What these say...

ENOUGH SAID!

Creative sayings by Bohemian Art Cafe. (c)SZing 2015.

#InspiredArtProject2015 #doartdaily

Just Plain Fun

Art does not have to be large, expensive and perfect.  It can be just as inspiring and fulfilling to create small artworks that are just plain fun and enjoyable.  This past few days I spent my creating time making hand painted miniatures.  In joy, enjoy.  #InspiredArtProject2015 #doartdaily

creative hand painted mini (c)SZing 2015

express love hand painted mini (c)SZing 2015

Artist hand painted mini (c)SZing 2015

Embrace Peace hand painted mini (c) SZing 2015

Imagine hand painted mini (c)SZing 2015

Question hand painted mini (c)SZing 2015

Inspired Art Project 2015 gallery

Have neglected posting this past week from my #InspiredArtProject2015 this past week while I update my Etsy shops BohemianArtCafe, EphemeraBistro, EspressoBarCafe, and FlowerChildTrends, I am catching up today with a week’s worth of art in a gallery style array.
February 13, 2015
Zen Angel, watercolor, ink on watercolor paper © SZing 2015.

January 14, 2015
Focusing on trying new designs. Not perfect but very relaxing to work on.

January 15, 2015
Relaxing into the process.  As I do, I get inspired with many different ideas for art projects, writing projects and other ways to express myself creatively.  I’m not actively seeking these hints, but they flow to me as I stay focused on my zen doodles.
© SZing 2015
 
January 16, 2015
“Basket weaving”.  For some reason tonight this particular zen doodle as I’m working on it reminds me of that song Funny Farm from the 1970s and I think of basket weaving. Maybe zen doodling is sort of like that for me.  But I’m perfectly okay with twiddling my thumbs and toes….haa haa, heee hee, hoo, hooo.  I feel inspired just because I’m sticking with this process.  © 2015 SZing.

January 17, 2015
A daily practice.  A practice that is repetitious.  A practice not unlike dreaming except that each has a goal or objective. © SZing.  Watercolor on watercolor paper, black ink.

January 18, 2015
A Poem

Within my walls
is a treasure
Nurtured, it grows
Ignored, it grows
Flowering into I Am.

January 19, 2015
Acrylic on paper board.  Just to paint, just to create, just to play despite the end result is inspiring.  Especially more inspiring is not caring what is created.  Letting go of the inner (and outer) critic is freeing.  And fun.  And inspiring. #doartdaily
© SZing 2015

Words as Art

Writing poetry is my go-to stress releaser.  I've done it since at least the third grade (granted, my poems back then weren't all that fabulous).  I'm not normally a rhyme-r or a iambic-pentameter type of gal.  I've written my share of Haiku, but my first love is free-form poetry.  #InspiredArtProject2015 #wordsasart #poetry

"In dreamtime" (c)SZing, 2015.

Day 4 Inspired Art Project 2015

I am inspired each time I look outside and see that my beautiful rose bush from my sweetie (a birthday present last year) is blooming...and it is January 4!  Roses remind me of my mom.  A sweet remembrance as our yard was filled with these fragrant blooms in every color and size.  Today's Inspired Art Project is dedicated to Mom, an angel in her own right!  #InspiredArtProject2015 #angelart

Angel of Blooms, (c) SZing, 2015

Day 2 Inspired Art Project 2015

Inspired by angels and practicing drawing and allowing myself to just let whatever comes to come...is a Delicate Balancing Act...and so this sweet angel, who looks a teensy bit distressed came into being...Day 2 Inspired Art Project.  #InspiredArtProject2015 #DelicateBalancingActAngel

Delicate Balancing Act Angel, January 2, 2015 (c) 2015 SZing

A Year of Inspiration!

Happy New Year!  2015 is going to be a wonderful year with wonderful experiences!

I am a highly spiritual person.  I love having a daily spiritual practice.

I am a creative, artistic person.  I love having a daily artistic practice.

Because I want to cultivate my daily practices and become more conscious of my efforts as I do so, I am opting to create a Year's Worth of Inspirational Artworks.  Starting today.  

I decided to combine the two and focus on making art that feels uplifting to me.

I am going to try not to limit myself on my mediums, techniques or  what I am doing.  I want to enjoy the process and not worry about whether it is going to "sell".  I want to enjoy creating and be as open as possible to the inspirational energy that comes from immersing myself in the process.

