as a creative, i am often asked a familiar question, “from where do you get your inspiration?”  talk about a loaded question.  it’s like, what the hell doesn’t inspire my paintings, my fashion, my design?  answering honestly, though, i have my fair share of inspo. so in honor of the recent re-launch of the fantasy tv series the twilight zone, let’s cross over into the dimension of inspiration:

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other creatives

think rod serling and the twilight zone.  think alfred hitchcock and his brilliant suspense films (and his tv series alfred hitchcock presents).  think helen frankenthaler, the famous abstract expressionist painter.  think kate spade, and her fashion legacy.  think janis joplin, the free-thinking blues-influenced 1960s rock star.  hell, think iris apfel, the businesswoman and fashion icon who never fails to take her wardrobe to next-level status  none of these people was afraid to create their vision.  i will never be as talented as any one of the influencers above, but it is incredibly motivating to see people do and express what is in their hearts and just kill it.

my love of writing

i write about my feelings, observations, fears, and the human experience.  couple that with a degree in psychology, and you can find more than enough material. my “sketch book” is actually full of hand-written notes regarding things i observe.  like, the other day, i was thinking about the term elegy (noun):  a poem or piece of writing in lament of someone who has died. i wondered, what if you could write your own eulogy?  without emotional pain or loss, would you even think about your mortality (or others’ mortality)?  heavy questions, but something we’ve all no doubt contemplated at least once in our lives.  a few moments later, i had two pages of observations and questions, plenty of ideas to create the foundation for a piece i am currently painting.

the sudden death of my father

well, yeah, that will impact your life forever.  like, i’m a really smile-y, bubbly person IRL, but there are days when i cry. my daddy was such an enormous source of support in my right-brain endeavors: writing, creating my own glam fashion magazines, developing my fashion sense, drawing, interior design, you name it. i felt like i could create anything, and he’d be my biggest cheerleader (and harshest critic, if need be). then one day, he just wasn’t there. there are times when i need to just express my grief and loss with a paintbrush. it is an amazing coping mechanism, and i have created something beautiful at the end. putting that pain, that darkness on a canvas… it clears out the negativity and keeps me smiling.

my chronic illness and its limitations

no one plans to have a chronic illness.  no one wants to suffer, mentally or physically, with a chronic illness.  it really, truly sucks.  thankfully, my art lets me communicate and work through my victories, frustrations, and fears with my own condition.  the hope, too, is that the greater message becomes that a diagnosis may close one door, but there’s little doubt that it can open another.  my disability actually gave me the ability (like what i did there?) to turn my passion into a career. that’s a silver lining worthy of a david o. russell film. excelsior.

and you’re telling me this because…?

…because i like to talk about myself… lol, just joking (well, joking with a hint of truth, let’s be real). seriously, though, it’s a very relatable concept. reminding myself that others felt compelled to put themselves out there, felt compelled to share their vision with the masses, saw a place for their voice amidst the cacophony of creatives, it never ceases to inspire me. know what inspires you and makes you smile, and do that every single day. challenge conventionality.

cheers’s yall.
– stacey