Inspirations

We all draw inspiration, conscious or not. Terry Pratchett described being kissed by the muse as being hit by a pumpkin - though sometimes the pumpkin hits the wrong head. Brilliant idea, wrong person.

My creative strength and style derives from people like



Tori Amos. Discovered the year Crucify was first released, so in 1992. This song still holds significance to me. She has put a lot of my life into songs. And she dares to be different. Plus I love the red of her hair! I started dying my tresses red back in the 1980s, with henna, much to the despair of my poor mother and our towels. Henna stains don't go away magically, so who's fault is it that we only had light coloured towels and light coloured towels with reddish-brown henna stains? I later got my own black towel, especially for experiments in hair colour.

I have a faible for strong, independant ladies.



Like Louise Brooks. Her films are rarely shown on TV, yet without her example I'm sure fellow actresses like the great Greta Garbo or the unforgettable Marlene Dietrich (I love her style) wouldn't have received such a following. Louise set a new tone and laid the brickwork for strong leading ladies to follow.
And I still think to this day she is the personification of THE BOB. Not Mrs Beckham.



Janis Joplin. White people have the blues, and can sing them, too. She has been my inspiration since the end of the Eighties, while the majority of the world started working on the hole in the ozone layer (if you have been a follower of the new romantics or the new wave movement you know exactly what I'm talking about ;-)) I tuned in and dropped out. No, I finished school in 1990, but I dropped out of what was social acceptable at the end of the worst and yet somehow best fashion period this planet has ever seen. Flea markets were the perfect place to get blouses, pants, coats...I miss those times. I have great difficulties understanding why a dress suit is the only attire acceptable in an office environment. Since I haven't found that rule book yet I ignore it and break unwritten rules whenever I can.



Queen Elizabeth I, here personified by Cate Blanchett - just because it happens to be one of my favourite movies. But again a strong willed woman, not giving into the demands and expectations of the men around her. And again a red head ;-)
The whole period was an interesting one.

I adore the old bella donna witchy Dicken's style of Stevie Nicks, the torn and tattered style of Amanda Palmer, Grace Slick yesteryear and today, Cyndi Lauper, Ofra Haza....

In case you haven't noticed, I have quite a split personality ;-)