The Kashubian Culture and a Few Words on What Inspiration Is...

What Is Inspiration?

This is the question everyone should be able to answer, no matter if he considers himself an artist or not. Why? Because in everything we do, we should have the ability to distinguish between inspiration and plagiarism. Otherwise we might find ourselves really troubled. First of all, inspiration has nothing to do with a copy. It is this gentle force that pushes you to co concentrate on something particular or even, yes, borrow elements of something, but just to put it in your own arrangement. As simple as that. Inspiration is just a brief idea, with which you can do whatever you like. The number of sources of inspiration is a great proof. Some may be inspired by elements of nature, music, artistic currents or cultures. And it doesn't mean they take it all and repeat. They may scoop a bit of what they consider the best and mix it with something completely different or create a totally new thing by improving the old one.

The Kashubian Mask

To incorporate the topic of inspiration to the previously discussed masks, we had a task to find inspiration for creating one. Not any inspiration of course! We were to find something in the Kashubian culture, so an area that should be well-known. Among many ideas, there was one that really didn't want to leave me in peace. I could have done lots of different masks, but I had my mind set on an old Kashubian teapot my granny owned. It was all covered in floral designs, seemed our household symbol of this beautiful region. This made me wonder... Why not turn it into a mask? Just on paper, so that it doesn't do a lot of damage? Here is the result: