Over the next 14 weeks, as we count down to the start of CREATIVE SHIFT on 7th September 2026, I’ll be sharing some of the themes, questions, and insights that arise through the process of creative self-inquiry that sits at the core of the programme.
If you’d like to join the waitlist, you’ll find a link at the bottom of this post.
One of the things we explore inside CREATIVE SHIFT is Inspiration and Influence. As artists, we certainly aren’t short of inspiration, it’s quite the opposite in fact. Most artists I know could be inspired by almost anything, a single mark, a stone, a leaf, a colour, a scrap of fabric, a shadow on a wall, an overheard conversation - you name it, we can find the beauty in it! How many old walls have you photographed? 😉
Our creative minds are brilliant at taking the smallest spark and running with it. We see possibilities everywhere. But over the years, my thoughts around inspiration have evolved. Because whilst we can be inspired by many things on the surface, I’ve come to realise that not all inspiration carries the same weight. Some things seem to arrive out of nowhere, a new colour combination, a particular material, or an artist you’ve just discovered. It’s the thing when we find ourselves narrowing in on and saying to ourselves, “ooh, that’s interesting...” - and I think those moments are important to notice. They bring a freshness, a sense of aliveness, they keep us curious and open to new possibilities.
Inside CREATIVE SHIFT I often refer to these as the more fleeting fascinations that move through our practice. But alongside those, there are usually the deeper undercurrents. The core things we just know we love, the things we are drawn to over and over. And of course, the interesting thing is that one can become the other. Some of our deepest inspirations probably began as a passing curiosity, a colour or a shape. Over time, it became woven into the fabric of our creative practice. It might be certain themes, marks, colours, materials, places, artists, shapes, textures… the ones that feel like home to us, and I think that recognising and understanding the role that each of them plays in our practice is really valuable. One keeps us evolving, and the other helps us understand who we are.
The longer I’m in my practice, the more I realise that what separates a passing interest from something that sustains a piece of work is often feeling. I can admire something, I can like something and I can find it visually interesting - but if there isn’t a feeling attached to it, it rarely holds my attention for very long, and it doesn’t usually carry my motivation through a painting or project. The things that stay with me tend to have something deeper underneath them. There are so many feelings to mention, but generally, for me, it’s a sense of wonder, connection or possibility that really lights something up inside me. That feeling is gold, because it’s often the thing that fuels our creativity in the long term ✨
Sometimes that feeling comes from something seemingly insignificant, a stone collected on a walk, a piece of worn fabric, a particular shade of colour. But the object itself is rarely the whole story. The stone isn’t just a stone, perhaps it reminds you of a walk along the coastline with a friend, the conversation you had, the laughter you shared, the sense of freedom or connection you felt…
The object represents something much bigger, and as artists, I think that’s often what we’re responding to, not simply the thing itself - but the feeling attached to it. Inside last year’s CREATIVE SHIFT, I invited participants to create a visual journal, a place to gather together the people, places, objects, materials, memories, artists and experiences that genuinely resonated with them - and it wasn’t because we were trying to collect more inspiration(!) - but so we could become more aware, and ultimately, more discerning of the things that we ‘really’ felt inspired by.
Snippet of my visual journal from CREATIVE SHIFT 2025
Perhaps that’s why I’ve become increasingly interested in inspiration over the years, because I’m interested in what it reveals. The things that repeatedly catch our attention are rarely random. They can tell us something about what we value, what excites us, what moves us, and ultimately what fuels our creativity.
So perhaps the question isn’t simply “What inspires me?”
Perhaps it’s “Why does this inspire me?”
Because often, that’s where the deeper understanding begins.
So I’m curious…
What is something that has inspired you for a long time, and how does it make you feel? 💫
CREATIVE SHIFT begins on 7 September 2026. Over twelve weeks, we’ll explore the patterns, influences, observations and questions that help us develop a deeper understanding of ourselves, our work and our creative practice.
If you’d like to hear more about this year’s programme, I’d love to invite you to join the waitlist below.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.