A few weeks ago, I wrote about my two words for 2021 which were simplify + refresh. My other word for 2021 is cultivate. Over the years, I have come to understand the importance of tending to your own voice/creativity like you would a garden. It takes daily work, attention, planting and pruning. One of my goals for 2021 is to sketch, draw, paint, or write in my moleskin journal every day this year. It’s a lofty goal for a busy working mama of 2, but hey, what’s a New Year without a bit of a challenge? Anyone else feeling like anything is possible in 2021??
Mood-boarding on pinterest and with magazines/photos has also been powerful in helping me cultivate my own creative sensibilities. There is something impactful about making an effort to physically cut out the images, compose them on a board, layer them over each other, and finally pin them down. This process helps me to pin point something I am loving, even if I am not sure how it relates back to my work just yet. Eventually, the process informs my work, but it might take years!
It’s important not to pressure yourself to make it look a certain way…in fact, when any negative thoughts try to bubble up in my brain, I defiantly do the opposite. It is my way of creative self-care; of battling subtle bad thoughts that can lead to self-loathing.
One of my dearest friends in high school made me mood boards for my birthday…I still have some of them. Since I’ve moved into our new studio at the end of 2019, I’ve been keeping all the cut-outs of my mood-boards in ziploc bags with a time stamp. I think it will be really eye-opening and cool to open them back up in a few years…like a time capsule for my inspiration.
This season’s mood board features loads of florals - arrangements, wallpaper, textiles, along with other romantic sensitiblities. Bridgerton has for SURE been a huge part of this inspiration board. Lots of pastels, luxe velvet, fringe, classical plaster swag, and odes to antiquity. The Mario Buatta “more is more” philosophy is creeping in with layers of pattern play and floral upon florals. Some themes and ideas that I’m adopting for my work and for my home include: Bold color, pattern layering, and comfort decorating. Nostalgia over new. Livable luxury. Authenticity of materials. Timelessness. Giving old things new life.
My great grandparents on my French side had careers in the textile industry. The older I get, the more I value knowing more about the work that they created and how I can incorporate their legacy into my own art. I’ve recently started collecting books on textiles and have been enjoying exploring the history of pattern development. One of my goals this year is to cultivate my own aesthetic sensibilities in floral design. I have dabbled a bit in this before with my anemone, peony, and hydrangea bowls from 2020. My latest design, the Poppy bowl, with a floral silhouette design, is currently in production and will be released in early March. If you haven’t been watching my stories about the creation of this bowl, there is a highlight on my Instagram profile. In the highlight is a timeline documenting the ins and outs, good, bad and ugly process of developing a new pattern in ceramics.
So excited to continue to sketch, dream, and paint every day and mood board all year long to see what comes next. I hope this inspires you to do whatever it is you feel you need to do to keep moving forward. Habits like these have been deeply life-giving to me during a trying time in our country and the world.
