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Rainer Maria Rilke

January 2, 2021 by Mary Bonneville Leave a Comment

Where I create, there I am true - Rainer Maria Rilke

“Where I create, there I am true” — Rainer Maria Rilke

Filed Under: Graphic Design

Three secrets to ignite inspiration

December 22, 2020 by Mary Bonneville Leave a Comment

The Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh.

Surely the propensity to “fall asleep” as we function is more common than anyone would care to admit. How easy it is to catch ourselves mechanically slogging through the motions from time to time – left unchecked and our work turns dismal. For this reason I offer a gentle injection, a nudge of sorts, and pass on a few “secrets” to ignite artistic inspiration in your journey as an artist.

Actually, the following are less secrets than gems hidden in plain sight –often overlooked by aspiring artists, while indispensable among the accomplished.

So, what are these gems?

… [Read More]

Filed Under: Graphic Design

How to “Draw Out” Your Creativity

November 27, 2020 by Mary Bonneville Leave a Comment

How to "Draw Out" Your Creativity

Illustration – Douglas Bonneville

Although advice on fostering creativity is not hard find, it often falls short to dig deep into the reservoir where creativity germinates.

In her book, The Artist Within, Betty Edwards explores a force that propels creativity. She stresses the need to recognize and develop this force, or mode, to enhance creativity and solve every day problems…. [Read More]

Filed Under: Graphic Design

Finding Your Voice as an Artist: The Paradox of Originality

October 18, 2020 by Mary Bonneville Leave a Comment

How to find your voice as an artist

Illustration – Douglas Bonneville

One of the greatest challenges for any developing artist is not only painstakingly discovering their own voice, but then courageously taking the risk of stepping into the unknown to share it with the world.

Numerous studies, books and workshops on the topic of finding a distinct voice reveal this raw nerve has always existed. Do we find our own voice by going it alone and striving heroically to be original? Or do we simply copy someone else?

Well, both.

… [Read More]

Filed Under: Art, Creativity

Artist Frederick Franck on Seeing

September 15, 2020 by Mary Bonneville 3 Comments

As an artist, Frederick Franck is concerned with more than drawing solely for the sake of pleasure. He views it is as powerful tool in learning to truly see. Seeing, he believes, correlates to being deeply present in everyday life experiences. He writes about awakening through the practice of drawing directly what the eyes perceive, and no more. As a by-product, he finds inexplicable aliveness in all things, and the capacity to communicate that aliveness to others.

seeing_drawing

… [Read More]

Filed Under: Graphic Design

How to Move Beyond Creative Blocks

August 10, 2020 by Mary Bonneville

 

ILLUSTRATION – DOUGLAS BONNEVILLE

 

Anyone who is engaged in creative work has inevitably experienced the ebbs and flows that come with it. But like weather, even the most turbulent spells eventually pass, and though we can’t will them away, we can work with and through them until sunny skies return. So what can we do when the clouds that darken our eyes are Creative blocks, the common culprits that keep us from taking pleasure in our work?

While there are probably hundreds of ways to tackle the age-old issue, the following are a few possible approaches. They are bite-size and practical since overcomplicating things can sometimes reinforce what keeps us stuck.

It’s about removing clutter, both external and internal so creativity can resurface and blossom. We can do this through creating space while becoming vulnerable, still, gentle and self-forgiving. 

Let’s start with the obvious:

… [Read More]

Filed Under: Art, Creativity, Graphic Design, Inspiration, Writing

Claude Bernard: The Only Way to Learn

July 25, 2020 by Mary Bonneville

Filed Under: Graphic Design

Ornate Leaf Sculpture and Crochet Art by Susanna Bauer

June 18, 2020 by Mary Bonneville

Beautiful work worth sharing. Susanna Bauer creates these works of art from sticks, leaves and pieces of wood together with crochet woven ornately and with delicate balance.

There is a fine balance in my work between fragility and strength; literally, when it comes to pulling a fine thread through a brittle leaf or thin dry piece of wood, but also in a wider context – the tenderness and tension in human connections, the transient yet enduring beauty of nature that can be found in the smallest detail, vulnerability and resilience that could be transferred to nature as a whole or the stories of individual beings.

You can find more of Bauer’s works on her website and Instagram.

Filed Under: Creativity, Inspiration, Interesting

Negative Space: Saying A Lot With Nothing

May 25, 2020 by Mary Bonneville

View this post on Instagram

The Original Folk & Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm • The Complete First Edition Translated by Jack Zipes • Illustrated by Andrea Dezsö • 2014 • Princeton University Press •The Frog Prince • available where books are sold #andreadezso #jackzipes #princetonuniversitypress #grimm #brothersgrimm #grimmbrothers #bookillustration

A post shared by Andrea Dezsö (@andreadezso) on Dec 12, 2018 at 6:19am PST

Read more on “how artists use negative space to say a lot with nothing.”

Filed Under: Graphic Design

The Key to Unleashing Your Natural Creativity

June 14, 2019 by Mary Bonneville

Could the key to creativity be multitasking in slow-motion? Not only are successful people found multi-tasking several projects at once, they’ve also found time for hobbies. Studies reveal how mixing it up can be surprisingly beneficial and can help us sharpen our senses and change perspectives.

What can we learn from the world’s most enduringly creative people? They “slow-motion multitask,” actively juggling multiple projects and moving between topics as the mood strikes — without feeling hurried. Author Tim Harford shares how innovators like Einstein, Darwin, Twyla Tharp and Michael Crichton found their inspiration and productivity through cross-training their minds.

Filed Under: Creativity, Inspiration

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Recent Inspirations

  • The Preposterously Huge Book of Font Combinations January 13, 2021
  • Rainer Maria Rilke January 2, 2021
  • Three secrets to ignite inspiration December 22, 2020
  • How to “Draw Out” Your Creativity November 27, 2020
  • Finding Your Voice as an Artist: The Paradox of Originality October 18, 2020
  • Artist Frederick Franck on Seeing September 15, 2020
  • How to Move Beyond Creative Blocks August 10, 2020
  • Claude Bernard: The Only Way to Learn July 25, 2020
  • Ornate Leaf Sculpture and Crochet Art by Susanna Bauer June 18, 2020
  • Negative Space: Saying A Lot With Nothing May 25, 2020
  • How to choose from among all your great ideas June 17, 2019
  • What you see is not always what you are looking at June 14, 2019
  • The Key to Unleashing Your Natural Creativity June 14, 2019
  • An Artist According to Mondrian June 14, 2019
  • Henry Miller: Forget Yourself June 14, 2019

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