A Stranger Created It

Members Only: A tiny excerpt from a conversation between Miranda van´t Wout and Eva de Visser

Eva de Visser, De Neef van Rembrandt

What eggs us on to create a piece of art work? Inspiration. Where does it come from? Often, it is not tangible and there is a force bigger than us that moves us to write, paint, sing. Other times, it is right there in front of us, a muse in the form of a young man, woman, an animal, sometimes it is a verb, an action, something that turns on our bodies, and we become vessels that allows the creative energy to flow through.

The moment in which the piece of art is done is important, it defines the expression. Often, when you look back at what you did with a bit of a distance, from a different moment in time, you can be surprised that it is you who gave the work its visual or verbal language. The artist bearing your name who made the creation feels like a stranger. It’s quite fascinating.

Who knows where inspiration comes from. Perhaps it arises from desperation. Perhaps it comes from the flukes of the universe, the kindness of the muses.

Amy Tan

What follows is an excerpt on inspiration and surprises that was edited from the interview.

(This is a bonus post for our paid subscribers. If you have been following us for a while, please consider upgrading to our paid subscription. All our work and opportunities are supported by you, dear readers.)