Take a Closer Look….How my inspiration comes to life
For me, being immersed in the creative process is like biting into a Lindor truffle and allowing the center to slowly melt in your mouth —if you have not tried one go out and get one—it’s simply heavenly!
The creative process can be exciting and delightfully frustrating at the same time. Sometimes it comes together in an instant; other times, it takes its sweet time. When I’m creating custom glasswork, my process starts with inspiration that I develop into an idea that I then sketch.
Inspiration comes in all forms and from any direction: a passing glimpse of color in a photograph, the feel of a texture in my hands while shopping, a scent wafting through my home, the sights and sounds of nature while hiking or sitting beside the lake, or even a conversation that sends my mind wandering.
The colors I used to create a three window transom were inspired by the sweet disposition, golden coat, and pink collar of Lucy, my client’s Labrador Retriever.
A window transom inspired by a client's Labrador Retriever, Lucy.
Lucy, the inspiration behind the window transom shown above.
Whatever the spark, when my creative juices start flowing I can see things beyond my expectations. Once I have my inspiration, I draw all of my sketches by hand. I derive the most pleasure from working with my hands and bringing pencil to paper.
This post marks the first in a series that will chronicle my journey to create a piece of custom glass work. I’ll begin with sharing my inspiration, ideas, and first sketch and will follow up with posts on how this work is designed and constructed.
“Helix” — commission for a doctor’s private practice
The idea to create Helix came from a conversation I had about the doctor’s work in therapy and her observations on how how people change. She mentioned that people often revisit or revert back to old behaviors several times before actualizing change in their lives. As she was speaking, I immediately visualized the design and put it down on paper. She connected with it, and I ran with the design.
The design inspiration for “Helix” came from Spiral Dynamics, a “data-based psychological approach” used to understand how people can change old patterns of behavior. A helix is essentially a spiral and can be seen as having upward or downward motion, depending on the direction of the first turn. I was also inspired by this image's design and lines when developing the sketches for Helix.
Individuals often revisit the same behavior several times before actual change takes place. Even after change has occurred, they may find themselves going back down the spiral, revisiting an old behavior, or comfort zone, to only come back up again in a continuous cycle
The beautiful thing about the Spiral Dynamics model is that there is no judgement attached to how people move through the spiral. Its founder, Dr. Clare W. Graves “was adamant that a person had the right to be who he or she was... [Spiral Dynamics] was about how to rework social or organisational goals by approaching people as they are, not as others wish or perceive them to be.”
Once the first sketch comes together, I feed it into a design software that generates a pattern that I hope will cooperate with the original design. If it does not, I create the pattern by hand using a felt tip marker, as I’m doing now with “Helix”. Next, I select the color palette and the texture for creating the first design draft. Typically, my clients give me free rein to select the glass color and texture, trusting that my choices will ring true to the inspiration and the design.
I find that this initial process is no different from any other process we engage with in our personal and professional lives. It all starts with an inspiration, which helps put an idea in motion. Every piece I create is different because every source of inspiration is personal. Whether you want a piece that takes you back to your favorite childhood memory, a piece that represents your family heirlooms or professional passion, or one that makes you remember the most beautiful vacation you've ever taken, the custom piece I create will be uniquely yours.
Get inspired, and together, let’s make your ideas come to life.
Please stay tuned for the next part of this series about how “Helix” takes shape in the design and construction phases.