january inspiration

Being generally slow on the uptake, I have only just discovered small magazine. It's a beautifully designed and produced 'online glossy' devoted to small people and all the creative artists who make things designed for children, inspired by children, intended for children to enjoy, play with, make and do, or, as they put it themselves, "small is a magazine of creative work on a small scale and for the small size". Every issue is packed full of wonderful inspiration.

Wordsworth and Coleridge used to ponder a lot about the essence of childhood and whether we could ever reproduce that wonder and magic with which a child sees the world. For them, at least part of the answer was to spend time with little children, which wasn't a problem as they had loads between them. Now my children are grown up men I often miss that wide-open-ness that children carry around with them, like a key to another magical world.

Maya of Maya*Made is the latest creative artist to be interviewed by Margaret at Resurrection Fern, who is starting the New Year by asking various artists and makers to describe how they find inspiration. One of the things Maya says is that she tries to look at the world as if it were brand new, through her childrens' eyes. I can't recommend Margaret's Inspiration Week series highly enough - each day someone new takes centre stage and talks about their work, their blog and/or Etsy shop. Do go and have a read as you'll definitely take something away from it.

Make sure, too, to have a look at Margaret's own beautiful and finely detailed work, inspired by the natural world and always exquisitely photographed. I have absolutely loved her winter pine cones in ice that she has shown this Christmas.