I is for Inspiration

I wonder what inspires you. I always find it fascinating to hear what brings another to a place of inspiration; what raises them out of themselves and takes them to a place of creativity, or focus, or however you define inspiration.

For me, I'm deeply inspired by words; especially when they are beautifully or cleverly combined to form a sentence that strikes awe in me, moves me or simply makes me go "huh."

For that reason, I love books! Books open my world and take me to places or into people that I would never meet in this lifetime. They're a study in human nature, our drives and motivations. Through them I sometimes see my own journey or the path I could've chosen but didn't. At times books help me work through what I'm dealing with at that particular time in my life, or teach me new methods of dealing with a future experience. I can almost always find something in a book that moves me or alters, even slightly, how I approach the world.

Quotes are another inspiration for me. I have them on magnets and posted all over my fridge. I've created a journal that is filled with quotes that make me think. When I moved across the country alone, I drove the entire way there with a quote propped up beneath my radio as a reminder that I can create my own destiny. During my darkest hours, I have studied them and been reminded that others have been here too, or had even darker moments and survived their journey, intact and sometimes even the better for it. They have been the words that I couldn't say or couldn't articulate.

Standing among trees is my connection to a higher power; it's my cathedral. Being surrounded by nature reminds me that there is something so much greater than myself and that I am the perfect puzzle piece that fits exactly where I need to be in the big picture. When I am feeling stressed or disconnected, I head for the mountains and the sound of my feet on packed earth grounds me once again.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Black Lake Trail - July 2011

Along those lines, photography triggers my sense of wonder. I wonder what those people were thinking in that moment, what they were doing. I wonder how the photographer felt as they gazed at that incredible site. What made them take that particular photo in that particular moment? As I mentioned in a previous blog, curiosity and creativity help me to release any depression that I might be feeling. It helps me to get unstuck be taking me beyond my small piece of the world... even if just for a moment. And sometimes... a moment is all I need.