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Sitting, Waiting, Wishing: 10 Sources of Inspiration
… image via kristybee on etsy …
Do you have tools that you rely on for inspiration? Whether you want to write a private journal entry or a public blog post, how do you get inspired?
While waiting for that moment of creative genius to hit and for this blog post to spill onto paper, I became aware of “inspiration mode.” I never consciously realized this mode before today. I think this mode is actually pretty common. It’s the lull filled with things that make you happy – make you feel creative and inspired – and of course, make you feel ready to conquer the world!
I had planned to write about something a bit more structured today: inspiration boards. I won’t be talking about “inspiration boards” directly today, but I want to talk about “inspiration” in general, which is a great introduction to the topic of inspiration boards. I suppose this is a more natural beginning for a series of posts on inspiration boards. In order to begin discussing the broad topic of inspiration boards, one must have a good handle on general inspiration, which differs for each individual. So today, I am going to discuss 10 sources of inspiration that I personally use over and over again.
• • •
The Basics:
What is inspiration?
(Noun) The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. [Oxford American Dictionary]
Ponder this question, what does inspiration mean to you?
Need some help: check out this great online resource – Creative Something: Inspiring your Creativity. One Idea at a Time.
I define inspiration in terms of the energy I get from a source. Is it positive or negative? Is it creative energy? Is it motivating… and so on? That is how I start. What do I gravitate towards (rather than away)? What do I enjoy and feel almost guilty for doing? It’s in these sources that I typically feel less cognitive strain and more creative thinking. It feels good. It feels fun. It doesn’t feel like work!
• • •
While, sitting, waiting, and wishing…
1) Music. Quick Burst of Inspiration.
Create short playlists (about 5 songs) that you can listen to for a quick burst of inspiration. You may want to create different types of playlists for different types of inspiration. Do you need a song that makes you feel like writing, like working out, like focusing… and so on. Create a playlist that lasts approximately 15 minutes that you have ready to listen to whenever needed.
I am loving Susannah Conway’s playlists on her blog, Ink on my Fingers.
2) Quotes. Words that Define your Mood.
Quotes are a fantastic source of inspiration; in particular, quotes that you refer to over and over again – the ones that are memorized and repeated multiple times a day. I usually find quotes organically while reading a book or an article. They jump out at me. I usually relate with the feeling that the quote describes or feel inspired by the words themselves. And then they stick. If you tend to love quotes, but don’t have a way of keeping track of them see below for a few ideas.
- Write quotes in a little journal or notebook — designate an entire notebook to quotes or just a few pages of your daily planning notebook. It doesn’t need to be super organized — just nice to have them in one spot to locate later.
- Put quotes up on an inspiration board. I put up my most frequently used quotes.
- Store quotes in text documents according to different categories (e.g., books, moods, or any other categorization method).
- Store quotes in an old-fashioned Rolodex. I recently started to do this and love the flexibility of having this paper method. I jot down new quotes on a little piece of paper and add them into my file. The Rolodex I use is super cute, which makes it more approachable (rather than a paper system that I will quickly abandon).
3) Photos. Images that tell a Breathtaking Story.
… “Posy” by Susannah Conway (2008) …
Photography is a beautiful source of inspiration – looking at photos and/or taking your own photos. I find wonderful photographs through flickr and etsy. My favorite photographs are by Susannah Conway. Susannah writes, “Each of my photographs is my attempt to unravel the world around me, to see the beauty in all things.” Other incredible photographers with online portfolios to browse: Alicia Bock, Jennifer Causey, Yvette Inufio, Honeytree, and of course, Danielle Anthony!
You can look at photos online and/or order prints from individual photographers to create your own inspiring collection.
4) Journaling. Otherwise known as Writing Therapy.
I recently started keeping a personal journal. I didn’t realize the therapeutic benefits of journaling until I started my own. I typically journal before I go to sleep about whatever is on my mind at the time. Some of my best ideas are jotted down in that journal. It’s where I keep those random ideas for “someday.” Little diagrams of how I see an idea evolving or the steps needed to make an idea concrete. I stick magazine clippings into it as well – so it’s a whole big journal of personal thoughts and ideas that have sparked creative energy within me.
5) An Inspiration Board. Make me Happy!
… image of my first inspiration board, Make Me Happy! …
This inspiration board is on the wall above my desk. It was my *first* inspiration board. It sat for about a month with a single post-it note in the center that says: Make Me Happy! I wanted a board that “made me happy.” And so that is how I started — my first creative venture. I’m starting my third inspiration board now on a different theme: A Beautiful Ripple Effect! I’m having a ton of fun brainstorming ideas for it and creating different projects. It’s a blank canvas and a wonderful source of inspiration. I also create mini inspiration boards for my mini personal organizer — love the idea of a portable inspiration board! It contains quotes, images, thoughts, and goals.