I want to try to detach myself from pre-concieved notions about about is spiritual or uplifting.  I will strive to come to the page, the canvas, the glass…whatever…without any predetermined outcomes in mind.

I will finish each project I start.

Today is a new day.   Here is my art offering for the day...

The Angel of Floral Tornadoes, Mixed Media (watercolor, pastels on watercolor paper)
(c) SZing 2015

"Just give me this: 

A rinsing out, a cleansing free of all my smaller

Strivings

So I can be the class act God intended,

True to my purpose,

All my energy aligned behind my deepest intention.

And just this:

A quieting down, a clearing away of internal ruckus,

So I can hear the huge stillness in my heart

And feel

How I pulse with all creation,

Part and parcel of Your great singing ocean.

And this, too:

A willingness to notice and forgive the myriad times

I fall short,

Forgetting who I really am,

What I really belong to.

So I can start over,

Fresh and clean

Like sweet sheets billowing in the summer sun,

My heart pierced with gratitude."

~Belleruth Nparstek from Prayers for Healing--Summer--August 15, p. 188.

The Art of Words

I just completed my art journal/sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project and I have to admit--it was difficult to let this very personal work of art go--knowing that I may never actually lay hands on it again as it will become a part of the Brooklyn Art Library's permanent collection of hand crafted artist made artworks.

(c) 2014, SZing, Cover of my sketchbook

I titled my book "The Art of Words" to fit with my chosen theme "Say Words Out Loud." I chose words that are inspirational to me.  Each page features a different word and are artfully embellished.  They are even cinqo-lingual (is that a word?)--in any case, each word is on the page in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Danish--of course, some words, like "Vision" are the same in several of these languages.

I also included quotes relevant to the word or idea, or in some cases, I journaled briefly about that word or idea.

pages from The Art of Words, (c) 2014 SZing

After spending what I am guess-timating to be some 200 hours or more creating this little 32 page art work, you can imagine how letting it go was a real challenge.  It was rewarding as I saw each page develop from a blank sheet, then to a lovely painted background, then receiving their words--Love, Joy, Create, Wealth, Serendipity, Freedom...just to name a few.  Each page took on its own originality and I can honestly say it became a labor of love.

My great hope is that "The Art of Words" will leave its viewers feeling enlivened, refreshed and invigorated. Perhaps even inspired.  I contemplated, for about 48 hours, not sending it back to be completed with the project--but I know that it will serve the world far more where it is headed than it would on a shelf in my office or studio.

pages from The Art of Words, (c) 2014 SZing

I'm excited that my little book will potentially be seen by hundreds or even thousands of people in its lifetime--maybe even millions since it is being digitized on both Bohemian Art Cafe (where you can see all of the pages) as well as eventually with the Sketchbook Project site.  Plus it gets to see the country as it goes on tour from Brooklyn New York and traverses across the continent to end up in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco before zipping back across country to land in its final home in Brooklyn.

I'm also editing a video with the before and after of the process of creating the book (unfortunately, I got so wrapped up with the creation of the book that I forgot to document and video the actual art process). Eventually I'll post the video here and on Bohemian Art Cafe, and maybe, if I'm very daring, YouTube.

pages from The Art of Words, (c) 2014 SZing

I  know my art journal is in good company as there are over 17000+ other participants who made their own art journals. I love the idea of the diversity not only of how each page and book looks, but the diversity of the artists and the lives they lead. It's a very intriguing chain of connection to participate blindly with other artists and creators.

And perhaps, one of these days when I am back in New York City for a visit, I can stop by the art library and say a fond "hello and how are you doing" to my little book.

(c) 2014 SZing, Bohemian Art Cafe

Public Glass Artist Narcissus Quagliata

Narcissus Quagliata is an Italian-born glass artist who is world renowned for his exquisite large-scale installations in brilliant colors.  My favorite is the piece he is probably best known for and which garners an enormous number of photographs by visitors since its 2007 installation. "Wind, Fire and Time" Dome of Light at the Taiwanese mass transit station is a show stopper. It has 4,500 glass panels with four themes: water, earth, light and fire. Respectively, these represent birth, growth, glory, destruction and rebirth.

 (c) Narcissus Quagliata

But he has other works that are equally gorgeous such as the 

at the "Divinity in Light" at the Santa Maria Degli Angeli cupola/rotunda.

and at the Discovery Center in Washington D.C. he created the

"Discovery Mural"

Quagliata has had his work featured by the Bullseye Glass company (one of the largest glass suppliers to fused/flat/warm--these are interchangeable terms--artists).  He has taught at the highly regarded Pilchuck School, founded in part by fellow studio glass artist Dale Chihuly.  He is regarded by fused glass artists as  the master of flat/warm public glass installations.

Video with Quagliata

For me, he is an inspiration and a mentor of sorts--his methods and techniques are of great interest to me and his ability to create such enormous large scale glass artworks is a feat which I'd dearly love to emulate.  It is a matter of practice and opportunity.  In the meantime, I can learn a lot form his artworks, his book, and his videos. 

The obscure artist...

Wellll, today was going to be a day when I waxed philosophical about Vincent Van Gogh.  I had written my blog and was just preparing to add links and photos when....zap.  The power had a fluctuation and my blog did not save.  It was, in fact, upon re-entry, a blank canvas.  Perhaps that is the wisest thing an art blog can say about Vincent Van Gogh.  As inspiration...may you fill your blank canvas today with rich textured paint strokes, vibrant colors and pastoral images. Be true to yourself.

The Other "Starry Night". By Vincent Van Gogh.

(c)SZing. 2012.

Pinning for Inspiration

Yes, I said Pinning. Not Pining.  Well, maybe a little of both.  If you have not yet discovered Pinterest, I highly encourage it.  It is an excellent means of “collecting” ideas and inspirations.  I think of it as my very own, personalized (by me) catalog of what I'd like to have in my life/world. My expanded treasury or wishlist, if you will.

My screen capture (sorry, a little grainy) of some of my current bulletin boards on Pinterest.
(c)SZing, 2012

I’ve only actively been using the actual Pinterest website for the past six weeks or so.  But the idea is not new to me.  For years I have collected and cut out inspirational words, photographs of things I like or that inspire me to create, and ideas for future projects.  These research files or treasuries, if you like, grew to such an extent that this past winter I finally culled my files and created a three binder system.  I’m in the process of going paperless so this culling was necessary. I may eventually even move my binders to a digital format if I can find a methodology that I like and trust.

More on that later.

Binder one is called ART INSPIRATION. It is simply the hard copy cut and pasted pictures of artwork that I like/love or find beautiful—these range in every medium, every timeframe, every color scheme.  I have a very eclectic love of artworks.

Photographs of my actual hard copy art inspiration binder,
photos from magazines cut and pasted in. The non-digital version of Pinterest.
(c) SZing 2012

The other two binders are Art Articles and a mix called Art Biz, Glass and Public Art.  Art articles are articles about artists, shows, techniques.  The other binder includes articles about the business of art, and photos and articles of glass and public artworks.

Yes, I would like to get to where I am paperless, so my eventual goal is to take these items to a digital format.  But as I mentioned above, I have to trust the format.  I don’t want my items to be lost in some program that I cannot get access to once technology changes.  I am sure that my efforts will most likely turn out to be Adobe format or jpg format.  Perhaps I will create my own ebook of favorite articles and photographs. 

My other hard copy versions of Pinterest. 
These will someday be digitalized,
but since they include articles, never Pinned. 
See how big and bulky?  And
such a loss of tree life.
(c)SZing 2012

But in the interest of avoiding creating additional paper, I use Pinterest as a method of collecting and “pinning” those items that are of interest.  I love this because if I’ve pinned from a specific website, Pinterest saves that information and all I have to do is double click on the item and I can get back to the original page. VERY helpful if I am wanting to purchase something for example, such as art supplies or something that will help my studio be more effective or efficient.  Or if I want to purchase a gift or something for my home.  There does not seem to be a limit to the number of bulletin boards I can create with their own unique themes and my own pins, I get to see the pins of everyone I follow (and vice versa), and in the process, I inevitably find things that inspire me to create.  I love to surf the internet for new and interesting artworks and “stuff” so having a place to collect it all for future reference is very interesting to me.


The one drawback I see to it is that, at this time, there is no way to save the boards or to download the information in any sort of off line product.  This worries me in the sense that if Pinterest goes under, gets sold or changes, I may in fact lose my digital bulletin boards, waste lots of time having put items on them and lose so much that inspires me.  I don’t actually think Pinterest is going to go away, and I have hopes that they will improve and increase functionality to protect my “pins.”  But, when I need a little jolt to my brain, reviewing my own boards or looking at what others have pinned never fails to get my creative thinking cap back in operating order.  I figure in 10 years, we will all be friends with everyone and everyone will be following and liking everyone else’s stuff on these social pages.  It is truly a small world.  Feel free to follow me.  I’d love to see what you find of interest too.

