inspiration Archives - CLEVERcreating

How to Stay Inspired in Photography? Of these 7 Tips, I Particularly Like #6

October 26, 2023October 26, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

There has been a period in my life I didn’t take any pictures at all, making me regret that later, because I don’t have any pictures of my son aged 6 to 9. The reason was that I wasn’t inspired anymore and didn’t feel up to the effort of taking the camera and shooting.

Nowadays I have found several ways to get inspired and to develop my creativity. And to stay inspired because, in the end, it’s all about keeping on going and pushing ourselves forward. Don’t settle for a result too soon.

I will share my tips on how to stay inspired in photography with you in this article and I hope you will add tips of your own at the end of this article.

Making a Creative Travel Journal while Travelling Doubles the Fun

October 9, 2023October 9, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

My personal challenge of 2022/23 to make a collage (almost) daily sparks a lot of creativity and inspiration. The easiest way to work on a collage is at home where I have all my materials and tools, making it extra challenging when we go on a trip. How do I make a collage then?

Last year I solved that ‘problem’ by taking lots of pictures and either making a Canva collage or collecting small items and putting those together in an assemblage. The end result was a photo.

This time I planned to make collages in a creative travel journal, where I wanted to include more elements of a day.

What Styles or Subjects Inspired Visual Artists in the 1960s?

October 6, 2023October 6, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

In the last quarter of 1969, aged 16, I went to Art school to become a teacher in visual arts and crafts. At that time I did not read any national or international newspapers, my parents were subscribed to the local newspaper.

The turbulent 1968 and the artistic expressions of that time had passed me by completely unnoticed. The academy became a pressure cooker of historical insight and political awareness.

I was lucky that my art history and art appreciation teachers were very enthusiastic and were really good at transferring their enthusiasm to their students. Not just on visual artists in the 1960s of course, but on art history in general.

12 Tips to Find Inspiration to Make Art when We Are Stuck

September 29, 2023September 29, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Usually, we find inspiration to make art when we are not looking for it. We are in the shower or preparing dinner and ideas pop into our heads. We walk through nature or in a city and are inspired by what we see or experience.

Then we are so in the flow that we do not need extra inspiration. At other times we have to consciously search for it because we want to create but just don’t know how and what. We’re stuck.

To get the inspiration process going, I’ll give you 12 tips in this article.

The Inspiration, Process, and Results of my Abstract Ceramics

September 22, 2023September 22, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Until 2016 I was a ceramicist. Nowadays I still consider myself an artist but I no longer have a kiln and work in other materials and other forms of art.

My ceramics was focused mainly on sculptural and abstract forms.

On previous occasions, I wrote about my photography. And made several How-To-articles about ceramics, but here I want to introduce you to my abstract ceramics*.

* Abstract means it’s not recognizable as a real or figurative subject

What is the Purpose of a Ligature in Typography?

September 4, 2023September 4, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Ligature has a lot of meanings. The word is used in music, medicine, and language. This article is about the meaning of ligature in typography.

If computers had been invented before the printing technique, I wonder if there would have existed ligatures the way they do now. I am so glad that my education in my youth included hand-setting loose lead letters.

This literally gave me a feeling of the typographic origin of corpses, leading and kerning, as well as ligatures.

It’s Great to Combine Collage with Drawing or Painting

August 4, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Collages can be created in many ways.

Sometimes, I fill the entire surface with magazine pieces that are put together to create an interesting composition.

In other cases, however, I prefer to leave the collage open and simple, so that I can paint or draw more freely on the background.

To combine collage with drawing or painting is a great way of making mixed media images.

Possible Mistakes in Cyanotype and Some Useful Solutions

August 18, 2023July 28, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

If you start a new hobby, you will make mistakes. That’s part of the game, also when you make cyanotypes, and it’s okay.

Some mistakes are final, but that’s “tuition money” most of the time. Other errors can either be covered up or corrected. And some mistakes have a surprising effect. Beautiful results came from accidental errors.

The most important tip is to keep a log so that you know what you did. By the way, a log is also convenient to repeat successful results.

What are the Qualities of Good Signs that are Eye-catching and Valuable?

July 21, 2023July 21, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

There are good signs and there are bad signs. To know the qualities of good signs we just have to look around and experience the signage that surrounds us.

Don’t you agree that a lot of signs are confusing? Our environment is so full of messages, promotions, and both visual and auditory noise, that it’s hard to focus on the signs that we need at a specific moment.

Still, some signs are marvellous. In a way, it’s a pity that the better the design is, the less we notice the signs because they do their job instantly and without complicating things.