For the second time that week in Paris, 1886, the young man from the Netherlands entered Maison de l’Art Nouveau and walked directly to the prints on the wall on the right side of the shop.
Something about the intensity of the colors that Japanese artist Hiroshige depicted in his woodblock prints both comforted and intrigued him.
Only after staring at the print a few minutes more, as if trying to collect every line within his memory, did Vincent van Gogh sigh audibly and drop his gaze.
He vowed to return as often as possible to the shop that would give its name to a worldwide movement called Art Nouveau.
To gaze again and collect more memories of great Japanese art.
And two years later, van Gogh mined his collection in southern France and painted Red Vineyard of Arles.
The Spanish painter Pablo Picasso collected African masks and sculptures that inspired him to develop Cubism (along with some other artists).
Out of this came Fille à la mandoline (Girl with Mandolin) and the most famous Cubist painting of all, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (The Ladies from Avignon.)
Over in Italy, director Federico Fellini collected circus memorabilia.
Small wonder the story of the Oscar-winning La Strada, one of his greatest films, revolves around members of a traveling circus.
And decades later, the films🎞️ of Fellini and other Italian filmmakers inspired me, as an American teen, to begin collecting their movie screenplays and learning Italian. But more about that later.
Right now, what are you collecting?
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
—Proverbs 27:17 ESV
What books📚 are you reading? Are they compelling you to refine your ideas or your writing style?
What galleries🎨 are you visiting, and what movies🎥 are you watching?
Are they introducing you to high-quality creations that make you want to create excellence✨, too?
And what about the music🎶 you’ve been listening🎧 to? Has it inspired you to play, sing, or compose your music differently?
It matters who you spend time with, what you listen to, and what you read and watch.
So commit to keeping company with others who can challenge and support you. Infuse your world with remarkable art.
Both will stir up your creativity in ways you never expected.
QUOTES FOR CREATIVES BY CREATIVES
💡 HOW TO COLLECT WITH CREATIVE INTENT
Let these words of experience encourage you to develop your voice while learning from others.
“You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.”
—American Writer & Visual Artist Austin Kleon
“A good composer does not imitate; he steals.”
— Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky
“The best way to become an artist is to study the work of others—not to copy, but to understand and then create something uniquely yours.”
—Italian Artist, Engineer, and Scientist Leonardo da Vinci (paraphrased)
MOVIE NIGHT AROUND THE WORLD
🎥 A FILM TO CELEBRATE & EXPLORE WALES
Fancy a Welsh movie night? Experience that part of the U.K. so lush and lovely that it attracts over nine million visitors yearly.
WATCH:
- The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain: If you go for quirky characters, surprising plot twists, and scenery that’s sweet on the eyes, this movie is for you. Inspired by a popular Welsh legend, it was filmed in a village called Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. (Try saying THAT three times fast!)
- PERSONAL TAKE: If you’re anything like me, you’ll chuckle throughout, laugh out loud more than a few times, and fall in love with the story and its characters. Plus, if you can’t travel to Wales🏴 any time soon, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain is the next best thing to being there. The cinematography is beautiful✨! Just past the halfway mark, this movie had me pining for the Welsh countryside something fierce. (I lived there for two years while on active duty in the Navy⚓️.)
As I mentioned earlier, Italian cinema, language, and other lovely things Italian have delighted me for most of my life. And I know I’m not the only fan of Italian culture.
To that end, I’ve been working on a unique immersive adventure to help you experience Italian culture at home, right where you are.
So stay tuned, eh?
And stay curious😉!
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