Artist Reflections | How To Find Inspiration | Part 1

[@aletabarker]

Right now I’m pretty darn inspired by your back wall! 😊

[@mele2814]

Me too!!! 😁😁😁

[@marygartner9864]

Saaame!!😂

[@adrianaelliott5620]

I'm a minimalist and an artist. Collecting things isn't my thing. Maybe taking pictures is the best idea. I also borrow books from my local library. Lovely video!

[@thefabledthread]

Thank you - yes! I do keep meaning to just go through and organise all my phone photos. I need a good long audiobook to sit with and do that!

[@tiggywinkle5933]

Bloody hell you're good! So much information clearly presented in 20 minutes - for free! Seriously one of the best videos I've seen on "inspiration". Thank you. Also loving your work. Edit : I've just visited your website and now I'm even more blown away to see that you haven't come to this through an art degree and started your stitching career such a short time ago leaving the corporate world of finance! Wow! Insane!

[@g.butterly8294]

Very happy to see I'm not the only one collecting pictures like a biber wood, to keep under water, knowing that "one day" it might be usefull! 😂 I just fear the day I have to move 🙈😂 It's increadible how many gorgeous things have been created in the past and I'm sometimes moved to tears in museums when I see objects that might be 3000 years old or more or less... but definitly from an other world, and to feel that their beauty has not fade away at all. And I'm allways deeply gratefull for the person who did that and for the luck to be able to meet with this anonymous talent.

[@thefabledthread]

@@g.butterly8294 I love this biber wood analogy - absolutely spot on haha! Totally agree - there was an exhibition here in London on Peru a few years ago and there was an embroidered cloth that was 2,000 years old and as beautiful now - the colours amazingly preserved by being buried in a dry tomb - it is amazing how much the world changes but also how still today someone would make a piece like that!

[@angelagrimes8237]

Wow! Great presentation. I agree that Pinterest is not the place to get inspiration for one’s art. Oh, lol, I am addicted to it but I find that often whilst I am scrolling and pinning I develop a sense of lack in my own artistic abilities. The negative ruminations begin and it’s time to shut it down for the day. So I love the idea of the digital search in museums etc. brilliant! And don’t forget one’s own photos taken on trips or while out and about. I have been on trips and been inspired by a scene or an image or whatever and have loads of photos from which building my own creative endeavors. However, I am still growing my sense of self with my art and have not quite plunged ahead in a regular practice in order to see progress. At least not yet. Thank you for this presentation! I will watch part 2!

[@mele2814]

I absolutely loved this video! Thanks for all of these wonderful suggestions and helping people to get off of social media and digging into books and archives. So great! ❤

[@thefabledthread]

A pleasure! Time you can scroll on your phone that feels good for you! Haha

[@bevrobinson6660]

Excellent video. I have been a designer for more than 30 years, and although I have used all the inspiration methods you described in the past, I had forgotten, I had also fallen into the instagram, Pinterest hamster wheel. So thank you for pulling me out of a rut.

[@thefabledthread]

@@bevrobinson6660 I am so pleased - it’s funny all the inspiration methods we use subconsciously - it’s only through having to teach that I have worked out what I do but I am not sure I would have paused to think otherwise!

[@sharongillesp]

I take screenshots of movie reviews because the streaming services won’t allow screenshots. Sometimes it’s simply the pallet or the scenery I want to capture.

[@teritjs5381]

Thank you so very much for sharing!😊 Can’t wait for part two. 🙏🏾

[@thefabledthread]

Thank you!!

[@lizziemclean3272]

Love it Eppie, thank you! Please never feel silly talking to the camera - it feels just like you’re talking to me!! So useful 😊

[@thefabledthread]

Thank you! I appreciate that! I am definitely getting much more comfortable - comments like yours really help!

[@godslittlestidiot2984]

Some of this I definitely stick to, and most recently I pirchased some art and photography books for my embroidery inspiration! Most notably a massive photo book of castles, and a collection of 500 of the most famous paintings from a big museuem. The way I use pinterest is partly to see how stitches are constructed and look; saves me the work of having to create hundreds of samplers. But I do really like seeing finished pieces and finding a thing about them I like or would have trouble with, like perspective or lighting. I could definitely see avoiding that in your case considering you need to be unique in the work you sell. Me, I get the freedom of just doing whatever!

