The very first time my name was mentioned in a newspaper was 1988. I was 15 and had won first place in a local painting competition. Seeing my name — and photo! — in the local paper was thrilling, and also a little embarrassing. But mostly thrilling.
The next time my name appeared was as a byline attached to an article in a national Sunday newspaper. I was 26-year-old mature student in the final year of a journalism degree, working as an intern for no money but a lot of experience. That first piece spun out into a regular weekly column and heralded the beginning of my short-lived but much appreciated career as a journalist.
Between then and now there have been many published articles in newspapers, magazines and websites. The loveliest thing is seeing my name in print never gets old — it’s always as thrilling as it was that first time. Obviously these days I mostly write here and I truly love the freedom to share whatever’s in my head or heart — I am the ruler of my own virtual queendom here and I like it! But there’s also a beautiful new magazine on the block and I’m thrilled — there’s that word again — to be a part of it.
Bella Grace is Stampington’s newest baby, a gorgeously tactile cross between a magazine and a journal. Imagine your favourites bits of the creative blogosphere mixed together with dreamy photography and inspiring words. As the internet takes over the world I’m glad there are still publishers creating magazines I can hold in my hand. I love my Kindle but I prefer paper books, and I adore Pinterest but I’d still rather collage images cut out of magazines. Bella Grace is now sitting in my pile of favourites, alongside Cereal, Kinfolk, Frankie and Flow. She’s a beauty :)
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To celebrate the magazine’s launch I have a copy of the premiere issue to giveaway PLUS I’m adding THREE places in the September session of Journal Your Life which starts on Monday. So that’s 4 winners in total!
To throw your name in the hat, leave a comment on this post with the answer to this question: what’s your favourite way to get creatively inspired?
I’ll update this post with the winners’ names on Sunday and will be in touch by email to get your deets — good luck! xo
* And the winners are! Heather, Michelle, Francine and Danielle — emails coming shortly x
My favorite way to get creatively inspired is to commune in nature near a water source. Lake, river, ocean, creek, or pond… it doesn’t matter. Water can be hypnotizing with it’s movement. It’s so fluid, literally (teehee)… little can stand in it’s way and it always tried to find a way to move. Watching the water flow inspires little ole Me.
I love looking through creative websites like Society6 and Flickr (I often do your safaris and photo hop around lol). I also love Ted talks on Youtube and Pinterest for some crafty inspiration.
If all that fails then I head outside for a walk or do some yoga – moving always helps I think.
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is by connecting with others to share ideas and enthusiasm and provide support and celebration.
water, a lake , stream, river, ocean, any body of water. it takes me away from my reality to a more enchanted space.
Usually I need to be calm in mind and body. This means I need to stay clear of having too much fun with alcohol as this sucks the creative energy out of my soul. BUT, I just went through a couple challenging weeks and I noticed that I had to create something in order to keep my mind and hands busy. SO! I guess it grounds me as well. People like YOU Susannah inspire me. I also get very inspired when I’m around my creative thinking friends. Therefore, a dose of some coffee and conversation with this said person usually lights a fire under my rear end. x
While I love flicking through Pinterest, magazines and books, I’m quickly overwhelmed by what I could do or make.
Walks with my dog, though, cooking, yoga, and such a mundane routine task as doing the dishes (which I don’t particularly like, to be honest) are things that can create that spark I can’t resist.
I like to go to a quiet, beautiful spot, by the ocean if I can.
One of my favorite ways to get inspired is via Pinterest… I almost always come away from a bit of time spent there feeling filled up and full of creative juice. Though I’ll also freely admit that this Bella Grace magazine is a way that I can see filling up too. It is scrumptious! Beyond the digital (and magazines) I get filled up just in general by being out in nature & just being quiet. Just BE-ing. I think what’s happening there is that getting grounded and steady again allows the space for creative filling up… <3
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is lose myself on Pinterest or Instagram and see where images lead me… I also really like to listen to people who I think are creative and I admire
(I’m SO addicted to magazines… those poor trees).