The Question of God

I seem to be skirting all around this theme.  Yesterday’s blog, Blue Print, alluded to it.

Now, I don’t want to lose those of you who are Atheists or Agnostics or Scientists or Pagans or whatever terms and labels you might choose, but let’s face it, whether or not there is a God, there are many artists who have tackled God and religious themes in their artwork.  My own art has a metaphysical bent to it, in that I believe that God, or to use one of my favorite terms, the creative spark, inspires me.  Much of my artwork has been driven by my many-years exploration of my personal beliefs and experiences I’ve had that have shaped those beliefs.

©SZing, Microcosm

For example, in my “Door to Eternity,” I was questioning what happens at the end of life.  Is there a bright light and another realm and another and another on a journey to reconnect with God? Do “we” float around in space? Or, as some of my rather staid scientist friends believe, are we simply worm food?  Frankly, I don’t know.  I can speculate.  I can hope and wish.  But knowing isn’t as important as the exploration itself, at least for me, in creating these types of art.

©SZing, Door to Eternity

Another of my pieces,

©SZing, Characteristics of God

is an abstract piece that was one of those “in the zone” paintings for me. I was thinking about as many different characteristics as I could of what my creative spark or divine inspiration would embody.  This piece hangs above my bed.  My sweetheart says it is his favorite painting of mine because, “no matter what, Love always comes out of the chaos and is right side up.”  I hadn't planned it that way while painting it.  It's one of those coinkydinks I don't believe in.  I truly felt that Zen-meditation sense that I talked about in The Art Zone on the day I painted it.

Then there was this picture.  It was done while I was attending a painting retreat.  It was the last evening and I knew that in the morning we wouldn’t have time to do much of anything except wrap up business.  I had just completed an enormous Amazon woman who was astoundingly intricate in her embellishments.  It was 9 p.m.  I was tired.  A part of me wanted to go have a drink and relax or just go to sleep.  It was a beautiful evening, cool, just on the verge of fall and there was a full moon.  The retreat center had a labyrinth walk next-door to the building where we were painting.  So, thinking I was “complete,” I walked the labyrinth.  I was feeling an enormous gratitude and joy at being so blessed to be at the retreat, to have completed the paintings throughout the week, and just really satisfied and happy.  I walked the labyrinth and suddenly was inspired to go back in and paint.
In 20 minutes, I had completed “God Creates.”

©SZing, God Creates

I remember painting the picture.  I was, at the time, very fond of wearing three or four jangly bangly charm bracelets.  As I moved my brush and picked up more paint, the bracelets were quite noisy—enough so that another woman painting in the corner commented on the noise.  I remember drawing the blue—I thought it was going to be a pond or lake or something for a landscape.  It certainly is.  But before I knew it, it was a world and everything else was in place. 

Twenty minutes flew by and I can say, I had never finished a painting in that short a time.  (For a baseline,  the first painting I did took an entire year and was the only artwork that I did the entire year.)  Of course, I don’t know what planet it is being viewed from (the flowers and trees in the forefront), perhaps it is a starship with a great arboretum on it…I drew the infinity symbol and somehow immediately knew it was a mask, the eyes showed up.  It asked to be “haloed” somewhat, and there was a moment in my mind when I remember asking, Is that God? Or is that me, as God, looking out on the creation of everything?

I promise.  I had not had that drink I’d thought about.  Nor was I under the influence of anything other than the labyrinth and the nighttime.  It is one of my favorite paintings, because for me, I feel a deep connection with…something.  Even in my modern primitive style, I feel that I captured that relationship to God as much as any of the very old school painters may have in their own unique exploration.

I believe that spiritual beliefs and exploration and the artist’s connection with God (again, whatever label works for you) are themes that have been explored for ages and will continue to be explored.  Each artist has their answers and their experiences are uniquely their own.

As for myself, it is my belief that that creative force, spark, or intelligence is every where present, every when.  It is in me, as me, expressing and experiencing through me.  I am not saying I am God.  I am saying that we all are god and god is all there is.  It is a theme I love to explore and which inspires so much of my artwork and projects.  Even writing this makes it all sound so inadequate and mundane.  But there is something about painting and spirituality that can be transcendent.  The fact is, God, or the remnants of God, show up in an astounding lot of artwork over the centuries.  He/she/it and the artists’ may be on to something.  We are all microcosms.