[@zoegarner1957]

Fantastic video. I spend a lot of time in thrift shops and bric a brac shops looking for inspiration. Ive subscribed and look forward to working through the rest of the videos :)

[@thefabledthread]

Thank you - yes definitely those are the best places. You never know what treasure you might stumble upon!

[@susanvoth5831]

I just discovered this channel, and I have to say that I quite like it. My morning routine is make coffee, read a bit, write in my journal, listen to some kind of informative program while doing yoga. Eppie, your channel is the perfect accompaniment for yoga - listening without having to look. I watched How To Find Inspiration, Part 1 this morning and will watch Part 2 tomorrow. I will also share with my creative friends (we are quilters and are always looking for inspiration). Thank you for sharing and have a lovely day.

[@thefabledthread]

@@susanvoth5831 I love this Susan and what a wonderful morning routine! I have been trying to get into the habit of doing just a row of stitching before the day begins in the hope of starting each day in a more calm and patient way! So I shall try replicate what you are doing in my way!!

[@ranchofandango]

I do this cruising through vintage and antique items on ebay and etsy sometimes. A motif on MCM cookware might catch my eye or the etching on a piece of antique glass.

[@dianecooke2885]

What a brilliant inspiring video. So much information and great ideas. you have helped me so much here with this video. I see so many images that I find inspiring but have been feeling like I would be cheating to take the idea and as you say stop right at the beginning of the process. I'm laid up with a very painful knee replacement at the moment and you have just inspired me to start looking in exciting places for inspiration. Love your work and your utube videos, you are a breath of fresh air and generous and I than you so much. Cannot wait for part 2. I hope you had a good holiday too x

[@thefabledthread]

Thank you so much Diane - absolutely! I think it’s all about confidence to trust that the way you use and combine inspiration is something that’s unique to you. So whilst you may have reference materials, you still are bringing your own ideas and aesthetic to them to create something no one else could!

[@juliawilbey7561]

Loved the video! Thank you! I love old children’s books and fairy tale books for inspiration, plus I’m a sucker for old stamps and postcards and even coins. We love snooping around in museums and antique shops.

[@thefabledthread]

Oh I love coins!!! 💯 there with you on them! The older the better!!

[@jadecosper9553]

Thank-you! Wonderful video. I collect so many images and have been inspired by some small catalogs that used to be sent by a clothing/housewares company. Not for the items they were selling, but for the background wall colors/textures/imagery. I remember one person commenting about why did I keep "so much junk, so much paper" they didn't understand what I saw. I do need a better organizing system. Great ideas!

[@thefabledthread]

@@jadecosper9553 oh I totally hear you on the “why so much junk” - I get that too, or also total confusion about some of the very niche things I like! But I love that - so much rather others didn’t get it than everyone did - means you are onto something unique!!

[@vbiosfera]

❤❤❤ Just inspiring to watch this.. I keep finding reasons to go to second hand bookstores.. 😅

[@thefabledthread]

It’s always hard to walk past a second hand bookshop without going in, just incase I miss the perfect book!

[@vbiosfera]

@@thefabledthread even harder to go out without buying something 😅

[@sigrunasa]

Enjoying your enthusiasm for opening to us many great ways for inspiration! Just stumbled on your channel today, you got a new subscriber looking forward for more. My art is embroidery and painting and the inspiration comes for example from visiting libraries at art schools, taking pictures of all kinds of design in nature itself, going to stores for some specialties like for cake decorations, woodworking and jewelry makers, looking at tools, products, books, colors, materials and just getting very curious there.

[@thefabledthread]

Amazing - I love all these inspiration sources!! It’s fab how none of them are actually your medium - will create something so much more aligned!

[@partyfiesta1557]

Can’t wait for part 2! ❤

[@thefabledthread]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@katetreick]

I really like this approach, and especially having sets of colors set apart. Right now I’m creating some bundles for slow stitching of some colors that I am enjoying together, and I can see then grabbing one of these with some threads when I’m inspired by a particular design.

[@thefabledthread]

@@katetreick would love to know how you get on with it! It’s also quite a good motivator as it means you can see your next exciting project waiting for you so you have to finish your current one!

[@MichelleKing-r1k]

Love this video very natural easy to understand thankyou so much

[@thefabledthread]

@@MichelleKing-r1k a pleasure!