Physically visiting a new place will fill me with wonder.
It doesn’t have to be (and usually isn’t) particularly exotic or far away – just physically *being* in a place where I’m not usually present helps get the creative fairy-dust to all the right places :)
I think my favourite way to get creatively inspired is to visit exhibitions & art galleries. Of course I love looking at beautiful magazines but can’t always afford all the ones I would like to buy so I’m thankful for the wealth of images online too.
My favorite way to get inspired is to find some quiet time and think about what makes me happy and what I find beautiful. If I am stressed or have a long to-do list in front of me, the anxiety doesn’t allow me to relax enough to trust my intuition and inner muse.
Creativity seems to soar when I make a stop in nature. By a lake, a walk in the woods, catching fireflies with my kids. Lately I love turning my 4 year old loose with my cellphone camera… I always find little gems!
My favorite way to get inspired is watching documentaries and music videos. Right now Amanda Palmer is my current muse :)
Creativity doesn’t really come naturally (or so the story goes), though I’m drawn to it more and more. So it has tended to be ignited and spurred by others :: their images, words, prompts, guidance. That said, nothing moves me more than the simple act of looking up. The sky is endless inspiration.
I grew up thinking I wasn’t a creative person because I wasn’t good at drawing, painting or any of those “arty” things. It was only in my 40’s and 50’s that I have begun to get in touch with my creative side. The more I do it, the more it’s there. I love going for walks, paging through magazines or just getting quiet to get inspired.
Reading blogs & poetry, and, of course, colorful Muji pens, washi tape, and my Moleskine journal!
My creativity flourishes when I take the time to be still, and dive deep. I find inspiration from blogs, instagram, magazines…. I love the start of a new project- the ideas that emerge and the flow that happens.
I love to get inspired by making Pinterest boards. The feeling of having unlimited visual brain fodder at my fingertips is addictive.
good music and a blank white canvas – that is just begging for bold color & design, always inspires me to create!
So many things, so many places. First of all I read a lot of books, paper books. I love magazines, my favourite is Flow (I read the Dutch version), but I like to read some other magazines too. Blogs and the whole web are also really inspiring for me. Seeing what other people do and makes me want to do more myself. But, you know, the world and every day life are very inspiring too.
my favorite way – and the most productive way – to get creatively inspired is to sit quietly with my journal and write write write. once i start i am so so thankful for this medium…. xo
My favorite way to get inspired is to travel; every new place I take in gives me more raw material to work with. Obviously not as convenient as at-home sources of inspiration, though.
My favorite way to get inspired is to journey outside and make photos. It gets me away from the computer (and inertia), back into my body, and is a form of focused meditation.
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is probably by traveling to new places. I love to explore new cities especially, although I also love natural places. New landscapes and locales, and especially new people, get me thinking in new ways. Another way I get inspired is by reading about/listening to the music of/looking at the art of, etc other creative people. I find that very inspiring!
I feel most inspired after being in nature. After spending time at the sea or in the woods, I’m more relaxed, there’s less on my mind, and creativity has an open channel to just flow!
Wow that magazine looks amazing, I’d love to check it out. I love Flow too :) My favourite way to get creatively inspired is to head out of my flat into the city of Berlin and pedal around, taking notice of the small details – sometimes stopping to take photos of things that really catch my eye – and letting my mind wander as my body moves and the scenery changes. Then I like to open my notebook, and allow all my thoughts to flow from my mind, through my pen and onto the page.
In fact – I think I have some creative ideas brewing about this topic! To the notebook I go!
Katie. X
Pinterest, actually. I always find something there that fires me up.
