Inspiration

Alrighty! 2011 is here and I am ready for it. I'm going to warn you that, yes, this is another revelatory blogpost, and yes, I realize I haven't posted much art lately. I took a break for awhile to get my world together and now I am stocked, sketched and ready for the next 4 paintings. Boom baby! How you like that!?! Well, maybe you'll like it when I post 'em. But anyway, on to the topic at hand:

Inspiration

Drawn Today recently did a podcast on this subject, and I regrettably missed out. So I will take this opportunity to toss in my views on this matter now.

For me, Inspiration comes from those around me. Pure and simple. The motivation to create comes from my heart and the deluge of ideas that floods my brain comes from my 3rd eye. In the end, it is the love and brilliance of those around me that causes my art to finally manifest. The conversations, laughter, tears and Moments are what define us at every step of the way. Believing this, I also believe that a large measure of my self worth is indicated by the quality of company I keep and the ability to truly share in those Moments with everything I am; regardless of the fears and past hurts that such communion seems to bring.

This is not to say that I don't have a bedrock foundation of "id" upon which the castle of me is built. Rather, my friends and children are the style and beauty with which my structure strives to express; the lofty ramparts upon which my imagination soars. Without this, my little black heart would find much darker outlets than Pac-Man and Pipe Dreams.

So in the end, I find that whether it is the company you keep, or the place you find yourself in, that Inspiration comes from Without, and it is up to us to find the strength Within to seize it.

When next we meet I will have scans aplenty and a confirmed Schedule of Events. IN the meantime, head over to www.grantcooley.com and see how things are shaping up. If nothing else, most of my work is collected there.