I'm lucky to find myself surrounded my creative and talented people. Even within my closest friends, there is so much talent I can hardly stand it. What I find especially remarkable is how in awe of their rough, this-is-what-I-do-naturally-not-trying pieces they create. I love seeing the whole piece, process, and idea come to full life, but I'm blown away how random doodles and natural expression can be so beautiful. I happen to naturally like the aesthetics of line art, but the thing that really gets me with the raw beginnings of something more or perhaps an accidental discovery of something cool is the grounded, inspired, and from the heart origins of these rough sketches.
Inspiration is passed along and in just looking at what my friends sit down to work on, sketch on a
napkin, throw together to demonstrate a point, or randomly come up with in a moment, I pick up their inspiration. See what I mean. . .
One day, while she was living in Dubai and I in NYC, Leah emailed me this sketch. She titled it "Sharing" and sent along this drawing she had felt inspired to put onto paper one night. I've known her to work on large canvases and with paint, so this was new for me to see and unexpected, too. Leah had been journaling and writing poetry a lot at the time and I love how this sketch called itself to be expressed, and she was kind enough to let me see.
When Brian shared this with me he prefaced, "well, my sketches are usually pretty rough. . ." I think they're awesome. Brian Pope is a talented graphic designer and a creative mind at large. These sketches are the basics for his recently launched kids' streetwear line, PRE-K. In everything he touches and designs, you can see the attention to detail, thought, imagination, and artistry put in. I think even in his sketches you can get a feel for how he deliberates and generates. What's even more inspiring is he can come up with original ideas, execute them on paper + computer, and bring them to market.
Miss Jessie Williams is another creative + business-minded type who leaves her mark on everything she touches. It can be a hand-cut dress, screenprinted tote, long labored pair of earrings, portfolio video, or an envelope in the mail: you'll know she touched it and left a bit of sweetness. This sketch was just whipped together real quick and arrived to me via U.S. postal service handling of a no-longer standard white envelope. The hand drawing in itself made the mail so much more worth it for just the smile it brought out.
This last sketch I have on hand to share is from my much-admired tattoo artist Dave C. Wallin . Beyond tattooing, he can do just about any type of drawing I can think of on paper and computer. Plus, he's a musician. This sketch was the first one (well, technically the second as he drew in green marker on this piece of scrap paper when we were sitting together beforehand but I didn't get a chance to snag it) of my latest tattoo, and I was amazed when I saw it. It captured what I wanted even in the humble beginnings he was apologizing for and explaining. The end product is stunning work and just what I wanted, but I love how he totally channeled my motivation and desire for this tattoo in his simple pencil sketch. (For your own end product, stop by )
Perhaps seeing one of these sketches will inspire you to make your own, even if it is stickhead figures with awkward dresses, or maybe your name on repeat. Good comes from expression and you might have some fun, if not the next piece that inspires you.
<3
Stella
i love you! :) thank you for sharing this... and i'm so honored to have inspired you. i'm just returning the favor for the years that you kept me motivated, inspired, and true! keep doin' the damn thang, my love. *smile*
Posted by: Leah Arnold | October 06, 2009 at 12:12 PM
This automatically brought me to the days when I was so inspired by the "scribble game". Basically a piece of paper or napkin or poster or anything lying around that you take, make a random scribble and is passed around from person to person to become a shared piece of art. I love that inspiration. I love that immediate gratification you can achieve in one simple moment. Sharing pieces of work like these are suttle, humble and inspirational enough to remind someone or yourself that the simple things around you are usually the most prevalent.
love you stell! xo
Posted by: Claire | October 07, 2009 at 11:21 PM