Miscellaneous Crafts

This was a shirt I ended up making because I wanted a shirt that said "Pants"

Earrings for my mother

Just randoms earrings I made as practice

Some bracelets I made as practice

A necklace I made to play with patterns 

A pumpkin I carved this Halloween because I loved the design for a project I had in class but was unable to use so it went on my pumpkin

I work at a day care... These things are real popular with the kids, all my coworkers kept demanding I make them some because they liked my sense of colors and patterns

I was really bored at work, and I had all these pieces separately on sale

I was friends with the shop teacher at my high school and he let my play with the CNC router XD

Research Papers and Inspirations

             So I was reading about Alex Pardee, the designer I chose for my final paper, and I stumbled across a really interesting and personal post about him.  Where most people list something simple under any "About Me" section on their own webpage, Alex chose to do something remarkable and dissect everything that inspires him, and ranting on about how he hates the question "What inspires you?" because it seems so vague and he never knows what kind of detail to put into his answers and how he coincidentally ends up sounding very uninspired.  And that got me thinking, what inspires me? I realize this is sort of what the visual journal is supposed to be, but it's always been easier for me to use words instead of my hands to express myself so here it goes.  
           I am inspired by people, while I will never for the life of me understand them, I love to hear other peoples' stories.  There's just something to hearing about another life, another time, another place, it's never mattered if they were good story tellers or not, if they told me a story it would play out in my head.  I'm inspired by my own curiosity.  I admit it, I ask questions I shouldn't because I WANT to know the answers. I don't just want to see the pretty side of people, there's something about the darker, hidden side of humanity that intrigues me.  The darkness in people inspires me.  The balance and choices they make, make me want to explore the balance in other things.  
           I am inspired by being bored, when I have nothing to do, I hop online to learn something new.  People who can create and craft inspire me.  I see someone sitting there wrapping wires for jewelry and think 'that looks easy, I bet I can manage that too.'  I am inspired by my own cheapness, during the holidays I always look for new creative gifts to make to save money.  Not because I don't love my friends and family, but because I'm a college student working part time, I'm not made of money! 
          I am inspired by the books I read and the movies I see.  Yeah, I'll admit it, I've written fanfiction, because the works have left such an impression on me, I need to do something to get it out of my head, and paper seems like the second best home for it.  
          I am inspired by fashion trends and clothing.  It blows my mind to think that people will pay such exorbitant prices for things they don't need, but it's also fun to just watch the trends.  Who knew Uggs would take off so fast?  Or that vintage would ever be in style? (I'm so waiting for leg warmers to make a come back! I love them).  
          I am inspired by what I cannot understand.  I don't know why the color red is red, but it's pretty nonetheless.  I don't understand what destiny is, but I love to write about it anyway.  I will never know half the people I write about, but they'll show up in my stories somewhere, somehow.  I am inspired by super heroes and villains.  And the simplicity of good versus evil.  By the Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney's fairy tales.  By fire and how it dances.  By different dances and expression.
         I am inspired by history.  How so many people have made a difference, sometimes without even meaning to, and how there's an infinite possibility I could too.  I am inspired by possibilities, you CAN do whatever you want as long as you're happy, you have success. 
         It may seem cliche but I think we all inspire ourselves, we know what we like and yet we are always adding to that list, taking new risks in trying new things because we're never satisfied with the safe life.  We want to push boundaries and test limits, simply because they are there and we were not born with a map to see exactly where they exist.  We will test what is true, what does exist and what doesn't-- because we can create anything.  
         I am inspired by imagination-- now tell me, what inspires you?