Embrace Mistakes

Creativity is stifled when a person approaches any creative endeavor with a fear of doing something wrong. Options are removed and possibilities are taken away. There have been times when I have felt too intimidated by the fear of ruining a piece of art to allow myself to move on, though I knew the artwork was incomplete. This fear can sometimes hold me back from pushing my creative boundaries and stepping outside my comfort zone, which in turn can keep me from taking my art to the next level... Art is all about risk. Creativity should not be bound. Once you embrace mistakes, the door swings open and the possibilities are endless.

Excerpt from my The Creative Pulse column in March/April 2015 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors and one of ten tips for finding inspiration recently featured on the Artist's Network website.

Read more, along with other tips from Roxanne Evans Stout, Dina Wakley, Crystal Neubauer, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and many other artists here.

ABCs

There is a magical shop in NYC that I head to if I need a dose of inspiration, a visual fix, or a photo op: ABC Carpet & Home. Even their website is a gem. The shop is filled to the rafters with the most incredible objects and their stylists seem to change the scene constantly. It is a place to spot trends, see the work of new designers and find fuel for the creative fire.

For those of you who cannot visit in person, I am happy to bring some ABC to you in these images I shot this past weekend...

Inspired by Interior Design

So many different things provide me with creative inspiration. One area is interior design, which has recently been re-sparked by my project Living with Art...

(Photo taken in Mexico at the former home of artist Patricia Larsen)

(Photo taken 2014 at the Pier Antique Show in NYC)

(Photo taken at ABC Carpet & Home in NYC)

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Some of the books on my shelf that I go to when I need a visual fix include:

Imperfect Home by Mark Bailey

 Hans Blomquist in Detail: Inspiring Ideas for Creative Interiors 

A Life Less Ordinary by Alex Legendre and Zoe Ellison

Etcetera: Creating Beautiful Interiors with the Things You Love by Sibella Court

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And for those of you who like to find their interior design inspiration online:

Domain Home has recently posted a list of their 15 favorite interior design blogs.