Where do you get your inspiration?

[Tim Thiebaut]

Morning everyone, this is just something I have been kicking around in my head the past few days. When I start a new project I will sit and scratch my head and try and come up with an original idea, which is TOUGH ya know...there is so much that has been done by very talented people, I am sure some of it is just being so new to turning still, I think I am a little over 3 months now...somewhere around there anyway. But then I will do as usual and come to the forums, review old/new posts and try and find something that lights a fire in me, and it is very easy to find something that makes you say oh man I want to make that to...so I head off to the shop and start turning. But really I am duplicating someone elses ideas and I guess I have been feeling bad about that, I did PM Curt Fuller and he was generous enough to give me the ok to duplicate a piece he made several years ago as I wanted to make an exact copy of it...its just about done but have told myself I am not posting anymore photos until my tent and photo stuff gets here, I want my pictures to look better from now on. So anyway, I am sorry for the rambling here but just wanted to see how you all get your inspiration and input as I have come to respect it greatly. Is it ok to use other peoples ideas and just give it a little twist of your own in the turning? Thanks, Tim

[John Keeton]

Tim, as the saying goes - "there is nothing new under the sun!" I think everyone experiences exactly what you are going thru - I know I do! I have done everything from a shameless copy to an adaptation of the work of another, to something totally of my own conception. The most satisfaction comes from the later.

As to form, nearly everything you do will be a replication of a previously done form - it is the part that makes it unique for you that is the artistic expression.

[Dan Forman]

I wouldn't feel bad about doing what has already been done, that's the way it has historically been done in the arts until only recently, when the modern art movement has thrown out most all real technique training and encouraged only "individual expression". I'd suggest getting your skills down on the basic forms and honing your sense of design before getting too caught up in originality - there will be plenty of time for that later. Not that you shouldn't pursue an original idea if it comes along, but don't feel guilty about doing traditional work until that happens. Make sure you understand the elements of design so that they may guide you in unfamiliar waters.

Dan

[Jim Burr]

Cool topic Tim! And I really think that a lot comes from seeing something someone else has done and using that as a starting point. Life in general can take a toll on creativity too. I'm finishing up a little HF, first in a while and realized it looks a lot like the last two I made...hmmm:eek:. The excuse of "This form needs refinement" comes to mind!;) I picked up a copy of "Southwestern Pottery, Anasazi to Zuni" for some inspiration...forgot to take it into the shop this time I guess:rolleyes:. Wood availability can be an issue too. If all you can get is green...it will be a while before you see your ideas come to fruition...boring!. One the other hand...2" blocks and bottle stoppers leave anyone dry after a while. Some of the things these guys try are over the top and I personally am not at that level yet..I can make a $200 pen in 20 minutes, but a Keeton, Schlumpf or Christoforo (or any of the master type guys...dozens of them here) aren't in my bag-o-tricks...yet.
Chuck up a chunk, flip the switch and see what happens!

[Mark Hubl]

Since I have no art background this is a good topic. I get inspiration all over. For me, I am trying to hone my skills and get to be a good turner. I am finding that creating art pieces is a bit easier as my overall turning skills get better. Like many new to the sport I get my inspiration from the old pros. But, I look to the really old stuff as well. I wander the museum looking at all the ancient pottery and sculpture displays. It is amazing how long ago many things were done, and many shapes came to be. Replicating "classics" is not cheating at all, apprentices learned this way for centuries. (avoiding the plagiarism thing here) Sometimes, I do like to shutdown outside influences and just create. It is funny though, we are already influenced so much by our own dna and what we have already learned. Many things come out looking like something already done. Classic shapes are just that. The Golden Mean and Fibonacci are part of nature.

Alot has to do with execution. If you see a Sing or Mahoney bowl, it may look like a bowl, but pick it up study it a bit and the artists skills will become very apparent.

Look outside the box. Don't look to other turners, look to your own life and environment. Graeme Priddle teaches this. He looks to his Kiwi home and life experience and indigenous cultures to find inspiration. In his work you will find boat sails, fish gills, sea life and ancient totems. Molly Winton's forms are spot on and provide a great canvas for her embellishments inspired by the ancients. This really gives them her signature. David Belser is another finding insipiration all around. In his recent demo he discussed how he found inspiration in a bank vault, his engineering background or the square stems of mint plants.

I really enjoy listening to other turners and artists discuss their creative process and where they find inspiration. It helps me to look around.

[Steve Vaughan]

Ditto to all that's been said! And, having said that, as far as inspiration goes, it comes from all of you, for which I am thankful! You also gotta take into consideration, different woods will take on a unique creation, even while inspired by someone's work. And, different woods call for it's own unique design and shape, and, sometimes the shape of my simple bowls end differently from where I thought I was going with it. That happens sometimes BECAUSE of a brief moment of inspiration, and SOMETIMES because of a brief but costly mistake:eek:! But I ain't saying which:D! Actually, I be glad to give the inspirational credit where due cause you guys and gals are some kind of awesome!

