Thursday, April 24, 2014

We Are Inspired

Some students in my class as we
arrive at the gallery
Last week my English class took a full day field trip downtown to our province's official art galley. Besides the fantastic architecture, numerous story ideas that flooded my mind (I seriously recommend visiting an art gallery for story inspiration), and the incredible Italian lunch my friend and I ate in the City Centre, I found a comment that a friend made in my tour group most impactful.
The last exhibition was a historical gallery filled with drawings, paintings and photography of insects, plants and gardens. All of the art was inspired by nature and could be traced back to artists living between now and 400 years ago.
At the end of the gallery, our tour guide gathered us all together and had us sit down around him on either the benches or the floor. We discussed using nature as a subject and he got a few of us to talk about our favourite pieces but the bulk of the conversation was around the idea of inspiration.
Our guide asked something along the lines of, "What are your thoughts of using historical art as inspiration?"
The girl sitting next to me answered, explaining that lots of well known painters such as Monet have used other artists to influence how they paint. The tour guide agreed and the discussion continued as he got us to give examples of different things that influence artists.
One of my friends in the group stood at the edge of the semicircle holding his clipboard of notes to his ribcage. He raised his hand and when called on said, "But don't you think that if artists are constantly taking things from other artists, they aren't being truly creative?"
At first this stunned me. I realized I had once thought through this idea myself. But then it angered me. As a writer with a creative mind and as someone who takes ideas from the world just like Monet, I disagree.

The Starry Night by Van Gogh
There's a big difference between copying and using something as inspiration. 
Paul Cezanne, a famous painter, was inspired by Van Gogh but he never copied his ever-famous The Starry Night. What he did was adapt some of his technique.
Like a lot of writers, I use Pinterest as a source of visual inspiration. I save photos of potential characters, settings or things that I just find interesting and go back to them when I need something to kickstart my creative juices. But never ever do I look at a photo and try to re-create the scene in my story.
I follow a blog, Go Teen Writers, which is written by authors who share their techniques with young aspiring writers like me. It's a source of inspiration. I don't copy their examples or try to mimic the novels they already have published.
There are books that have inspired my own current novels but despite this, I try to be as original as I can. If anything reminds too much of something else that I've read or seen on TV, I take it out or twist it until it's my own.
It wouldn't be very satisfying to make money off of work that isn't really yours. I think that true artists realize this and respect the work of others.

It's not easy. I leave the theatre all the time wishing I could create a villain like the one in the film I watched. I close countless books wishing I had thought of the plot twist the author used first. With media becoming such a large part of our culture, unique ideas are quickly being claimed, recycled, and some even reach the point of cliche. People are constantly coming up with new ideas. Being creative is becoming increasingly difficult but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

Even the first artists were inspired. The first painters probably saw a person or a landscape and wanted to capture that moment forever so they did. The first musicians probably heard the wind or birds and sang a tune along. The first writers documented the stories that happened to real people, hoping to share them with the world. Art's legacy would be non-existent without a stimulus right from the start.

So to my friend who believes that nothing can ever be truly creative, let me say this: creativity is dead without inspiration. You can't simply pull an idea from your head without anything to trigger that thought. Different artists use different things to inspire them. One of these things can be the work of other artists. They can create something beautiful with just the thoughts of something someone else created. Without that painting, photograph, novel, song or whatever else it may be, the idea would have never came to be.

What inspires you? 

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Interview With Matt (The Dome)

Me: 
Hey guys! This week I'm going to be interviewing Matt using the great questions that you asked him. Thanks for all that you submitted!
I made a typo in last weeks post so depending on which phrase you read, I'm either on time or late on posting this. Sorry about that! 
So without further ado, lets get these questions rolling. *turns in my plush red chair to face Matt in his* Hey Matt. *smiles*

Matt: 
*nods a hello* 

Me: 
I have a lot of questions to ask you so lets get started.

Matt: 
Sure. Sounds good. 

Me: 
The first few questions are from Cassidy. *glances at tablet* She says, "Do you like paintball? It sounds random, I know, but that was the first thing I thought of when I saw your celebrity look alike in the first pic." 

Matt: 
*scrunches up his face slightly* Who's my celebrity look alike? 

Me: 
*brings up the photo on the tablet and shows it to him* 

Matt: 
*leans forward to look at it* Is he holding a gun? 