The Blue Print

Not to get too metaphysical, but wouldn’t it just be a delight to be able to see not just your tiny corner of the “cosmic blue print” but to see the entire plan—structural integrity, engineering specifications, how everything interlocks and plays upon everything else and how each event or action is interdependent?  Well, okay, I’m taking a leap of faith here and assuming that…it actually is all interrelated and interactive.  I fully accept that I may be wrong.

© Cyrus Hall, used for educational purposes

How Do you Know What Direction to Take Next?

The difficulty of only seeing the tiny corner of the enormous blue print is that there are times when the activities of the day seem too confusing.  In short, you’re stuck.  The words won’t come.  There’s no artistic desire or inspiration.  Maybe there are just too many things to do and not enough hours in the day.  Maybe it’s that you can’t finish any single item or you get pulled in too many directions by “forces outside” yourself and your own desires. 


Aren’t there days when you just don’t know which way to turn?  Those are the days when I just want to hunker down and take a nap.  But naps don’t get you out of the muck.  Movement, even if in tiny increments so as to avoid falling further into the miasma of the swamp of overwhelm, (dramatic enough??) is necessary.

© Dragon Artz Designs, free clipart, used by permission

Do What the English Knew to Do

How to keep equilibrium?  It seems more and more the answer to life may just be related to those magical words Keep Calm and Carry On that the English coined in 1939 to help them get through grueling days of World War II. They are wise words.  And, for an artist, writer or creative person who gets overwhelmed by too many options or project deadlines, they are essential.  It sort of goes back to yesterday’s blog “Don’t Get by Stuck Cleaning the Sock Drawers.”   Pick something and stick with it.

The poster is iconic in crafting circles these days.

The single most helpful piece of advice when it comes to answering questions such as:  How do I get started?  How do I figure out what to do next?  How can I focus? is simply, Keep Calm and Carry On.  Pick one thing and stick with it until you aren’t so overwhelmed. 

It works with the Big Stuff in life too—when relationships are undergoing changes and growth, when you, yourself, are undergoing changes and growth, when your artwork is undergoing changes and growth.  Keep Calm and Carry On.

It does remind me a bit of the book by Iyanla Vanzant, In the Meantime, which was really more about finding yourself when you’re waiting for a relationship to show up, but really, there are times when what we are doing just isn’t working out.  We are lost to ourselves.  And perhaps it goes back to that metaphysical stance. 

© Iyanla Vanzant, In the Meantime 

We just can’t see the entire Blue Print.  We don’t know how things going whacko or projects falling apart fit together with our sense of who we are and what we are supposed to be doing.  It’s terribly uncomfortable—that sitting on the razor’s edge and waiting.  But, as with those other wise (and clichéd words) this too shall pass…and in the meantime….Keep Calm and Carry On.  It may not be the right time in the metaphysical chronology for your book to be published, your artwork to sell like gangbusters or to be approved for that enormously exciting and glamorous public art project. 

The important thing is to not lose faith in oneself, one’s vision or one’s art, and to continue to move forward.  Even if it is only a snails centimeter at a time.  All things under the sun have a purpose and a time.  That’s true whether you believe in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Atheism, or Science or some other belief system. If all you can see of the blueprint is the arrow that says turn left now, then, by all means, turn left now. 

You can only get to what has been revealed to you or that you’ve allowed yourself to see.  Keep Calm and Carry On. The rest will be revealed...eventually. 

It's Raining Art!

In keeping with a theme here where every afternoon we have been having rain showers, (keeping me from my afternoon swim!), I decided to follow up on a fairly new art installation which has shown up in Águeda, Portugal this week.  These photos were taken by photographer Patricia Almeida.  But there is no information specifically out about who actually installed this gorgeous umbrella art installation online (and since I'm no where near Portugal, I cannot just do a Mary Poppins and pop on over to find out more about it in person.) 


Photograph (c) Patricia Almeida, umbrella artwork (c) unknown

Águeda, Portugal (used for educational purposes)

Wow!  What a punch of color!! Isn't that astoundingly fun and beautiful?  And USEFUL.  I certainly could have used something like this to inspire me to continue trodding along St. George Avenue in St. Augustine two weekends ago.  What a fantastic way to combine art with function and to enliven an area.  Who wouldn't be inspired and enjoy this astounding visual cornucopia? 

