Sometimes it seems that big life-changing thoughts do not happen. But when looking back, there can be little things that we have almost forgotten. That moment, when you did something differently, opened the door that you normally would not open – that can be the trigger for new kind of inspiration. Here’s my story about a small unselfish act that has given me a lot of artistic inspiration, and made me overcome some prejudices.
You can also read this story in a written form at Medium.com!
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This was so helpful & exciting. It opened my mind to try new experiences, as you did. Thank you for unselfishly sharing your story.
Thanks, Joyce!
I love this, Paivi! We all put artificial limits on ourselves and miss out on so much. I will be showing your video to the painting classes I teach next week (if you don’t mind) to inspire them as well. I always look forward to your postings.
Thanks, Jean! You are welcome to show the video to your students!!
You have a great sense of the dramatic Paivi-lovely story telling technique…and your grasp of English is awe inspiring!!!! I too have resistance to opera but my husband adores it. La Boheme is one of his favourites-I see the tears in his eyes as he listens. Your words and your art are an inspiration for me, encouraging me to have a go. It’s all about the doing.
Thank you, Liz!! I must confess that La Boheme often makes me cry too. It is so emotional!
Just so wonderful, thank you. You are not only a great artist but a gifted performer.
Regula, thank you!!
Oh Paivi… So happy to see and hear you! You have such a warm personality – looking forward to your online class!
Isabelle, thank you! I really look forward to meeting you at the class!
this was a delight…thank you 🙂
Thanks, Stepahnie!
I think I need to keep an open mind too! I’m looking forward to you new class! On a side note, I saw in your video that there is a small painting on wood on a shelf. Have you painted on wood or did you attach the paper to the wood? Thanks!
Thanks, Cathy! It would be great to have you in the class! None of the paintings are painted on wood. Two of them are painted on canvas and one on canvas cardboard. But – if you want to paint on wood (I am actually painting a box that my husband made for me), use gesso as a primer first before starting the actual painting!
Kiitos Seattlesta
Katy, kiitos!!
My husband is also a fan of Depeche Mode, although the concert we were going to was cancelled at the last minute as the lead singer had a throat infection, so I never did get that experience. On the other hand my husband is also a scuba diver and he convinced me to join him. Now the thought of being under 20 meters of water with just a little mouth piece to suck air out of terrified me but I tried it anyway. And I am so glad I did. The amazing sub aquatic landscape, the coral reefs, the fish and the cuttlefish and everything else… fantastic. I believe that scuba diving has very much influenced my art and I love painting aquatic themed pictures.
Peta, great story, thanks so much! I strongly believe that our art does not live in a vacuum but is affected by our experiences! And through art we can show the essence of those experiences to others too!
Opera! One of my great loves in music! The drama, the visual elements, the emotion, the passions! The stirring and beautiful music. Hi Paivi, I can relate to your experiences of finding delight in something that we had no previous experience of. While I was living in my home-country (England), nursing in central London, I met friends who took me to the opera at Covent Garden one night. The performance was magical….and I was hooked! That was nearly 30 years ago. But I still love to listen to opera and classical music. Now, as a retiree, I am rejoicing in my re-discovery of my love of art and creativity and, your amazing blog and personality are encouraging me all the way. Thank you!
Rosemary, I loved your story about Covent Garden! Thank you! Great to hear that you have the time of your life where you can focus on creativity!
This was great! Next I recommend you to hear and see some flamenco. My favourite is powerful music by Ana Belen! And btw in the video you are drawing… are you drawing again intuitively without knowing what are you drawing like in the previous course? It is too cool to be true!!
Jaana, thank you! Thanks for the great tip! The course Inspirational Drawing is an english version of the course that I just had for Finnish people. Some things have been changed but the course follows the same idea. Great to hear that you enjoyed the course!
Oh! What a wonderful and inspiring story! I grew up immersed in classical music and still find it so moving and energizing. Recently, I have been illustrating how certain pieces make me feel. I find this very satisfying and fulfilling. Your work continues to motivate me. I am so glad that opera is meaningful to you now.
Thank you so much for helping others.
Thank you, Lynne! I agree, drawing with music is such a pleasure!
It is good to be reminded that we wedge ourselves into our beliefs and we need to be able to look at all the other creative energy that is available to us if only we open ourselves to it. Thanks for this wonderful post.
Jane, thank you! Well said!
This post is so important to many areas of life. Even finding some tiny common ground between strangers can lead to a new friend. I love to hear what you have to say and am so glad that you share your thoughts and art for everyone to enjoy and learn. Thank you so much for all that work that it involves.
Mary, thank you! That is so true that as with subjects, we should search common things between people as well. Emphasizing that makes it so much richer than searching for differences!