Me: 
Yes. That's why Cassidy's asking about paintball. 

Matt: 
Which is what? *leans back in the chair* 

Me: 
It's a game they play Up There. *pulls the tablet back onto my lap* I'll explain it to you after. 

Matt: 
*disbelieving* A game with a gun. Guns kill people. 

Me:
No these ones—I'll explain after. Next question from Cassidy says, "I assume you like cars—do you have a favourite model? Or a dream car? 

Matt: 
Probably an Tesla Model S. It has a 4.4 second acceleration, 416 horsepower, reduced torque and increased traction, extrusions, stampings, and castings are expertly joined for rigidity...it's a good car.

Me: 
*laughs a little* You know so much more about cars than I do. I understood like, half of that. 

Matt: 
*smirks* Well I kind of have to with my job and all. 

Me: 
Right. *looks at the tablet* Cassidy also wants to know if you have a favourite colour. 

Matt: 
*considers* I have a lot of grey hoodies and my Imprisonment colour is orange so I guess those ones. *shrugs* 

Me: 
*nods* Last one from Cassidy, "Aside from getting out, do you have any goals or ambitions?" 

Matt: 
I want to graduate high school with good marks. My parents would like that. 

Me:
Is that what you want or what your parents want? 

Matt
*frowns* I want to make them proud of me. Getting good marks will do that.

Me
Oh, okay, I see. Austin has some questions for you too. *scrolls down on the tablet* He says, "Hey Matt, Have you ever wondered whether a team you lead actually likes you as a leader?" 

Matt
For Imprisonment? Well no one complains and I've heard a few compliments so...*nods his head to the side* Have I wondered specifically about that? No, I haven't.

Me
Austin also asks, "Are you aware of your own arrogance?" 

Matt:
Am I aware—why would he think I'm arrogant? 

Me: 
Uh...

Matt:
What's in my bio? *cranes his neck to see the tablet* 

Me:
*turns it away* Answer the question and I'll let you read it after. 

Matt:
My mom warns me of it...so does my dad. So I guess you could say I'm aware. 

Me: 
Next one from Austin says, "What if you find out that Up There is a worse place than where you are living in right now?" He also asks what you'd do if it was all in vain.

Matt: 
If it's really that bad, I'll go home and it's not in vain.

Me: 
A few more from Austin: "Is there anyone in the Dome that you want to see eliminated?"

Matt: 
If by eliminated you mean kill, then no. *glances at the tablet* Austin asks a lot of questions.

Me: 
And you're answering all of them. *scrolls down* "How do you determine people you can trust? Can you do it without having to see or know their past actions?"

Matt:
It's better knowing who they are before you trust them. Other times it's just intuition.

Me: 
The last one from Austin says, "What's your love language?"

Matt: 
Love language?

Me: 
Yeah. It's an Up There thing. Like, what makes you feel most loved.

Matt: 
Oh that thing. I'm quality time and acts of service according to a test we took at school.


Me: 
Victoria wants to know if you wish you had any siblings as an only child. *looks up from tablet* 

Matt: 
Sometimes. *purses his lips* It's probably easier to keep secrets without a sibling though. 

Me: 
Interesting. Another question from Victoria, "What do you want to do when you get older? Do you want to still be a mechanic when you're an adult?" 

Matt: 
I'm hoping to have gotten out by then but if it came down to it, I'd probably take over the shop.

Me: 
Kristana says, "Do you have a lot of friends? Do you have any 'special' girl friends?"

Matt: 
Girl friends? I don't have time for a girlfriend right now. As far as other friends go, I hang out with Ryan and a few others but I wouldn't say I have a lot.

Me: 
Her next questions asks, "What intrigues you most about Up There?"

Matt: 
*clasps his hands together and rests his elbows on his knees* I guess I just want to experience life in a place not closed in by a wall.

Me: 
*nods* "What gets on your nerves the most?"

Matt: 
People that don't trust me or don't cooperate.

Me:
The last questions is from Kristana as well. "Who do you share your secrets with?"

Matt: 
No one. If I shared my secrets they wouldn't be secrets anymore.

Me: 
Good point. *sets the tablet down on my lap* Well that's all the questions I've got for you. Thanks for coming.

Matt: 
*sits up and leans back* No problem.

Me: 
Thanks again to all you asked question! Feel free to ask any more in the comments below and thanks for reading.