I was looking for a new subject to paint, and I was done with flowers. After a few days of complaints that I was “suffering from lack of inspiration,” my spouse asked me if I would let him set up my next still-life (and hopefully stop grumbling!). Obviously, I was a bit worried. How could he, not a painter, know how to set up a still-life that would work for me, a painter? But, it still sounded better than whatever I could come up with. Even with all my sources of inspiration, I get stuck in a creative loop and just end up repeating myself no matter how much I try not to.

I couldn’t resist giving him a few recommendations, but let him handle it. He chose a french press, a coffee mug, and a speaker, and after a few changes to the composition, I was excited to start painting. It was really interesting to see how a different person, even one that shares a daily life with me, can see the world so differently. With a different look at a few mundane objects, he helped me kickstart my inspiration again.

By the way, I may have bitten off more than I could chew because a few days later, he told me he’d been thinking and had a lot more ideas. I’m still a little worried, but overall very excited!