I find I am more creative when it’s late at night, it’s dark still and calm. Even when I went to art university I was up most of the night painting and creating. I am still like this at 32 especially after my son goes to bed. I also get a lot of my inspiration from dreams. I have a book next to my bed to write as much as possible down. Good luck to everyone who’s entered and entering this is an amazing prize xxx
Wonderful prize. Thanks Susannah and Bella grace.
I love etsy and witandwhistle.com/blog as well as Susannah’s own blog. And of course walking and bring near water.
I get inspired by nature, by looking in other people’s journals, art museums, poetry and music.
Running, walking around an inspiring city, day dreaming and reading inspirational books and websites. Thanks Susannah !
re-organizing my work space, somehow when I see what I’ve collected and what’s hanging on the walls, I begin to wonder why I have these things and what can I create that might invoke the same sort of easy, happy feelings. I like to surround my work space with happy things. but mostly, I read books, watch tv, browse the net & be lazy and wait for something to stir my brain.
hope you have a great day.
To read inspiring quotes or view aesthetically pleasing photos
I am inspired by the wonderful people around me, the creative people I follow on Instagram, the blogs I follow, junk shopping and my animals. I am in love with paper and glue, magazines and scissors. I love to sit down and find a quiet place and just be.
I’m inspired by prowling through independent and used book stores, even charity shops. Novels, memoirs, old art books – I love the randomness of the collections. I’m inspired as much by the design as I am by the words.
A walk on the beach, whatever the weather is where I find creative inspiration. It is my spiritual home that uplifts me.
A stroll along a beach or through woodland, followed by time in a cafe with a cup of tea and my journal.
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is to go to the cinema alone in the afternoon, then sit in a cafe with my notebook. I almost never write abot the film I have just seen.
gin.
My favourite way to get creative is to putter in the kitchen and let my imagination run wild. Alternatively, it’s to take a long walk with no ipod,iphone and let my thoughts wander!
Keyboard is getting old. That should have said ‘about’.
One of my favourite ways to re-inspire me creatively, is actually really simple – taking my dog for a long walk … it is like it clears the head to make way for new ideas!
Favorite way to get inspired is late at night listening to Enigma. At other times of the day, pass the coffee. :)
I get really creative after a trip to the library where I spend time looking at crafty books (both for adults and children!). But I mostly get my inspiration and bursts of creativity when I sit with my daughter (almost 5) surrounded by magazines, papers, crafty pens and we start drawing and/or writing.
What a LOVELY gift.
Walking and journaling do it for me.
Often I am often the weirdo in the corner laughing at the oddness in the room, most of the time no one else noticed. Ideas spark amoungst people, but when I slow down Walk in nature it comes together. People and how we meet in short glimpses of time. It settles in nature.
The way for me to get creatively inspired is through dance!
I also can get that inspiration just from walking around and look at people!
Xx
Recently, my creative inspiration has been coming from new to me music discoveries that leave me wanting to create more.
Being in nature inspires me the most. Be it by the sea or a lake a waterfall or just hiking thru the forest. Mother Nature is the greatest creator. I do have to add perusing thru Instagram is very inspiring too.
Getting out into nature is what does the trick for me. Relaxing, inspiring, beautiful.
My favorite way to get creatively inspired – listening to music, thinking, maybe getting out into nature and taking it all in with some deep breaths :)
Walking in the woods or by water always helps me feel creatively inspired and if that fails I just start writing or drawing…eventually something shifts and the imagination begins to flow xox
The ocean is my soul, it has me reconnect to the deepest part of me. Creativity soars and all is new and refreshed. If I can’t make it to the sea, then being out in nature enriches me!
I am inspired by new cities, and have been fortunate to do lots of travelling. I find creative inspiration in the photos of places I have visited.
