Where do you get your inspiration?
January 29th 2008 10:05
A collection of writers before me. Where do you all get your inspiration from?
I learned something very recently that kind of shocked me. I asked myself this question and didn't really have a definitive answer. I get inspired by lots of things I said aloud, as I tried to chuckle it off. But it kept nagging at me. Like that "D" on a report card that you are blaming the teacher for. Or how about I answered that question already - move on. But it's more than that. Much more. I think if you can answer that question for yourself then it has this incredible effect. That you stop wandering without purpose and direction and begin to focus on what I'll call the source. Like to never be stuck again?
I imagined you have to go along way to find the answer to this question. A great journey or adventure with yourself as the main character of the story constantly faces challenges and conflict to get to the answer of this. Oh that's life you say. The answer I found made me laugh and laugh so I'd thought I'd share it. Maybe finding the answer to this enlightened question is the inspiration for most - if so don't read on. If you're like me you take the best guess and then flip to the answer section at the back of the book.
The answer to where I found everything to do with inspiration and what I do next is right under my nose. All the time. If you think about an average day in your life and all that happens in it, there are things, and my encouragement would be to look for themes in what is going on. Ok we can group our days out of 1 to 10, good bad and indifferent. If you are someone who does this then I'd say that's all your days are going to be. What you make them. I'm boldly assuming you can count to 10 and know what a bad day looks like, but how about analysing it?
Make your day TALK TO YOU. Cereal doesn't go snap crackle pop, and the mess you made from knocking over a carton milk means this day has started bad... so here goes. The ride begins when you do. Stop for a moment. Look around. It's unique. The whole thing. Where you write sit eat and live from. You are on your own. I'll share something right now with you. There's a single spent cigarette in the ashtray next to me. It's pointing a certain direction. 11.00pm (or am) but of course I know it won't be there in the morning. Save that. A chair in my room faces north. It's a blue outdoor chair. Save that. There is a diamond pattern in the linoleum floor. It's 4 diamonds to the east of the cigarette. Diamonds, cigarettes, 11 oclock, North, the outdoors. The TV downstairs just announced that they've found the killer. And now the weather. This all means something to you and YOUR inspiration. If you write you just thought of a whole collection of characters and plots. I know I just did.
Maybe this isn't how you get inspired, and I'd love to know HOW it works for you. If you are looking for inspiration, then try right under your nose - you'll be amazed. My grandfather always said to fish at my feet first. Often we put in huge amounts of effort to catch fish by casting our lines as far as we can throw them, beliveing that the BEST and BIGGEST fish are the most elusive and therefore further away. They're not. They're right here. Right under our noses.
Try it. Pick one up. What colour and type and size is the one right at your feet now?
I learned something very recently that kind of shocked me. I asked myself this question and didn't really have a definitive answer. I get inspired by lots of things I said aloud, as I tried to chuckle it off. But it kept nagging at me. Like that "D" on a report card that you are blaming the teacher for. Or how about I answered that question already - move on. But it's more than that. Much more. I think if you can answer that question for yourself then it has this incredible effect. That you stop wandering without purpose and direction and begin to focus on what I'll call the source. Like to never be stuck again?
I imagined you have to go along way to find the answer to this question. A great journey or adventure with yourself as the main character of the story constantly faces challenges and conflict to get to the answer of this. Oh that's life you say. The answer I found made me laugh and laugh so I'd thought I'd share it. Maybe finding the answer to this enlightened question is the inspiration for most - if so don't read on. If you're like me you take the best guess and then flip to the answer section at the back of the book.
The answer to where I found everything to do with inspiration and what I do next is right under my nose. All the time. If you think about an average day in your life and all that happens in it, there are things, and my encouragement would be to look for themes in what is going on. Ok we can group our days out of 1 to 10, good bad and indifferent. If you are someone who does this then I'd say that's all your days are going to be. What you make them. I'm boldly assuming you can count to 10 and know what a bad day looks like, but how about analysing it?
Make your day TALK TO YOU. Cereal doesn't go snap crackle pop, and the mess you made from knocking over a carton milk means this day has started bad... so here goes. The ride begins when you do. Stop for a moment. Look around. It's unique. The whole thing. Where you write sit eat and live from. You are on your own. I'll share something right now with you. There's a single spent cigarette in the ashtray next to me. It's pointing a certain direction. 11.00pm (or am) but of course I know it won't be there in the morning. Save that. A chair in my room faces north. It's a blue outdoor chair. Save that. There is a diamond pattern in the linoleum floor. It's 4 diamonds to the east of the cigarette. Diamonds, cigarettes, 11 oclock, North, the outdoors. The TV downstairs just announced that they've found the killer. And now the weather. This all means something to you and YOUR inspiration. If you write you just thought of a whole collection of characters and plots. I know I just did.
Maybe this isn't how you get inspired, and I'd love to know HOW it works for you. If you are looking for inspiration, then try right under your nose - you'll be amazed. My grandfather always said to fish at my feet first. Often we put in huge amounts of effort to catch fish by casting our lines as far as we can throw them, beliveing that the BEST and BIGGEST fish are the most elusive and therefore further away. They're not. They're right here. Right under our noses.
Try it. Pick one up. What colour and type and size is the one right at your feet now?
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Comment by Sandra
WebLife
Underground Stuff
When i gaze in space and let go of everything just breathing and taking all of it in. That's when the words start flowing in my mind to express the beauty and deliciousness of what im feeling.
Or it is the wind pushing a branch, or the colours of the sky or someone walking by, but you're right it's always right under my nose, or my feet...
Or it's a funny shape that takes life, in the paint on the wall, just shapes taking different forms, like ink regrouping, stains expanding but always all becoming human, alive and moving...
Thanks for this!!!!
It feels so goooooooooooooood!!!
Comment by AmyHuang
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