Another Side of Inspiration

This is a different kind of post today. I picked up the newest copies of two of my favorite magazines, Art Doll Quarterly and Artful Blogging. They are both published by Stampington & Company, who bring us the most inspirational grouping of magazines I've ever seen. Check out their Somerset Studio, Somerset Memories, and Somerset Home magazines just to name a few.

What I found particularly interesting in this issue of Art Doll Quarterly is an article about the doll artist Beth Robinson. You can check out her dolls at http://www.strangedolls.net . She makes dolls that are more along the darker side. I would call them Gothic. I really like them; some people won't get it. She talks about her inspiration and also about some reaction to her dolls. I found it sad that she had to endure an onslaught of hate e-mail just because one narrow-minded person didn't like her art! This person evidently made it their mission to enlist others to bombard her with hateful messages.

Well, art isn't always going to be pretty. It isn't always a positive message. That just reflects life. Everyday isn't beautiful and fun and rosy. It takes great courage to create something that doesn't reflect a happy ending. I find that particularly true in writers. Right or wrong, writers often get the reputation for being heavy drinkers, depressed, etc. While this is true for alot of writers, it doesn't hold true for all of them.

I have said before that what often inspires me is poetry. I have many favorite poets. Among them is Anne Sexton. She was a very troubled soul who eventually committed suicide. But her poems really speak to me. They are not for everyone; nobody's art is. But, I'm glad she wrote them. I have the first stanza from the poem posted on my bulletin board in my studio. I really identify with this poem, I love this stanza. I'm including this page in my zine, as the last page; kind of the last word. You can click on the image to get a better view of the poem.

So while I love beautiful things, happy things and positive messages, I still find inspiration in the darker side of art. I like to keep an open mind and try to see where the artist is coming from. What is their message? It's something to think about.