwork has been a huge creative catalyst. It is a way of keeping loved ones by my side during my creative journey and always leads somewhere beautiful. Every visit to the studio becomes a grateful reminder of loved ones that are no longer with us, their unique and special gifts to the world and the times we shared.
Sunflowers
I often get asked about the sunflower on my logo, and why I have retained this realistic drawing for the logo of my abstract (Louise Brook Creative) business. The sunflower is dedicated to the memory of my late sister Sarah; it was her favourite flower and this drawing is always a precious reminder of her that I want to keep at the very heart of my creative journey. It was the very first design I had made into cards and merchandise and every one of my sunflowers that goes out into the world is dedicated to her, and reminder of her beautiful spirit 🌻💛🌻
Sarah's picture (above) is with me in my studio. She was a talented artist pursuing her dream career in graphic design, and I often feel she is watching over and guiding my hand as I create.
Last summer I undertook a long overdue restoration of one of her oil paintings (pictured above) from her A level studies. The pressure was immense, as we have very little of her artwork left and I had limited knowledge of working in oils and no idea of the colours that she had used. But, when I eventually braved the project with her watching over me in the studio, the nerves melted away and the restoration was somehow magically easy.
A Legacy of Paperwork, A New Artistic Direction
I am proud to call myself a multi disciplinary artist, but diversifying into abstract art was almost a chance happening.
At the very start of my abstract art journey, I was grappling with what to do with all of my Dad's papers. He was an expert in medieval Sardinian genealogy (very niche!) and, having given his most important work to a specialist charity, I was at a loss with what to do with the rest.
Determined not to resign these papers to collect dust in a box in the loft, I decided to start creating collage papers, and two mini abstract series were born. Below is an example of my Dad's papers and a picture showing his graduation from Oxford with the grandmother I never met, as well as Alizarin Days 5, one of the abstract minis that has his signature and a section from a family tree in his lovely, neat handwriting. This piece sits in pride of place in my living room, where I enjoy it every day.
Most of the rest of these mini collections have sold, and I am lucky enough to have met most of the buyers and been able to share this story with them.
Bridges
Using my Dad's papers in this way and getting close again to his work while I was creating collage in my studio, led on to one of my signature collections, "Bridges".
I wondered why my Dad was so fascinated with genealogy and how he had become an expert in such a niche? I then started thinking about what it was to be human. Humans are innately curious and endlessly inventive. Why do we go so much further than the basic needs for our survival? And how did human intelligence evolve?
Collage papers throughout the layers of the Bridges collection chart the course of human development and achievements over time; from cave painting to scientific formulae, classical literature to technical blueprints and (of course) genealogy drawn from his work, to elements of complex bridge design, which lend the series its name.
A Deep Well
Now that I am attuned to the importance of my past, my memories, and my loved ones to my creative practice there is so much more that I want to explore. I have a box full of papers, drawings and memories that my Dad collected as my sister and I were growing up. There are diaries, postcards and other artifacts from my late Aunt...
And, it's not just the past. The influence the family and friends I have around me now is also so important and definitely a topic for another blog.
Final Thoughts
I will leave you with a picture of my living room. My sister's restored picture, the abstract mini shown above and a (now wall mounted) table top from my Dad's "hippy trail" adventures to India in the 1960s are all in view.
Picture: my living room
It is an honour to find inspiration from those that I have loved and lost and to use this as inspiration for my art. I know they would be truly proud of what I have achieve and where I am heading and I love the fact that their memories are kept alive in this way.
Don't be afraid to dwell on the past... inspiration can be difficult, sad but beautiful and it can bring comfort.
Look After Yourself
If this has been a difficult read for you then please reach out and talk to a loved one.
Alternatively the Samaritans are always open and willing to listen:
116 123 (freephone); jo@samaritans.org
Louise x
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