In search of inspiration at the V&A museum

I was too quick to say the weather has spruced up. It suddenly dropped so dramatically by 10 degrees, after the weather reporters had announced New Year’s Eve as the warmest day of winter. The temperature topped a record-breaking 15 degrees and melted away the ice at open ice rinks.

Today I almost froze my nose off as I walked out the front door. The chill hit me instantly, I half wanted to turn around and walk back into my house. With each step towards the bus stop, I prayed the bus would get there before I did. Unfortunately, I made it to the bus stop five minutes before the bus was due to arrive. That was the longest wait, but nothing compared to lockdown. Was snow back on the horizon? How long until Spring? 

Two buses later I reached my destination, the V and A, for a little inspirational walk in my favourite museum. I couldn’t believe it had been over two years since the last time I entered through the museum’s doors. Thing’s of course have changed since then. There’s only one entrance and now a ticketing/ booking system in place.

Walking around the full length of the ground floor, saw tiredness get the better of me. It was too early for me to spend hours wandering through the gallery rooms post-covid. I was grateful for the benches provided. I must have occupied them all. Ok, now that’s an exaggeration. However, time wasn’t wasted, with the right mind frame it never is. Although I spent the majority of my time sitting down, this was the best place to rest. Every time I looked up the view was adorning. For all that I did manage to see from the ancient relics to the fashionable timeline, from the religious artefacts to the modern prints, I was greatly inspired by the artistry behind each creation. Between each pause I read the descriptions and names of the pieces I liked, getting ideas on how to describe and name my own work, as this is something I haven’t done in a very, very long time.

Despite cutting my visit to the museum short I caught myself doing a lot of grid/gram spotting, I was seeing abstract instagramable pictures almost everywhere, from the marbled steps to textured walls. They were all aesthetically likeable.