I think I am going to have to choose nature. Both nature and culture have a great amount of potential in them but i think nature is more inspiring because it is more of a constant around the world and doesn't need to exist in a certain context. Culture is very interesting but also very confusing when examining a culture that is not one that you have grown up in. I feel that one must experience a culture to its fullest in order to make legitimate work that is inspired by it. I feel that it wold be very easy to get something wrong if you are an outsider looking in on a foreign culture where as nature is something that everyone around the world has had experience with. Nature can be used in many different contexts in order to create interesting thoughts, relationships, and statements that can be recognized and understood by most people. On the other hand, a persons perception of artwork based around nature is greatly dependent on their cultural background.
Production or Consumption?
I guess I'm thinking of production and consumption in a social context. Production of goods for sale and consumption by people. I would have to say that production inspires me more. Consumption always seems to have a negative statement attached to it. Any type of statement about our societies consumption is always about over-consumption and demand for useless things. Its a powerful message but I have never had the desire to spread awareness or use it to express myself. Production has always interested me because of the process in which things are made and the systems that are created in order to reach its final goal. The production end of the market shows innovation and intricate parts of a system working together in order to make our society function efficiently. It may not function in the most efficient and responsible way but it is definitely working....
Myself or others?
I have always enjoyed making work for others more than for myself. I am way more inspired when making something that I know others will appreciate and value. I usually find myself struggling to find work that I am making for myself. But maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. Many artists have inspired me and my work in the past. To inspire myself would be to to think in an avant-garde way. To create something completely original where no other person could have inspired you as much as you have inspired yourself. From this point of view I see more potential in the ability to inspire oneself, but it is much harder to reach that level without inspiration from others. Ideally inspiration should be coming from both myself and others.
Presence or absence of contentment?
I don't think contentment can be inspiring. Being content is being happy with what you are doing and that would be a sign that whatever work you are doing is going well for you as an artist. It doesn't necessarily mean that you are inspired to be more creative. I don't think creative ideas can be derived from the feeling of being happy with a project. Being less content may force me to look in new directions for ideas but I wont search my malcontent for inspiration. so i suppose being unhappy with my work eventually will lead to better ideas that will ultimately help me become content with my work. Therefore I choose the absence of contentment to be more inspiring.
Facts or Feelings?
Facts can be interesting but feelings are deep. There is argument, emotion, and a sense of personality attached to ones feeling where as facts are cold and hard. I think feelings can inspire much more interesting concepts behind ones work. It takes work in a direction that allows for discussion in whatever context it exists where as facts present a statement and stick with it. Using our feelings for insperation can also lead to self evaluation. We can reach new realizations about ourselves and others which can inspire new ways of thinking and creating.
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