Story. Fanciful. Dreamland.

With our largely neutral palettes and clean styling around here, you may not guess that we are both huge Tim Walker fans. Oh the tales he tells within a single still image! There is so much to learn from this consummate daydreamer who brings his own brand of fantastical fairy tales to life. Even his simpler, stripped-down portraits convey a rich underlying story, and showcase the nimble imagination behind the imagery.

If you are as enamored with Tim Walker as we are, you may be interested in having his book Story Teller on your coffee table for inspiration emergencies. There is also an excellent video interview by the fashion brand Mulberry, conducted by Penny Martin (editor-in-chief of a little publication called The Gentlewoman) that is broken down into an easily digestible Parts i, ii, and iii.

You may notice Tim Walker often has his models staged on incredible, other-worldly sets. He frequently collaborates with the brilliant set designer Rhea Thierstein. Check out Freunde von Freunden for an interview and tour of her studio!

Are you feeling inspired this week? Don’t forget to use #inspirationrx so we can take a peek!

“I tried to discover, in the rumor of forests and waves, words that other men could not hear, and I pricked up my ears to listen to the revelation of their harmony.”

Inspiration Rx : This series is a remedy for blank walls, sparse reading lists and creative ruts.

This week’s prompt: Listen

Sometimes we are so inundated with noise that it’s easier to tune everything out rather than make the effort to listen. For this week, we’d like you to listen to someone’s story or concerns, to the environmental sounds around you, or even to your own inner voice and create something inspired by what you hear.

Try closing your eyes for 30 seconds or so and really listen to the sounds around you. I just stopped typing and listened for a couple of seconds, and was surprised at how many sounds I had been tuning out: an airplane overhead, the music on my computer, the furnace kicking on and the hurried footsteps of a neighborhood kid running down the sidewalk. Any of these sounds could provide a jumping off point for my project this week (the furnace is on – it’s getting colder outside .. maybe I should make a photo of someone bundled in a scarf, for example).

Our attention is precious and listening to someone can be such a generous act. You could take the time to really listen to someone this week, let them know they are important & hear what they have to say. This could include yourself! Is there a little voice nudging you to pursue an interest or passion? Maybe it’s time to listen.

There were some wonderful interpretations of the after prompt this week. Melanie saw beauty in foil candy wrappers and Ursula captured her family at the end of the perfect fall day.

Feeling Inspired?

Listen to that little birdie on your shoulder & start creating! You have until next Tuesday to share your creations.

Options for Sharing

Instagram/Twitter : use hashtag #INSPIRATIONRX

Your Blog/Flickr/ Pinterest :  please share a link in the comment section of this post.

For an invitation to our group Pinterest board, please leave a link to your Pinterest account in the comments, or email for an invite. *We need to be follow friends on Pinterest in order to get you an invite to the board (we have to follow at least 1 of your boards & you need to follow at least 1 of ours, Pinterest rules not ours;)). Remember you can still participate by using the hashtag on Instagram & Twitter or posting a link in the comments of this post.

**Please Note: the group Pinterest board is only for things you have created. We want your work to be the star!

photo: © Steve Mackay

passage: © Gustave Flaubert, November

Piqued your interest?

 If you are dreaming of having our featured photo in your home, Steve Mackay (who is very nice by the way) tells me that he does sell prints. Simply contact him via his website & he will be happy to give you all of the details.

This prompt made me think of a book I read recently: The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. It’s both a love story & a heartbreaking peek into mental institutions of the past. The main character rarely speaks but obviously does a lot of listening. It’s the sort of book that stays with you for a bit after you put it down. Have you read it?

P.S.  Miss B. is due soon and the holidays are upon us, so we will be taking a brief hiatus on new Inspiration Rx columns until the new year.  We will still be allowing people to join in on former prompts and make sure the group is still open to new and current members to work on past prompts.  We can’t wait to see your inspiration for Listen and hoping that if you haven’t already, join in and get inspired!