Wednesday 14 November 2007

inspirations part one

If you asked me who my inspirations in the art world are I'd be hard-pressed to find a definitive answer. There are loads of artists whose work I admire and sometimes even draw inspiration from, particularly if they might have worked with the same medium or in a similar style to myself. But when it comes to words, ask me who my literary heroes are and I will gush forth a plethora of names.
Inspiration can come from so many sources, some entirely unexpected. Not all of my inspirations are writers, though most are. And often the inspiration I draw has to do with aspects other than their writing.
Numero Uno has to be Tim Freedman, songwriter and singer of The Whitlams. I am seriously in love with this man's mind. Songwriting is not something I aspire to at all, but they way he strings words together to paint a visual image is incredible.
Markus Zusack; I love that he is Australian, I love his style. It seems that every sentence is riddled with cliche (number one writing no-no), but it works. His writing is vivid and sensual and intoxicating. I could drown in his words...
John Parkes; John was my uni lecturer and encouraged me to write and write even though he was my art lecturer. He taught me that writing isn't something I do, it's who I am. Thanks John :-)
Jodi Piccoult; I came across Jodi as I was working my way through the A&R top 100 books list. I'm new to Jodi's writing as I tend to avoid mainstream fiction these days, but after reading 'My sisters keeper' I was struck at how seamlessly she paints a portrait of peoples ordinary lives and makes them seem so real.
Angela Meyer; a fellow blogger and young Australian writer. I can't even remember how I tripped into her blog (LiteraryMinded), but I love her dedication to her craft. At just 23(?) she has been published in many journals and mags and is working on two novels. If that isn't inspiring, I don't know what is! Good luck Angela.

stay tuned for more....

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