"Inspiration can be found anywhere" is what Virginia Beahan told us my sophomore year at Mass College of Art. She encouraged us to keep Inspirational Journals to train us to write down our ideas. She said no matter if it was movies, images or even words, anything could inspire your art.
I wasn't the most diligent in keeping a journal, but I tried. And 20 years later, I don't even have to write down my ideas anymore. Inspirational things hide compartmentalized in my mind, waiting to form an image.
My latest image is a culmination of years of practice, newly inspired lighting techniques, and Van Goghs purple irises. I have always loved his work and recently got to view the visiting painting at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It's hard to admit, but it brought tears to my eyes.
Sometimes for inspiration I go to thrift stores and look for outfits or props. I found this blue dress and instantly had to have it. I hung it in my room for about two months, contemplating the scene I wanted to create with it.
Believe it or not it, the final ingredient was the Walking Dead scene where they found the musical jewelry box with the plastic ballerina inside. What a memory from the past, as a kid I loved mechanical music boxes, and would be enthralled watching the gears work.
I dreamt that night and woke up with my final idea. The ballerina in the garden, with the background lit like an old master would paint the background of a portrait or still life. Blurring the background and notice the small intentional halo of light behind her..
So there you have a glimpse into my process. It's taken years of imagination, experimentation, and inspiration to make the art I create. I hope you can tell I am not your average photographer. I do not imitate, I use emotions, psychology, and lighting and photo knowledge to build my photograph, basically painting in light as I click the shutter.