6) Books. A Treasury of Inspiring Words.
I have a collection of about 15 books that I keep in my office all together. I have read these books multiple times and refer to them over and over again for inspiration. I have them close by and can always find exactly what I need in one of them. Some of the books include: I Thought it was Just Me (but it isn’t) by Brene Brown, Ordinary Sparkling Moments by Christine Mason Miller, The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker by Aby Garvey, The Power of Less by Leo Babauta, Domino: The Book of Decorating, Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds, Mindfulness by Ellen Langer and other inspiring reads.
7) Blogs by Inspiring Bloggers/Writers. Simple Bites of Inspiration.
I may be biased, but I find blogs to be a great source of inspiration. In particular, I love blogs with a personal touch — typos, humor, less than perfect grammar, real world examples, and so on. Sometimes I need a blog with very few words (eye candy blogs), but most of the time I’m looking for inspiring articles to give me that creative edge. Reading a blog article is much more than just reading — you are given the key to a community of other readers interested in the same material. Within the comments, you can often find even more inspiration and community chit chat.
Some of my favorite blogs include: When I Grow Up, UpUp Creative, Decor8, Real Simple: Simply Stated, Treasuring, Made by Girl, Creative Thursday, Christine Mason Miller, Makeunder My Life, Annechovie, Creative Organizing, Melissa Loves, Ink on my Fingers, Ordinary Courage, Think Simple Now, Write to Done, and Zen Habits.
8) Anything Family. And that includes Ben and Lila Rose!
Just thinking about my family and how much we love each other leaves me feeling incredibly happy, creative (and inspired)! I’m also inspired by how much each member of my family has done — from the little stuff to the really really big stuff. I’m proud of my mom, my dad, my sister, and my brother. We are all so different yet so driven to reach our dreams. Whenever I feel like something is too big for me to do, I think about what my parents did on their own. I know their story — and I know that at the end of the day being parents was their top priority. They taught me that you can do it all. It’s hard, but it’s possible. I could ramble on and on about them — that’s what it feels like (for me) to be inspired.
9) A Beautiful Ripple Effect. Inspiration grows stronger as it is linked from one individual to another.
How can I describe this source of inspiration without the quote by Christine Mason Miller — not possible! I think I share this quote about every other post or so — have you memorized it yet?
10) Care. Commit. Change.® Inspired by others who care about a cause and commit to creating change.
Which artists are committed to creating change? Who inspires me? Well, I created an event just to answer this question! And it began TODAY!!! So exciting!! We already have 700 applicants for our scholarship program this year – which is the largest applicant pool we’ve had ever – and probably the largest applicant pool for college scholarships for young adult cancer survivors (anywhere) so we are hoping that this online auction will help us support these individuals in their quest to go to college.
Why support young adult cancer survivors when everyone is feeling the strain of the economy? Take that strain being felt by everyone and multiply it by at least 10. And that is what is felt by young adult cancer survivors, many are hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt. College is not a possibility — ever. We are changing that through our college scholarship program and by providing *hope* that people (like you and me) believe in them. Should the cost of surviving cancer be the loss of a college education? Absolutely not. Help me — Help them. The auction will end on Friday April 24th. 100% of every dollar donated (every dollar used to purchase an item in this auction) will go directly towards a college scholarship for a young adult cancer survivor. [Update: Auction is complete. Thank you!]
Related "ripples" you might enjoy:
- Monday Inspiration
- Information + Inspiration [File 3]
- Information + Inspiration
- Information + Inspiration [File 2]
- Monday Inspiration: Finding Calm in Chaos
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Creativity & Inspiration, Tips + Techniques, Top Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
21 Responses to “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing: 10 Sources of Inspiration”
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beautiful post. these are really great sources of inspiration (and i’m so happy you shared your inspiration board!).
Thanks for a great post! There is so much for me to digest there! I love the idea of keeping quotations in a rolodex thing. I have a journal full of quotations and poems, etc, but that would be such a pretty way to keep them as well! I’m going to have to spend some time going through all of the things on your post. Thanks!!
Hello Carolyn,
Wow, love your blog! I am always looking for inspiration and you have inspired me!! Best of luck with the auction – it’s such a wonderful cause!!
Sabina ~
Seriously Carolyn, I saw the title of this post a few days ago & knew it would take me an hour to read it, digest, & go through all the link love! Yay for a “quiet” Thursday night.
