Inspiration

[angela_n_hunt]

I wish I could say that I had these awesome experiences of inspiration and that’s where my art comes from. The writing. The paintings. The photos. Yeah.

That’d be nice.

Truth is, almost everything I’ve created started out small, as tiny thoughts, that then acreted ideas, that gathered people or words, until the next thing I know, I’m running away from the avalanche shouting, “Where the hell did that come from?!”

The Enchanter’s Theorem came about because I was tired of splitting my personality in two as a writer and I asked myself, “Why not write an espionage thriller with magick in it?” My paintings started because I had a dream after my father died. That one dream has spawned a whole series I’m still painting. My photos have more than once been inspired by nothing more than the Mad Model showing up, opening her suitcase and saying, “What do you think of this?” and showing me a prop. Film ideas are too often inspired by tequila.

It’s no science. There’s no trick. It’s just art. If I had to describe my process in one sentence, it would be this:

I just show up.

Because really, that’s all there is (at least for me.) You show up. You do the work. You keep an open mind and an open heart. Somewhere in the maelstrom that we call Life, you make art.

It’s pretty cool.

Originally published at Angela N. Hunt. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[argentla.livejournal.com]

You might be interested in Grant Morrison's new prose book, Supergods, which talks at length about his inspirational experiences (i.e., sex, rock and roll, drugs, and magic, in about that order). Kind of rambles, with a lot of history of comics stuff done better elsewhere, but becomes a lot more interesting when he talks about his own life.

[angela-n-hunt.livejournal.com]

I will definitely check it out!

[bloodlossgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. The showing up part. That's the important part.

[angela-n-hunt.livejournal.com]

Innit? It really is. I sometimes think 90% of it is just being willing to do that one thing. Because it's too easy to say, "Oh, I should really do the dishes," rather than going, "Nope, gotta do this thing now."