Inspiration Cannot be Rushed

I’ve just returned from my annual Bandon trip where I take 10 days and think only about one thing: my art.  Every year I worry if I’ll see something that inspires me and I get myself all worked up over it:  Will I find something?  What if I don’t?  I’ve only 5 days left, now the pressure really is on!

It’s kind of like those nights when you just cannot get to sleep and you keep watching the clock, and with every hour the pressure increases because you have one less hour.  It’s counter productive, we know, but we do it anyway.

So after days of walking and looking, something caught my eye.  I was at a spot on the coast where the wind surfers congregate because of the fierce winds.  Another affect of the winds are these magnificently crafted dunes that are compressed into a very small space between the surf and the cliffs.  In that tight space wonderful shapes and shades of light are formed, different from what I normally see at traditional sand dunes.

It was there that inspiration struck; suddenly, unexpectedly and spontaneously.  I saw something in those dune details that inspired me and I worked like crazy, everywhere I looked I saw something magnificent.  I came back by a day later and I saw anew all over again.  I ended up creating about 25 images for a new portfolio (title at present, unknown).  The above image is one of my favorites from this new series.

Despite the pressure we put on ourselves, inspiration cannot be rushed.  It just happens and when it does, you’ll know it by your excitement and how easy the images come together.

Cole

P.S.  My next newsletter will be out in about two weeks and I’ll have this new series along with some other images from my Bandon trip.