Thanks so, so much for putting me on your list of inspiring blogs! Holy crapballs, it’s so touching & makes me so happy. Know that the feeling is mutual!
I, too, have a quote book that I’ve had forever & love. I have dreams of putting the quotes on cards & cataloging them, matching them with images, but that’s a Rainy Day project. And photos & artwork! I use evernote.com to web clip the great artwork I come across on decor8, kind over matter, pecanoot, & design is mine & use it for a kick in the arse (or my blog!).
I wanted to ask you, hough, how you handle journaling every night. I used to keep a journal fairly regularly, and then it turned into my Problem Journal (aka I’d write in it when I had a problem & needed to get it out of my body & my mind – & usually came up with An Answer), and now it’s sitting there, all blank pages of my shelf for the past few years. I think that every entry was always so time consuming for me that I’ve abandoned it, thinking, “I don’t have time to write in my journal.” But I’m inspired (wink) by your post & think it would do me a world of good. So…..how do you keep it manageable considering your schedule?
[...] Carolyn from a beautiful ripple effect share some of her inspirational sparks. Caution: only click on this if you have an hour to go through the awesome sites she links through, [...]
I do like Evernote! I used to be a religious Google Notebook user but then they ixnayed that…..I cried & then switched to Evernote. It really is a good program. I use delicious for articles I want to remember (&, like you, I throw them in with tags & then never look at them again) & Evernote for images. Although I don’t really know why. I should probably just use one program. But I always make things more complicated then they are. Sigh.
I find that the creative juices flow right as I’m heading to dreamland, so I can see why getting ‘em out is a good way to help you drift off faster. Hmm…maybe I need to think of journaling as something I do every day in whatever form I want as opposed to Journaling. If that makes sense.
[...] Sitting, Waiting, Wishing: 10 Sources of Inspiration « a beautiful … [...]
Carolyn, I am in Holly’s class and wanted to check out your blog—this is a great list. Thanks for sharing!
This is a beautiful list (and I am honored to be included!) YOU are a wonderful source of inspiration!!
Hi I’m from the blog class and I just wanted to say that your blog is super! This is an awesome post!
loved reading this…THANK YOU! I just did a post not too long ago on inspiration and created a little award called “YOU DO INSPIRE ME”. i listed all the lovely souls who do just that to me with their words, pictures, artwork, etc… etc… i am going to have to add YOU to that list now! thank you! happy friday
What a great post!! I already do some of these things, but I got some great great ideas here. Have you ever been to Franklin Covey’s site? One thing that inspired me was going there and making a mission statement – then you have something to read over and over.
It’s nice to meet you!
Thanks for the inspiration…very much needed right now.
Thanks for sharing what inspires you! The Inspiration Board is a great idea–how long I’ve deprived myself of stationing the things I love right in front of me. Thanks!
Thank you for mentioning Garr in your post. I work for Peachpit Press and thought you and your readers might be interested in knowing that he just released his first online streaming video, Presentation Zen: The Video, where he expands on the ideas presented in his book and blog. More info can be found here: http://www.peachpit.com/zenvideo
Twitter: clrsimple2
says:
Thank you so much, April!! So sweet of you to visit my blog!
Twitter: clrsimple2
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Thank you so much, Caitlin! I do love my pretty little rolodex — but a journal is much more portable! I’m so happy you stopped by my blog — can’t wait to visit yours!!
Twitter: clrsimple2
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Sabina, Thank You! I am so grateful that you posted about the auction on your blog :).
Twitter: clrsimple2
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Oh my gosh, of course you are on my inspiring blogs. You keep me blogging! Your comments always come at the perfect time — hmmm maybe we’re really separated at birth!
Do you like evernote? I think I may have tried it awhile ago, but seem to be really bad at keeping up with online systems. I have delicious, and press the little tag button when I want to remember something, but then never go on to the site and check!
I never had a journal before in my life so maybe that’s why I find it to be so rewarding? I always thought the same thing — such a waste of time! And now it’s a serious addiction. I cannot go to sleep without writing in it. I guess I see it as a source of calm in my crazy crazy life. I have so little time for “me,” that it has become something that feels like a reward. It’s just for me for whatever I want to write. It might also be the time of day. I am always most creative late at night and so writing is almost necessary to get out all the thoughts so I can fall asleep!
Twitter: clrsimple2
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Thank YOU Christine!!
Twitter: clrsimple2
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Thank you for visiting! Isn’t the class amazing!! I am so inspired by each person in it and the community that has formed. I can’t wait to visit your blog. Thank you again for your support.