Fox

Fox is an illustration that speaks about creativity, as if it were something that comes from the divine, which we then use for mundane things like decorating a dwelling. And how wonderful a thing that is.

A higher being being the source of original thought is a long-established concept. The ancient Romans believed that everyone had an external entity of creativity, known as a “genius”, that operated as a messenger between humans and the divine. The externalization of this process lends a poetic nature to creation and adds to the magic of art. Following this logic, the artist isn’t someone who inherently has these ideas inside of them, but rather is better than most at communicating with their own personal spirit, which is the source of their creativity. 

In the image, the creative individual is a fox, and is receiving inspiration from an angelic being regarding what to make to decorate their living room. The particular shape and lines the fox is comprised of are 100% exactly what I drew in the sketch for this image, because I wanted to reference the sketch as an integral part of every visual creative process. The fox was chosen as the anthropomorphic version of mankind because it makes dens much like we feel the need to create cozy environments in which to live. The fox is firmly a creature of the earth and somewhat awkwardly holds this thing it has just received. I imagine that sometimes the hypothetical “genius” or “spirit” feels that we are crude in our interpretations or execution of the otherworldly thoughts they tell us. But that communication is wonderful all the same.

Throughout the image, there are references to all types of creative endeavors and crafts: textile art, painting, woodworking, furniture design, ceramics, and interior design as a whole. The experience of choosing what we add to our homes is deeply personal and has a big impact on our general state of mind. So art and design play a big part in adding to our daily lives. From something as simple as a picture making a wall more interesting to look at, to a comfortable couch that helps our posture, we all, just like the fox, use objects created using this magical thing called inspiration.