My most favorite way to get creatively inspired:
1 make myself a cup of tea
2 lighten some incense and a candle
3 sit down by my clean desk
4 silence …
5 just random pick up things in my room/desk and think about their possibilities (a piece of paper, a quote, a book, a stamp, …)
6 get my creative on :)
Meditation pure and simple. Quieting the mind leaves space for the most awesome creations :)
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is to plan a day trip, London, Brighton, anywhere, take in a museum or gallery treat myself to tea and cake and always take my camera and sketchbook
My favorite way to get inspired is to go for a wander – always somewhere different. Through my neighborhood in spring when things are blooming, or around the library, or through the art supply store. I never know what I’m going to find that will light me up!
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is to take a break from all current tasks and enjoy a cup of tea or hot chocolate in my backyard (sometimes with The Simple Things mag or a good book). Then – after resting my hard working brain – I sit down with my laptop, open Bloglovin and read some inspiring blog posts!
Thank you for the giveaway! <3
Very simply, Pinterest and browsing others’ blogs gets my creative juices flowing. If I can do this outside in nature then even better : )
I need beauty … a book, a movie, someone’s blog for creative inspiration. Peace of mind is grand but rare. Red wine sometimes too :-) Just a little. Sometimes it’s simply about starting though and I can do from cold, if I must.
Many ways: magazines, painters, nature specially, books and blogs, and just waking around with my camera.
Children’s books! In bookstores & libraries I like to visit the children’s book section & get inspired by all the fantastic illustration, in every style & medium imaginable. There are more paintings to study & admire than in art museums!
My creativity is inspired by listening. To others, to my heart voice, to nature and to music…and most importantly, children.
My go to for creative inspiration is a walk around the neighborhood, especially in the evening. They play of light and shadows never fails to bring inspiration! Thank you for the chance to win such lovely gifts!
I find that going for a long walk always leads to new ideas. While I love looking at magazines, creative blogs and sites like Pinterest, for me the inspiration really comes once I disconnect and my focus is elsewhere.
I get inspired by looking through photography magazines, pinterest or browsing aisles of my favorite thrift stores.
Seeing and touching different mediums gets my creative mind in gear & the ideas flowing.
Scapebook and stationary stores creatively inspire me! Love exploring!
My favorite way to get creatively inspired is always to go outside and into nature. If I can just be still and feel the breeze on my face, I always get inspired!
the creative muse is a mysterious creature and she often finds me in moments when i am unable to stop and make something of her whispers. i find that i hear her best when i quiet my mind. some days that could be while out on a run, or while driving to work, the shower, or even those last few moments before wake gives into dream.
My favorite way to get inspired is to go outside and lie down – on grass or earth or sand. Doesn’t really matter so long as I can feel literally grounded. Sometimes I lay on my back and lose myself in the vastness of the sky, other times I investigate the more intimate landscape underneath. It’s about reconnecting.
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is to just sit in silence and allow my over thinking mind to go quiet. I do not feel naturally creative but when I sit in this way creativity seems to come through me from somewhere else rather than from within me.
I like to look around in Pinterest for inspiration and blogs.
There is something magical about seeing your name in print, you’re right, it never gets old and what a beautiful magazine to be featured in. Congratulations. I’m sure it sounds cliché but nature is a big inspiration for me, I just love living in the country and taking in everything around me. I also love visiting new places, cities, museums, galleries etc. I remember going to one art museum where I wasn’t really feeling the artwork but I still came away inspired by some woodwork detailing in the building itself. Thanks for hosting a great giveaway.
my favourite way to get creatively inspired is to simply look around my bedroom. I’ve turned it into a shrine for things I find inspiring; from my lamp (a birdhouse) to the things washi-taped to my walls. Postcards, prints, quotations, wrapping paper, things I’ve made, things other people have made, the plants on my windowsill, the box of feathers, sea glass and dried flowers I keep on my desk, the books on my bedside table (this I know included-it lives there). I’ve found that surrounding myself with things I love that speak to me and reflect me as a person is what inspires me to create my best artwork.
I get inspired by nature. Oh she is a beauty.