Photograph (c) Patricia Almeida, umbrella artwork (c) unknown

Águeda, Portugal (used for educational purposes)

The brightly hued umbrellas were installed with wires above the street.  As an artist, the curiosity of who might have placed them there is tickling my mind.  Perhaps it is a form of guerrilla artwork?  Perhaps it is a (very smart!) ploy by the city of Agueda to garner some much needed interest and possible tourist attention? 

Perhaps it is an artist that was inspired by Dale Chihuly's large scale blown glass installations like this one here or others that have been seen in conservatories, gardens and museums around the world?


Artwork (c) Dale Chihuly, (c) photograph unknown.
Used for educational purposes only.

Perhaps the artist is Ingo Maurer,who created this lovely, lighted all white umbrella art installation?


Artwork (c) Ingo Maurer, (c) photograph unknown.
Used for educational purposes only.

Or perhaps it is the same artist, also unknown, who created this delightful red umbrella installation?


(c) Unknown artist and photographer.
Used for educational purposes only.

 Maybe the artist is the same one who placed these pastel lovelies in this location in Shanghai?


(c) unknown artist and photographer. Shanghai. Used for educational purposes only.

Perhaps Tasos Savva decided to take a vacation from Greece where this unusual transparent beach umbrella art installation was done and decided Portugal required some brightening up?


Artwork (c) Tasos Savva, (c) Photograph, unknown. 
Used for educational purposes only.

Maybe the Portugal umbrella art installation was the next brainchild of Sam Spenser, who strategically placed these delightful buttercup yellow umbrellas in this otherwise defoliated tree?


Artwork (c) Sam Spenser, (c) Photograph unknown.
Used for educational purposes only.

 Perhaps the artist will not become known.  In any case, many thanks should be given to ALL of these artists for taking something so mundane as umbrellas and utilizing them to create inspirational, intriguing and fanciful artworks that capture the imagination.  I know I love 'em.  Maybe I can find a way to do something umbrella-istic of my very own.  Hmmm.  See? Now my mind is wandering and churning out thoughts.  Time to jot down some notes on possibilities--this is one reason I love art so very much--it never ceases to cause my synapses to fire and new ideas to crop up.  Have an inspired day!
(c)SZing and Bohemian Art Cafe, 2012.

Rejuvenating Creativity

One of my favorite ways to rejuvenate my creativity is to head to a library or a bookstore, my preference being the bookstore, since normally, there is a coffee shop attached.  I arm myself with the following:

my laptop
my phone and cord to charge it on the laptop
some cash for coffee
an open mind

When I get to the bookstore, I usually first do one of the following:

A.  Select as many arts, crafts and interiors/architectural/gardening magazines as I can hold. 

OR

B.  Randomly walk through the magazine and books and select items that are as off the wall as I can find or as different from my "normal" selections as I can get.

I take my findings to a table at the coffee shop and usually put a pad of paper and pen or some other item on top of them so people know that someone is sitting there (and so that, in the event that the staff happen to walk through during the next few minutes they won't re-shelve my hard won items).

I order my drink--even on a hot day, I can't help myself.  I love hot chai lattes.  Sometimes I get a little something sweet like a cranberry scone or a piece of lemon bar.  Sometimes I just focus on that venti latte.

Then I spend the next few hours pouring over the magazines and books.  I look at everything--the advertisements, the articles, the pictures. 

Why the laptop and phone?  If I find something that I want to remember or that jogs some other idea in my head, I snap a quick phone picture of it.  If that item really gets my creative energy flowing, I open my Windows One Notes "Creative Juice" Workbook and I type in notes and ideas related to whatever got me intrigued. 

I find that I especially get a "Kick in the Seat of the Pants" (referring to Roger Von Oech's book and creativity cards Creative Whack Pack) when I do option B--finding random items that are far from my normal interests. 

It is astounding what sorts of things can then come up for me.  For example, I was in a sort of "stuck" mode at one point.  I picked up a science magazine (don't recall which at this time) and was inspired by photographs of space and various anomalies.  I then found a magazine (another science one, perhaps the same as with the photos of space for all I know) and it had microscopic photos at a cellular level of various items.  I was supremely intrigued by the fact that...the photos were not all that dissimilar.  This then led me to design a five piece series of enamels on glass that were designed to emulate both types of design.  I plan to do some additional pieces of this type in the future.

It never fails to leave me feeling rejuvenated.  I often regret that the time allotted for this pastime is over. But I always begin that or the next day fully charged and ready with plenty of ideas and plans for creative works.