Reflections on my trip to Italy!
I'm back from my mind blowing trip to Italy with some insights on finding creative inspiration wherever you are and my light bulb moment about finding my creative voice.
Listen in for the juice!
And make sure you're on my mailing list of you're interested in my upcoming studio sale...
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to The Joyful Creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. I'm a multi passionate creative and I believe regular creativity is essential for well being. Whether you love painting, writing, knitting, music, gardening, or any other creative pursuit, here you'll find the inspiration and support to make your creative practice a joyful priority in your busy life.
So let's get creative.
Well, hi there. I'm back from my little trip away to Italy. If you listen to my last podcast a few weeks ago, you would have heard me talking about the fact that I was going on my dream trip to Italy. Italy has been on my bucket list for so many years. I actually learnt Italian at school for four years.
And then during the COVID. Locked down. I got back onto Duolingo and I was learning the language and I just keep dreaming about going to Italy. And I finally decided to do it. And it was. Just breathtaking. Everything I'd wanted it to be. I really wasn't there for long enough, going from Australia to Italy. It takes a couple of days of travel.
And I was really only there for about 10 days, but gosh, I had a great time and I'm so glad I went. Um, I joined a group. That was organized by ice cap travels and they do trips all through the year where they pick a beautiful destination. And take a facilitator that will teach some sort of. autistic. Technique or project and everybody joins in and learn something and then goes on tours and whatnot.
And we went to is here. A beautiful little island of Napoli. And we had the UK based artists, Camilla Perkins.
Teaches her techniques in oil pastels and acrylic paints. Um, and it was just so lovely being able to go out into the gorgeous gardens of this monastery that we were staying in and paint the landscape and the gardens and the little fishing villages and the colors. And. The people. It was just everything that you could imagine. So I'm just full of inspiration. I could gush about this trip for the whole episode, but of course, nobody wants to hear me. Going on and on about it when you're probably all sitting there thinking, well, I would love to go overseas as well. , get on with it, Deb.
Um, so look, I just want to make two points about travel and how it can really enhance your creativity. And give inspiration.
It probably goes without saying that when you are in a different environment or around a lot of beauty, That there is just no end of artistic and creative inspiration around you.
But if you think about it, there's just so much around us.
That's there every day, but we just take it for granted, I suppose. And so when I got back to Brisbane, It really sort of hit me that. Well, yes, Italy was gorgeous, but anyone coming to visit Brisbane right now in October, we'd just be hit with the. Masses of blooming jacarandas that are everywhere around the city. Trees that you never looked at. Any other time, uh, just. The testing with these purple blooms and it's just purple everywhere.
It's really quite stunning. I never lived in a place that had so many Jacaranda trees, just all over the place. That really makes a beautiful, stunning display. That's only for a couple of weeks, but gosh, it's lovely. And. It made me think.
Do you know anybody that came from Italy? To visit Brisbane would be really amazed at, at our. Open skies and the colors that are happening right now. In Brisbane. And every other city has, has something similar. You know, down south when it's spring, there's the blossoms or the turning of the leaves in autumn. The all is beautiful colors and. Yeah, cities have their own beauty about them. And unfortunately, when we live in a city, it can be less than inspiring because it's just what we see every day. So, I guess the first point that I wanted to make is that. You don't have to go overseas to get visual inspiration. Yes, we can live vicariously through. Travel shows and, Pinterest and YouTube. But to see it in real life.
Yes, of course. That is lovely. But just remember that it is really all around us all the time. You know, we've got the lines of cityscapes, , we've got wide open spaces and rolling Hills in the countryside. Depending on where you live. And of course, even if you were just going on a quick weekend, Somewhere close-ish to home.
Maybe it's just a day trip to the beach or weekend. Two. Uh, cottage in the Hills or something. What have you see that's different from what. You see, every day can be inspiring.
So I encourage you to. To look at your own environment and any environment that you go and have a holiday in, even if it's a short little one. And really look at the environment with your artistic eyes and maybe you want to journal it or do some sketches, or just take out your iPhone and take some photos. I'm pretty bad at this, but I know that what would be good is if I put. The photos into some sort of album, so I could easily access them rather than scrolling back. Through the years to find all my travel photos. But there is just so much out there.
I am always taking photos of rocks and potatoes of stones and bark on trees. Because the patterns that nature creates is just so beautiful to be. And I always mean to make some sort of artwork out of it. Um, and in some way it does inform everything that I do. So.