Hi! It’s actually always different how I get inspired. By people I meet, by walking in the Woods. But this afternoon everything worked towards inspiration and that works best. After i went for a walk with my dog in nature, I had a meeting with someone about yogaclasses for kids. This meeting was very inspiring. When I left that meeting i went to an interview with KID Koala, which inspired me very much because he talked about the creative process of everything he does, and that’s a lot. I left with so many ideas, that started brewing when I walked my dog and went on in my creative mind all afternoon, till I got home and wrote it all down. Just perfect :)
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is to go for a walk in the woods. After a little time, I get back to the present moment and quiet my mind, and in that moment of stillness I get insights and inspiration.
Have a lovely weekend xx
My favourite way is either to spend some time on a random stroll thorough blogs, preferably a few new ones, or with a really long walk all by myself. No conversations, no music. Just me with my eyes open.
Wow! What a fabulous giveaway – I have been wondering about signing up for that e-course and the magazine looks wonderful. Someone is going to be a lucky winner fingers crossed it’s me!
My favorite way to get creatively inspired is just to slow down and savor each moment because everyday life inspires me. If life is too busy then I start to feel the drain of energy and creativity and know I need to slow down. Great giveaway! Heard great things about that magazine.
The best ideas come when all the distractions are cleared away and it’s just me and a blank piece of paper.
Hi I listening to enigma and light some incenseand Close my eyes to get inspired open.my.mind and let it wonder. Fab giveaway would love to win. Xxxx
My creativity surfaces when I shop in a fabric store. All the colors, prints and patterns are amazing.
Hemmingway said that there’s no writing, you just sit down and bleed. (I’m paraphrasing!) That’s the best way for me to be creatively inspired and alive. I sit down and let the words come, however they choose..
My favorite way to get inspired is to sit at my patio table with a bold cup of coffee, the granite rock fountain trickling next to me. Or to sit at my kitchen table looking out onto the patio. Both areas are adjacent to the nature space near my home.
I love walking in the garden, taking photos of flowers and then the sky and using these to spark a sketch or even a canvas. I’m also inspired by other artists and by the many challenges online.
I am so inspired by nature and music. And, I might have a slight addiction to beautiful magazines.
My favourite way to get inspired is to admire others people’s work…whether that be in a magazine, on a blog, in a photo group, or on Pinterest.
My favorite way to get inspired is art by the ocean with my fellow art journal BFF
I get inspired by just starting to draw, handle fabric, taking photos…. And then the ideas begin to flow….
My favourite inspirational source is actually several, can’t have just one! It’s mostly a combination of taking mini-trips to friends, reading a magazine or blog and visiting my kids room :) they are always creative in there :) Thank you for a lovely giveaway! /Sara
My biggest inspiration is nature. Sometimes I wish I had a tape recorder with me to record all the thoughts I have when I’m walking or otherwise out in nature.
(And I agree with you about books/magazines–so much better when you hold them in your hands!)
My favourite way is to sit down with a pen and book and start writing. Then grab one Thing I have written and try to create something from it, to develop it into something visual. Often from collage or paints.
Favorite way: peruse the work of creative people who I admire or inspire me in some way.
i love to look at inspiring pictures, from magazines as well as from blogs i love to read…
the magazine looks interesting, pity i wil never find it here in switzerland…. so maybe i am lucky to win!!
My favourite way to get creatively inspired is to go outside & feel the magic around me. The fresh air, the raindrops, the warmth of the sun, the birds singing. I am always inspired after I feel connected to earth. Xo
One of my favorite ways to get creatively inspired is to be out in nature wandering, then I find one of my cameras and it goes from there, let the fun begin. The “bella Grace” book/mag, is absolutely delightful. Can’t wait for the next one. Thank you for the opportunity to win a place in your class. Your classes always enrich my life.
I find I am most inspired creatively by doing the least creative things — vacuuming, scrubbing the tub, driving or even showering. While hands are occupied with the task at hand my mind is able to wander and my best ideas pop into my head.