[Chip Sutherland]

everywhere...other folks work spark ideas but I rarely copy someone else's work unless I am working out a skill/technique. But even then it is still my vision/my interpretation.

Mostly, I look to other artistic mediums, types of art, nature, architecture, textures, shadows, fabric, etc. Often times the wood itself determines the outcome. I keep a drawing book with me at most times. I take pictures when I have my camera. I recently bought a bunch of artbooks from Amazon for about 1.99 - 2.99 each; the shipping was the expensive part. I have no designs on reviving Surrealism or Impressionism in my turning work but there is too much inspiration to be had to be close-minded about anything. Heck...I've even been inspired walking through the local BORG/home improvement store or local hobby/decor center.

The most interesting spark for me was the dress of a flaminco dancer which I interpreted into a bowl which I dyed in the color patterns I percieved from the spinning dress. I also drew up another piece from the dancer's dress. However, I lack the skill sufficient to match my vision.

Just be open to it all.

[Scott Hackler]

I get my inspiration from a few different sources. Nature, other turners and other artistic mediums' shapes. I find myself isolating individual aspect from different sources and trying to incorporate those elements into my turnings with my own flair.

Mother nature supplies one of the best forms of inspirations in the form of water and it's various forms. A drop of water, just before it releases and starts to fall is a wonderfull shape and I use this observation in the onion portion of my finials. Other times the way a ripple cascades over a body of water, gives me pause and I mentally note the fluid form.

[Roger Wilson]

... But then I will do as usual and come to the forums, review old/new posts and try and find something that lights a fire in me, and it is very easy to find something that makes you say oh man I want to make that to...so I head off to the shop and start turning....

One thing you can do is save pictures of turnings you see in forums and elsewhere in a folder on your hard drive. You will soon have more then enough to provide ideas and inspirations.

For personal use you don't need anyone's permission to copy a design. Besides no matter how much you try there will be significant differences between what you do and what someone else did. I'll leave it to the lawyers to argue over selling design copies.

[Steve Kubien]

I write about inspiration on my blog. That tends to get the juices flowing. (greenleafwoodstudio -dot- blogspot -dot- com)

[Tim Thiebaut]

Thanks for all of the comments here folks, and I appreciate all of the input from each of you. There are a lot of things that get posted I would like to do, as John's, Steve's, Rogers, Curt's and so many more with their HF forms on beautiful pedistals, but those are a little out of my reach at this point, I need a hollowing rig before I am going to attempt to do anything like that, all in good time. AS Dan said I am also trying to stay focused on the correct use of tools, and proper form, I will do as someone above suggested and get some general art books and study those as well, I do try to look at nature and the things around me but so far I havnt had that epihany yet...maybe I still have so much going around in my head that it is just to congested to worry about new ideas, I am not yet at the point where riding the bevel comes natural without thinking about it, I very carefully make slow cuts concentrating on proper use of the tool and so forth. I will take all of these suggestions to heart, I may even start carrying a little note pad as Chip said to jot down anything that may come to me, thanks again for everyones thoughts and input, Tim

[David E Keller]

I'm a little late to this thread, but I've enjoyed reading the responses. I sometimes get my inspiration from photos that I've seen of pieces that someone else has done. I haven't tried to copy a piece exactly, but I don't find anything wrong with doing that. More often than not, my inspiration comes from the piece of wood. I've got several pieces of beautiful wood that I just haven't figured out yet... One day, I'll figure out what's hiding inside those pieces. Occasionally, I'll see a turned piece that will remind me of a piece of wood that I've been pondering... When that happens, I go find that piece and see if something similar might be inside of it.

I often see techniques and embellishments done by others, and I'm inspired to try those thing for myself. Pyrography is a good example of something that has caught my interest recently. Wally's work is certainly an inspiration for that type of embellishment.

Maybe something in this thread will inspire me...

[Lee Koepke]

I haven't done much 'artistic' yet ... but I do a little of the previous comments; looking at nature, other photos, this forum, other creations ... one other thing I do sometimes is let the wood tell me what it wants. The grain / color sometimes can define a piece.

[Rick Markham]

Tim, great topic, and the responses have made for a very good read. I am "new to this" too, right about at the same time as you started I believe. My inspiration for my bowls (all I do right now) generally comes from forms around me, shapes and curves that are pleasing to me. They are also specifically influenced by the chunk of wood in front of me. I often only have an idea of what I would like to see as a finished result, the wood dictates that for me. Bowls, really held very little interest for me in turning, honestly. I don't have the tools for hollowing (yet) but I am actually a huge fan of bowl making now. Yes a bowl is a bowl, classic forms are classics for a reason, but there is something that grabs my soul with everyone I make, it defies words to me. They started as an exercise in tool control, a study in forms, and have become a passion/obsession. I look forward to making all kinds of hollowforms/boxes etc. on the lathe, but bowls have become something I love to make.

