What do you do for inspiration? I’ve been so stressed out over end-of-quarter grading and other commitments I haven’t had much time or energy for writing, submitting, reviewing, etc. (Plus, learning to live in a tiny apartment with my husband and I both working from home has made it a little bit harder to get into the mental writing space.)
So, in order to combat my lack of inspiration and mental energy, a couple of days ago Glenn and I went to a bunch of galleries in La Jolla, which were mostly more mainstream and bland-y than Seattle’s gallery scene, but I did find some interesting work among the landscapes and sailboats – a glass artist who pours molten glass over stainless steel wire, a portrait of a sleeping girl on a pillow with teeth, a red riding hood figure with a butterfly painted onto the canvas.
Tonight we went to Aimee Mann’s Holiday concert at Solana Beach’s Bottoms Up Tavern, which is a nice intimate venue compared to the other places I’ve seen her play. Grant Lee Philips was there and did a hilarious version of “Voices Carry” as a fake Willie Nelson. The Grinch theme song was played. There was a film parody of A Christmas Carol. She’s hilarious and talks a lot like my artist friend Michaela Eaves. (See Broadside art below for reference.) I am also totally inspired that this punky chick who I was listening to when I was twelve is still rocking out and goofy at 48, looking fantastic and cool.
A little music, a little visual art, and tomorrow maybe even a little bit of free time to work on my own work… What’s your recipe for inspiration?