Creative Inspiration from Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland

I love to visit old, historical places.  (Also- strange, offbeat places, haunted places, abandoned places, etc.)Recently my husband and I visited Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland.  It was a gloriously beautiful day and I took hundreds of beautiful photos.  This is one of them.I am drawn to the photo in particular and I wondered why.  I don't know if it's the beautiful sky, the colors or the architecture.  Probably a combination of all three.Wherever we go and whatever we love can be inspiration for our art.  I might use the color combinations for a necklace or I might paint something with similar architectural details.  The clouds might inspire me.  One little detail from the columns may inspire an entire piece.Whatever you are drawn to, whatever your tastes are and how you spend your day will become your creative fodder.Here are some ideas to get you thinking about inspiration from your life:

• Where have you visited lately?  Did you take photos?  If so, go through them and see if anything draws you in.  What do you like about the scene?  What elements can you incorporate into your art or craft?
• If you didn't take photos, just think about your day and what you saw.  Sketch out some of the sights that you saw.
• During an ordinary day, try to pay attention to everything you pass, especially when you're outside.  What colors do you see?  What textures?
• How do the sights make you feel?  Do you feel energized?  Happy?  Relaxed?  Content?  Make an artwork that reflects the feeling.  (Not necessarily an exact replica of what you saw.)

Use just elements of what you saw or experienced.  For example from my photo, I may use that shade of green from the monument against the beautiful color of blue of the sky in a piece of jewelry or painting that has nothing to do with battlefields or monuments.If being outside in your favorite park gives you a sense of being calm or content, create something that gives you the same feeling.Once you start thinking about your life and everything you look at for inspiration, you will probably start to see the world in a whole new - beautiful - way!Where do you find inspiration?  Feel free to share links to your art and tell us your inspiration below in the comments!