[@christinemoss384]

Love this, I work in mosaics and watercolor painting and I love to look at textiles for inspiration. I’ve also been obsessed with Persian and Indian miniatures since high school. So glad to have found your channel.

[@thefabledthread]

Ah thank you!! Glad to hear I am not the only one looking outside my medium for inspiration!

[@drebugsita]

All around excellent advice! I used to get recent auction catalogs from my sibling’s work but I forgot about them. A good supplement to printing references

[@thefabledthread]

Agreed! And you don’t feel too precious about them to cut out pictures and pages like you do with books!

[@Natalie-kt4uf]

I am loving your videos! Thank you for sharing so openly. You have sparked so much creativity in my brain ✨

[@thefabledthread]

@@Natalie-kt4uf thank you!

[@creativewah]

Great tips! Love this video! ❤❤❤

[@vanessarobinson1080]

Such good advice,thank you!!!

[@leandrajegerlehner2071]

Such a great video. So many great ideas 👍🏻

[@juliabinfield9008]

thank you, this was so useful after a break away from the studio.

[@carolreid9755]

Thank you for your video. This has been so helpful. I love pre loved books, never thought about auction catalogues I thought you had to be there in person to get them, brilliant idea. I wonder when we move from the ability of children to be free with ideas and colour to the stifling almost of creativity as adults. I watercolour landscapes and I stitch (with varied degrees of success) my friends say they are not arty. But, in truth when I think about it am I? I copy a landscape or I stitch a kit. Your video has encouraged me to go try my own thing here thank you.

[@cyndifouquette5288]

Loved all the information and different ideas on how to collect inspiration. Great stuff thanks again!!

[@vanessaisom8620]

I really enjoyed this inspiring video. I keep scrap books of snippets of designs i see in magazines. It might be a background piece of wallpaper or a cushion cover. It might be just how certain colours together catch my eye, but they build up a library of ideas for me to use at a later date. I also look at children's books. The more childlike illustrations the better. Really looking forward to part two. Thank you for these videos.

[@thefabledthread]

That’s a great idea - my mum has decades of scrap books from magazine cuttings and they are wonderful! Funny also how the same ideas and aesthetics eventually come back round again!!

[@hhiggi8085]

This really addresses some things I am overthinking about right now in my art. Great video! Thank you so much!

[@thefabledthread]

@@hhiggi8085 thank you!!

[@treemerryweather]

I love the synchronicity of life. I was just talking about and posting some inspiration sources as a painter yesterday and today your video is thumbnailed to my YT landing page...now I'm headed for P2 and loading both into my INSPIRATION folder. Thank you so much 💙💚💙

[@thefabledthread]

Thank you! How lovely - I must go look at your video and see what sources you use. Is it on youtube or have you posted it elsewhere?

[@treemerryweather]

@@thefabledthread I'm sorry, I misspoke. More accurately, I posted some videos by YT content makers on how they source inspiration to a group and mentioned looking for videos from artists who do not work in paint. We are a mixed group of formally trained and self educated makers. And each of us tries to fill in the gaps that we find in our education with the goal of creating a studio practice that nurtures us and fuels our creativity. I keep folders in my saved videos and I recently established an Inspiration folder. Yesterday I posted P1&P2 to the group I mentioned and they loved the content you made. I have great respect for content makers on YT and I imagine it's quite time consuming. At nearly 75 I just want to spend all the moments to come in my studio because that's the origin of all my transformative experiences.

[@kitfellows]

Great video! Thank you! Very inspiring and outside my usual box thinking. Well done! Love your enthusiasm! That in itself is inspiring. Again, Thanks😊

[@gerlindechristina238]

Very inspiring thoughts! they do open up the mind... thanks!

[@stepho68]

Loved this, totally resonated with how you use Pinterest, a few things that always provide inspiration are national geographical mags, ceramics, book cover illustrations ❤

[@denisecouzens8300]

This video made me happy! Gave me a new perspective on inspiration that I know will work for me so THANKS!🎉

[@thefabledthread]

@@denisecouzens8300 thank you!! So pleased it was useful!!

[@lemonloi9320]

Love the way you use Pinterest! Brilliant Ideas - Thank you!!

