Get Inspired!

While Jen is blissful in Paris, I am so glad to be a guest blogger. My name is Gina Dunn and Jen and I were sorority sisters back in the day at Loyola New Orleans. I am an artist and you can visit my blog for my studio, Utopia Pkwy Art Studio,
 here

There's more to see there about my artwork, artists who inspire me, and it's generally just a diary of a crazy painter. :) I hope to open people's eyes to the beauty of the world, engage in an artistic talk and hopefully inspire some of you! Become a follower.  

Being an artist, people often ask me where I find ideas for my paintings. Inspiration is everywhere, and I wanted to share with NOLA Girl's readers how you can discover inspiration in your own lives. Whatever creative thing you wish to find inspiration for it can be quite simple, if you open your eyes to the wonderful world around you.  I am also sprinkling a few of my paintings in for good measure. 

You can also view my website with a more complete body of work here.

Step 1: THINK

Open your mind. Be open to any suggestions from a friend, relative even a stranger or someone you just met, the minds of others is one of your best resources so be sure to use it often. Also, most of the time people can give you the best ideas for something because they are not trying to, so pay attention to what others say or do, you might just be touched creatively because a conversation you over heard or a moment where you saw the world through someone else eyes.

Step 2: LOOK

Look around you. What is the one thing that is always happening around you and never stops? Life. Life is all around, and if you pay more attention to the world around you, inspiration is at every corner. So maybe try sitting somewhere (like a park or coffee shop) with a sheet of paper and a pen and write down (or maybe sketch out) the things you notice around you, if you clear you mind and release it from our tiny little mental boxes we put ourselves in, you can feel the world around you, and inspiration is everywhere you look.

Step 3: DO

Do something you've never done before. join a dance class, maybe even a pottery class or photography class, something creative that stimulates your brain. Dance, pottery and photography are all forms of art, and joining a group like that will be surrounding yourself with creative opportunities and resources. There are millions of things you could do that will be creatively stimulating to get rid of writer's block or just to find inspiration because you feel like it.