What Inspires Me

    For me, the things that inspires me to create, draw is listening to music and listening to my heart. When I listen to music, I close my eyes and draw an illustration in my mind before drawing it on paper. The kind of songs I listen to goes on a different range than what most of my friends listen to. I like songs that within their lyrics tells a story about love, hope, courage and never giving up. Because I always feel that I have no confidence in myself, I listen to music that fills my heart with courage, and belief in myself. Also music is an art form using words, I like to try and illustrate those words when their is a song that connects to me.

    Another thing that inspires me to draw (the kind of things I draw) is love. I love everything that is love, from the look in others eyes looking deep into yours, holding them close in an embrace of protection and never letting go, to the indescribable  feeling of lips softly touching. I'm happy to see people together, they have found that someone that competes them and brings joy to their faces, I hope to someday find someone like that for me. But for now, I enjoy drawing couples and how love is express. I guess you can say I'm like that character from the movie Moulin Rouge, Christian (played by Ewan McGregor) say's that "all I believe is love" and so do I.

    Fantasy has also captured my attention and drive to create creatures and other worlds. Artist like Amy Brown, Brian Froud and films like Narnia, Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland always gets my attention. I'm amazed at what these artist and filmmakers were able to create. I like themes where someone has to go to a strange world and within that world find something/ discover something about them that they didn't see before. Also seeing creatures both strange and beautiful that you don't see everyday and learning more about them and understanding them. The same thing apply's with studying other artist work. From looking at the way they used the brush to get beautiful colors and the design of a fantasy creature. Gets me inspired to do the same thing, but in my own version (not copying their drawing).

    If you asked anyone of my friends, they would tell you that what fills my head and gets my hands busy drawing is The Phantom of the Opera, and the theme it has. From watching the movie, to seeing the play (more than once) and always listening to the songs on Ipod, I have grown attach to The Phantom and the whole story of The Phantom of the Opera. The themes that are seen in both film and play is that is a mysterious (dark) figure that is feared by everyone, but he finds love with a beautiful girl. The man is no longer a monster, just a lonely soul longing to find love, to have someone finally love him after years of being completely alone. True that The Phantom does do terrible things to people that get in his way, but what draws me to him more and more, is the look in his eyes. His eyes that say lonely he has been, how sad to eyes must have shed tears. But also eyes of power, passion and determination. When he sings, I feel like Christine, I am in a trance listening to his powerful, southing voice. Also his mask is so much of what makes him, that half white mask that covers his left face is part of him. The Phantom part of him, it hides his distortion that makes people run and fear. All except Christine and me.These are basically the characteristics of what makes a mysterious figure and what makes a girl fall for him, despite the things he has done or will do.

     This also brings to another part of The Phantom of the Opera is the masquerade scene. I love the different designs of mask. Also this part in the song "Masquerade, people's faces on parade. Masquerade, hide your face so the world will never find you." That part of the song explains what a mask can do, they can be use for a fun costume party and can fool your friends. But mask are also used in a way to hide from everyone else, and we wear a mask to let people see what they want to see (and to keep what ever secret you have hidden). In some of my sketches, I always tend to draw people in mask and are at a masquerade party. I think it was after watching that scene in the movie that I become fascinated with drawing people in mask and drawing a mysterious mask figure with a girl.

I think this sums it up of what inspires me and what my art is made up of. I'm sure there could be more things I could say that inspires me in my work. But after thinking about this, these are the things that inspire me to draw and I wouldn't change anything.