Well, this entry is going to be about inspiration. When I moved to Calgary 4 years ago to begin an MFA, I was very upset to find that all the things which inspired me in Vancouver, did not exist here. The last 4 years I have collected other things connected to this city which have sunk into my skin and now fuel the desire to create.
After many hours of mind numbing sitting in front of the computer and squeezing out my thesis, I find that the ideas for pieces are overflowing in my brain. There's nothing like a little bit of entrapment and restraint to get the imagination working overtime. This has increased my ability to find inspiration everywhere.
Here, in Calgary, I find inspriration in boxy shapes. Calgary has many windows, square buildings and straight lines in abundance- frames basically.
I am fascinated with what is revealed inside of a frame and what is not seen....I know not the newest of topics but still something I find so much joy in exploring. I love looking into the windows of the office buildings to see snipets of life and become curious about what else exists. My favourite place to look through windows is on the C-train. All those bits of edited life briefly coming into contact with each other whenever the trains pass.
It's like a badly edited film with pieces randomly put together so there is no throughline or conherance. When I am on the c-train and I pass another c-train, I see the briefest of glimpses into other people's lives, each frame not really having a relationship to the next accept for the fact that it is all part of the c-train.
Last night, I went to First Thursday events at Art Central. This is a great Calgary happening that takes place at different spots around town on the first Thursday of ever month. Art Central is always bubbling in the evening. I love all the small galleries there with windows pointing towards the hallways. Looking into the windows at the hanging work is like looking at a frame, which is hung in a frame through a frame.
All the dancing that I will create when done this thesis:) Thank-you to my Calgary experience I think I have become less of a BC snob and my appreciation for this city has grown and grown. With that I hope to keep increasing my ability to find inspiration in all things.
