Inspiration. It's the secret everyone wants to hear about. As an artist, I often get asked - What inspires you? Where do you find inspiration? It's a fascinating question because it's an impossible question to answer. Yes you heard me right, I don't believe any artist can TRULY define the source of inspiration. 

 

 

In reality, it's elusive in nature and impossible to pinpoint. Isn't it a funny thing? Yet when inspiration strikes, it's an unrecognizable feeling. It can lead to brilliant works of art, moments of clarity, realizations about the world. The one time in which I can get the closest to pinpointing inspiration is when I travel. It's a time when I'm not only shaken out of my daily routine, but my senses are exposed to new tastes, textures, smells. The climate and time zone may differ, and if I'm lucky I'll be taken to a visually beautiful place - rich in nature or history. 

 

 

I recently returned from a two week long trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. If you haven't been, add it to your bucket list. The town of Jackson Hole is filled with adorable boutiques, tasty restaurants and log cabin style spas. It's a small town vibe with an outdoor-chic sensibility, and even though in the summer its flooded with tourists, there's an unmistakably authentic community of locals. On this trip however, I hunkered down in our cabin overlooking the Tetons to catch up on some creative time and get to know my new Nikon camera a bit better.

 

 

The landscape envelopes you - the Teton mountain range, endless fields of sage brush, the Snake river. 

 

 

Horses and cattle roam acres of open farmland dotted with handmade wooden fences, barns and bails of hay.

 

 

 

 

 

It's in moments like this that as creative people we must open ourselves up. I had a beautiful moment with the aspen trees in our backyard, where I photographed the patterns on the bark as inspiration for my next collection. When you are surrounded by such beauty, have tools to capture your experience. Pack your camera, sketch book, tablet, watercolor set, pen and paper. When I'm preparing for a trip I can get overwhelmed with what to bring. Do I need a journal? Or how about my camera ...but it's so heavy to carry-on! If I bring my paints that's a bit of a domino effect because then I need my brushes, water container, watercolor paper, sponge, tape. But what I found is that in the past, sometimes bringing too many options can be stifling and lead to zero creative time. So I started limiting myself to one creative outlet per trip, allowing more focused energy.

 

 

Do you find travel to be a source of inspiration, also? What creative materials do you pack when you travel? To read about more ways in which you can cultivate creativity, please follow me on Instagram @CCTEXTILES.