What motivates you?

Tough questions sometimes promote some deep thinking.  But its nice to take a step back and think back to what started this whole process off and why we do what we do.  I was totally stunned by how many people with small craft businesses started being creative due to a life changing circumstance.  That's me.  I have never been creative.  I could never draw or paint or throw a pot when I was at school.  So I was asked 'what drives you?' An interesting question that I have thought about all week.  What I have always loved is attention to detail.  Beautiful things that people have loved making.  I love design in all forms and am fascinated by how things are put together and how people have really thought through what they have made. 
All of this came to me on the Mander Centre multi storey car park in Wolverhampton.  Not the most creative or inspiring of places you might say.  But its one of my favorite views of the town.  You can see one of the most beautiful buildings in town - the Beatties department store.  Its beautiful and I could look at it all day long.  Its inspiring because when the architects, Lavender, Twentyman and Percy designed it in the 1920's they put so much thought into what can only be described as an exquisite design. The round windows are so high up that you don't notice them from the ground.  Shoppers busily walk past, never looking up at this beautiful world of design two storeys above their heads.  Its like a secret world up on that car park.  Its motivates me because years after they designed the elephants that border the large square windows at the front entrance, I still adore it.  I would love to progress to a stage where my work brings joy to people like that. 
So I am still exploring where my new found love of all things creative will take me.  I have booked two courses this week which I am super excited about.  But wherever I go, you can take the girl out of Wolverhampton.....

Last two images are from http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/listed/localist/beatties.htm