The Seashell: who inspires me to create….

My dad.

I began my career as an artist at nine years old, collecting hundreds of seashells and drilling tiny holes in them with my dad in the garage. He’d do this with me after a long day of work. I would ride my bike to the bus stop and ride alongside of him as he walked the mile or so home chatting about my upcoming project. He was the one who taught me how to use the drill press, the jigsaw and to make whatever came to mind in my fertile, nine-year-old imagination. Seashell necklaces, jigsaw boxes that looked like turtles and cantaloupe seed necklaces were my passion. The best part of that memory was that I remember absolutely no judgement from my dad as he showed me how to do things. He was my enabler, and I can’t thank him enough for that precious time together.

If you feel the desire to create, you will quickly find that you can only go so far on your own. Often you need help to learn how to use the tools necessary to make what you are seeing in your mind’s eye. Sometimes you just need someone to encourage you to get over the hump of doubt that keeps you from picking up the pen, the brush, or the hunk of clay.

As a creative, you don’t want to underestimate the importance of finding the right person to inspire you, and my advice would be to find a real person for this job. YouTube is a great tool for learning how to fix a broken pipe, but I find the practice of sitting in front of a TV to learn how to do something mesmerizing in a bad way. It lulls you into a false complacency that you are learning which takes the place of doing. My favorite art teacher told me once:

“Art is a show me thing, not a tell me thing”—Ernie Welke

Find someone who you can share this journey with in a real way. It might be an art teacher at a local community center, a live Zoom class with other students and a talented instructor or a friend who is interested in a creative journey as well. Pick these people carefully, look for a person who brings out that early creative spirit that you remember from your childhood. Creativity is a very precious thing and those who you invite into your circle should be chosen wisely.

Journal Prompt:

Think about your earliest creative experiences. Who was with you? Who was the one showing you how to do what you wanted to create? Who was the one you showed your work to?

Try a drawing or making something that thanks that person.

Hugs to you all
—Marilee

P.S. I painted this watercolor portrait of my dad with my son Cody to remember this magical moment. And here’s the inspirational seashell.  See my step by step instruction in the How to…section of the journal.

Buy my Creativity Journal on Amazon and fill your book with all ten projects! There is space for journaling, ideation and to create the final project. The QR code in the book links you to the journal so you can take it with you and be creative anywhere you go. You just need a pen, curiosity and joyful effort!!