Setting up...

Well, I've dragged that old teacher's desk out of our storage room and placed it in front of that gorgeous wall of windows in our dining room. Of course, Pete might complain, but we're not set up in there for dining yet anyhow. So when we actually do put our dining table and china cabinet in there, which are patiently waiting in other locations, I'll assess the situation and see if my drawing desk still fits. If not, I'll go to Plan B and possibly C. But for now, it works. And I can spread out my drawing supplies/SCBWI info/journals on the table without having to pack stuff up again.



Yes, it's a plastic chair, but I don't really need anything new right now, unless I see something for a great price. But I'd love to hang up my inspiration board too, perhaps in some sort of temporary fashion so that I can move it if need be. Nice rusty burning barrel in the background, eh? That's Pete's thing. I wish I could get rid of it, but he likes to burn stuff in the middle of the yard in an old barrel. Go figure.



Now I just gotta go back to my parents' house and drag out all my drawing supplies from the garage. Wow, has it been that long since I've done traditional drawings? It's been all computerized work since I left home to be with Pete, so this is both exciting-new and comfortable-old territory.

Inspiration boards

I think I'd like to jazz up my rather blah looking inspiration board. Right now it's a large cork board that's just resting against the wall behind my laptop. I was thinking of getting a vintage frame that's the same size and framing the board, so I can hang it like a work of art. And if you think about it, an inspiration board IS a work of art, in a way. It's a visual representation of what's going on inside your head, which in itself is such a fabulous concept. And the beauty of it is that it's always transforming and growing in one way or another, like a living work of art.

I found several examples of other people's inspiration boards online, which have given me some good ideas. Some boards are downright neat, while others are fairly cluttered and chaotic. I would have to say that my inspiration board is somewhere in between. I don't just hang stuff that's related to what I'm drawing or designing or taking pictures of. Often I hang up photos of my pets, or I clip out pictures of clothes/shoes/jewelry, or I even hang up 3D objects like flowers. I find that if I look at such things while I'm working, then my creative juices start flowing and I get excited about what I'm doing. And my inspiration board will blend into our living room decor much better once I frame it. That way my work area doesn't look so much like...a work area.