I think it is important to realize what most folks do not about the "masters" of painting/ sculpture etc. They all had to learn and master the traditional/Classic forms of their art first. People generally think of Van Gogh for his wild 'cubism' creations, a quick google picture search of his early works, will reveal he was an amazing realist painter/drawer. He had to master the renaisannce techniques before he could create cubism. There is expression in realism, just like every piece no matter how "classic" or traditional holds the expression of the person who made it here. We all might not be "satisfied" all the time with what comes out of our hands, but each is a learning exercise in attaining a certain "ability" to express your concepts.

I think your absolutely on the right path, and you have to remember that everything that you make (even if it is a similar form) is still a piece of your work, as time progresses things will become more "uniquely" yours. You have to expose yourself many times to the experience to elicit definite likes and dislikes. Your skills will grow the whole time, opening new avenues.

There is a good reason why there is no "miracle tool" that they sell to turners, though many are advertised that way. No matter how perfect the gouge, how refined the edge, it is useless without the hand and mind holding it. We only get those skills through exercise of our art.

[Curt Fuller]

John Keeton's "nothing new under the sun" comment is something that I agree with. But I once expressed that opinion on the WOW forum and was nearly tarred and feathered for it. That got me to thinking about it and although I still feel that anything you might be able to think of has probably already been done at some point by someone, there are still so many variations that the possibilities are almost infinite. There's a professional turner named Alby Hall, he's in New Zealand, who created a chart that deals with creativity and I found it fascinating the more I studied it. I'm attaching it here, hopefully he's OK with it.
184003
Alby is one of those creative minds that is able to see things and create them, seemingly without the influence of other peoples work.
Myself, I tend to copy from many different sources. I mostly copy other turnings that people do, but then try to let my own artistic ideas work at evolving those things into something I can somewhat call my own. But without fail, I've always found that, at least so far, that anything I've done has been done previously by someone else. What's great about turning wood though is that the medium, the wood, is impossible to duplicate. A great example is a series of flat topped boxes that Keith Burns did a while back. All were basically the same shape but the woods made them all so different that each one he did was like something completely new.
I think it would be interesting sometime to have a challenge. Each person would have the same rules. Create a certain form, a certain size, with certain features, and then see just how differently each person interprets the directions and how different the woods make them all look.

[Michael James]

I wouldn't feel bad about doing what has already been done, that's the way it has historically been done in the arts until only recently, when the modern art movement has thrown out most all real technique training and encouraged only "individual expression". I'd suggest getting your skills down on the basic forms and honing your sense of design before getting too caught up in originality - there will be plenty of time for that later. Not that you shouldn't pursue an original idea if it comes along, but don't feel guilty about doing traditional work until that happens. Make sure you understand the elements of design so that they may guide you in unfamiliar waters.

Dan
Tim, creativity is a complex abstraction that rebukes analysis. I think Dan is giving you (me, us) some very sage and practical advice here. Have fun, above all and follow YOUR muse. I would add: practice that which you hope to perfect. No one will ever be able to do it all. You are inspired by that which you aspire to. My .02
mj

[David E Keller]

...I think it would be interesting sometime to have a challenge. Each person would have the same rules. Create a certain form, a certain size, with certain features, and then see just how differently each person interprets the directions and how different the woods make them all look.

I think that sounds like fun, Curt. It's been a little while since we had a challenge or a contest on the site, and you're idea is a good one. Plus, since I'm not a member of a turning club, this site functions in that capacity for me... I always see references to club challenges, and I find myself a bit envious of the opportunities.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Wow there has been just fantastic input from everyone here, thank you all so much for shareing your views and ideas here openly. Curt that is a great chart, I have copyed to my HD and will print it off and hang it in my shop for something to think about. Rick I kind of start out with lidded boxes the way that you have with bowls, although this past couple of weeks I have turned my first 2 bowls!!! LOL...dosnt sound like much I know but for me it is a big acomplishment, the turning is all done with them, just needing to place an order with Vince so I can finish the sanding and finishing aspects of them. David I am not a member of a turning club either so like you this forum is my club, it has unlimited potential for ideas in the form of photos and topics, and it also has my mentors which is the membership here. I think that Curt's idea of a challenge is fantastic! If you guys do in fact start one put my name on the list I am all in!

[Jon Lanier]

When I first starting preaching, we had a prof that told us to take the 'best' sermons and start preaching them. In preaching their words, we would begin to find our words. Or style and 24 years later I can say that I'm unique in my writing and delivery. I think much could be the same for artistic designs in turning. Copy the best and you'll find what works for you.

Ask questions, get help from others... you'll find your own 'style.' And... magazines are great to learn from, I wouldn't take that away. But I've learned more about turning from the people here and a couple other forums than any mag can possibly give.

[Rick Markham]

I like the idea of a challenge, with maybe the idea of picking a form from nature, and seeing how everyone "runs wild with it". Something to get the creative juices flowing, everyone could vote in a poll for which "form" for each category, bowls, hollowforms, segmented work, etc.

My local turning club happens to meet the evening that I have a watercolor class, so I haven't had an opportunity to join (maybe next semester) So SMC is my turners club!