[@susanfield2444]

Absolutely wonderful

[@mictype1]

Fantastic video!! Your methods for finding inspiration are inspiring!!!

[@jeauniceburnette669]

I am truly grateful for this video. As an artist, I get stuck on how to begin. I have been clueless on how to obtain sources of inspiration. The tips you gave will revolutionize my art practice. Thank you.

[@thefabledthread]

@@jeauniceburnette669 I am so pleased!!

[@kathybirdtribe]

I found this so helpful and, inspiring! Thank you so much!

[@diannecousins2321]

A fabulous video love your ideas for inspiration

[@jessicastrideart]

I love your fresh approach to looking at images for inspiration! What I usually do when I find an online image that I like, I Google search it and occasionally, just occasionally find something else in the search results that speaks to me. I love second hand bookshops and I’m always looking for a book with lovely images but hardly ever find any. I must be looking in the wrong places!😊

[@thefabledthread]

@@jessicastrideart ah I think you get some gems of second hand book shops (in London the best ones seems to be the charity shops near museums - I am not sure why!) - but part of the fun is the hunt. I have definitely at times bought some rubbish book just because I felt like I couldn’t walk away from a whole day of book hunting empty handed haha

[@ShamsunNahar-fo3hm]

Thank you for your excellent tips.

[@michellejaeandrews4799]

Thank you, thank you!!

[@extracucumbers]

I love your ideas, so refreshing! Looking forward to part 2!

[@123gp1833]

Great idea.

[@wezugo34]

Omg!! I'm going to copy your wall art look! Love all the different frames art ect....Love it!!

[@thefabledthread]

@@wezugo34 thank you!! They hide a million holes in the wall from the pictures that have gone before haha

[@wensylvestre]

Thank you so much for making me find a huge whole new rabbithole of inspiration: auction houses! Never knew there are so many of those here in our tiny country 😊

[@thefabledthread]

Oh you’ll be annoyed at me once you see how much time you’ll now spend on it 😂😂

[@wensylvestre]

@@thefabledthread I have not yet got any further than page 1 of one of the auction houses I found. I immediately felt the urge to go painting 😂

[@TheBrainFlow]

What an absolutely gorgeous wall! 🥰

[@carolien724]

Very inspiring. Thank you 🙏

[@therheaking]

Picasso's quote resonates with me! I'm a songwriter and I've resorted to recording covers because I'm dealing with a severe case of writers block and I just need to make content. I'm having so much fun studying material from creators that I admire and translating their works through my lense.

[@thefabledthread]

Totally agree - sometimes i just have to take the pressure off myself by drawing from my inspiration sheets or just playing with motifs, to allow space for new ideas to come. Otherwise it all gets a bit intense!

[@susanharkema2888]

Such sage advice! Thank you.

[@sharongillesp]

AWESOME!!!!💙💙💙💙💙💙🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@hArtyTruffle]

AbFab! This was so helpful. Thank you so much ✨🙏✨🍻

[@thefabledthread]

You're welcome!

[@cynthiahalewijn6140]

This is so inspirational already , thanks a lot!!🤩

[@VanietaJeffers]

Fabulous! New subscriber Thank you 🇬🇧 ❤

[@thefabledthread]

Yay!! Welcome! Thank you!!

[@bevrobinson6660]

Also, as an add on, I have found however, that some museums like the Met, have a lot of restrictions on the amount of images they show. Which is pretty irritating. But so glad British museum does not .

[@thefabledthread]

Yes agreed - the British museum does that a bit too so sometimes you can just see the name of the piece but no pictures. Those are always the names which sound the most enticing too!!

[@OldGothGranny]

please do a book focused video. I’ve already bought the Indian painting one from your wee design course😂

[@thefabledthread]

Ahh will do! Although I fear lots of my favourites might be out of print 🫣😬

[@slous1131]

👍👍👍

[@angelroost]

Wallpaper books with graphic prints.

[@mariyamwaniki]

I wanted to watch this video but the pictures in the back are all crooked and that’s all I can focus on

[@maz3002]

Hi Eppie, you popped up in my KZbin feed, and wow what a wonderful video - such great tips and inspiration. Your way of designing is similar to mine - i design and create small primitive folkart quilts and stitcheries. I have subscribed to your channel and now following you on IG as well - you're a breath of fresh air 🙌 happy designing and stitching ♥️🪡🧵