I first learned about stream of continuousness in grade school- probably a week or two after writing my first haiku. I remember the idea being a bit foreign at the time – as a kid learning how to craft a plot and a storyline in relation to form and flow was hard enough. The concept that you could free yourself from those boundaries to write something loose and unstructured seemed a bit counter intuitive. I remember thinking that it felt very journal-like, and that I was surprised by my thought process- at surface value, things didn’t connect, but as the greater picture came to light, the steps along the way made more sense.

Over the years, it’s become increasingly apparent that this method of writing – and thinking – and making, was a lens in which to the view the world- one that many creative thinkers embrace.

So how does this link up to today’s imagery? The color story above is a snapshot of inspiration that led to a pattern I designed. While the imagery as a whole seems a bit disjointed, there’s overlap between two of the three photos at all times. The Karen Kimmel Shape Shifters are from Ten Over Six in Los Angeles. They’re a fantastic combination of color and shape- for art loving kids and adults alike. The macrame shares a similar color story in terms of balance and accents, and is a part of The Platform Experiment– another creative (but unrelated) creative endeavor from Los Angeles. The bottom pattern is a design I recently painted for a Fall/Winter project and incorporates bits and bobs from the above imagery. It’s similar in some ways, yet extremely different, as the floral inspiration and linking paths came from my own head.

Oftentimes we only share the work in it’s final state- I thought it might be interesting to track and share the flow- which is often a  combination of experience, serendipity, inspiration and style. We can’t control the visuals we consume or the color combinations we absorb, but the resulting products usually reflect aspects of these processes.