Going overseas. Yes, it's wonderful. And it's so inspiring creatively. But just as much as that can be the inspiration that's around you every day
and even on your little weekend trips or your day trips. Or even non just your nature walks around wherever you live. So. That's the first point is you don't need to be going overseas to be inspired. Creatively. And the other point I'd like to make in this episode is this light bulb moment that. I had, when I was working with Camilla and we were talking about colors, we were doing acrylic painting and she had taught us to choose a color palette of just five or six colors. And it made so much sense to me.
And Camilla is in a former life was a commercial illustrator. So she's used to using a limited palette. Usually to do with a client briefs and branding, whatnot. But these days, her artwork. Is, it just works so beautifully because she still uses this. Limited palette. And when we were using the pastels, it was really easy because you just picked. Five pastels in different colors and then maybe white. And then away you went with just those, you didn't mix it up. But then when we had acrylic paints and of course with paints, you can mix up the colors. Instead of just using five or six colors that I had chosen. I started with one color. And I applied it to the page.
And then when I needed another color, For some reason I sort of started mixing them together. I think it's something to do with the fact that I, I really don't like to waste paint, so I like to use whatever's on my palette. And then add to it. With another color that I've already put on the pallet. And then when I looked at my artwork, it was really displeasing to me.
I really didn't like the colors and. I just don't even know why I would paint with. Those colors that didn't seem to appeal to me. Because there were so many colors I could have used and I could have chosen a very definite color palette of colors that I really love. But I didn't do that. I used what I had. Which. When you think about the concept of the way you do, one thing is the way you do all things. It really hit home to me that. I often pride myself. And the fact that I can make good with what I've got. I'm quite resourceful. I use what I have. But then when I think about what I've done with my artwork is. And the other thing is, yes, I'm very passionate
About. Saving the environment and saving. Things from going into landfills. So I do tend to save. A lot of, , papers and paints and threads and, you know, all sorts of things, thinking that I will use them in artwork. But then what would happen there is that I would use what I have, but what I have isn't necessarily what. We'll make artwork that I'm really in love with. So, yes, while I think it is still good to be resourceful and it's still good to care about the environment and not to be wasteful.
It did really sit in motion, some thoughts about the way I do things and the way I approached my artwork.
Yes, I want to be creative, but also I want to make work that I love and that I hope that people will love. And
I tend to pivot mediums and. Design styles because I'm inspired by what I've got in front of me. Now that might not seem like a bad thing, but what is happening is that I'm just, mucking around with a whole lot of things and not really getting anywhere with my artistic voice, with. With my style. I suppose. So, what am I trying to say with all this is. Yes.
Be resourceful. Yes. Save the environment, minimize waste, all of that sort of thing. Yes. But if you are trying to find your artistic voice and your style. Then. Perhaps you are also just using what you've got. Making do. Um, compromising, I suppose, compromising on, on your artwork based on. What you've got available to you. And. To change that to rectify that much, just be a matter of. Creating your color palette with the paint colors that you want to use. Or. Using the paper that really is going to elevate your artwork rather than just using craft paper or whatever the kids have got left over. Perhaps using a tool or investing in tools or materials that really do. Help you to create the artwork that you want to create.
That's in your heart. That's in your vision. Rather than always. Making do. I don't know if there's anybody else out there who is in the same boat. I'm imagining because it happens to me that it might be happening to other people as well. And yes, I would love to hear from anyone who is. Mucking around with different mediums and materials and colorways and styles to find their creative voice and their artistic vision. Um, love to hear from you to find out what it is that you're doing to streamline that or to. Get that under control and yeah, let's, let's share it.
I do have a little announcement and that is that I am having a studio sale. Coming up. I did advertise it to be starting next Monday, the 21st of October, but I've decided to put that off. Uh, for another four weeks or so, just so I can get a little bit more prepared. I have a whole bunch of cute little roundabout, a five size mixed media works on paper. They're all the pieces that I created in my experiments and samples with watercolor and colored pens and glitter pens. I really love them.
I think they're gorgeous. That certainly make beautiful little presents. They could fit into a frame. You could make them into cards. Good thing to think about when Christmas is coming up. So yes, look out for that on my socials. And I am going to be releasing that to my mailing list initially. So if you want to get first dibs on these pieces, there'll be $35 35 Australian dollars each. And that includes postage.
So make sure you're on my mailing list and I'll make sure that link is in the show notes. If you want to have first access to my studio sale. Coming up late November.
Well, I hope that you have found that. At least entertaining. My ramblings. You might have figured out that today. I'm just talking off the cuff. Have in the past written out. Points of what I'm going to talk about. And today I just thought I'd sit down and start talking and see how that goes. So I apologize if it's a little bit rambly. Uh, let me know if you prefer it a little bit more relaxed and conversational rather than. Um, Too formal. Love to know what you think.
Send me a message. Okay. I hope you're all well, and yet keep creative and I'll see you in the next episode.
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