Inspired! is the name of a column here on Real Words. Each post in this column points out something that has inspired me in my writing or just in the course of my daily life. It’s a daily post which I always write Monday-Friday and sometimes include on Saturdays as well. (On Sundays, instead of Inspired!, I post links to the numerous articles and blog posts that I’m reading on the web because those are always inspiring.)
When thinking about what inspired me today, I realized that the writing of Inspired! is itself something that is inspiring for my work. That’s because it forces me to pay closer attention to the things in life that are inspiring me. I take photographs of things that I might not have looked twice at before because I realize as I see the image that it should be captured for Inspired! I dog-ear great quotes in books that I might have just skimmed over because something resonates in them for me and I think, “that belongs on Inspired!”
In other words, writing this daily column has allowed me to be more present in my own life. And it has allowed me to approach each day with a more creative eye. I pay more attention to my natural response to things and I notice immediately when something can be a source of inspiration for me. Through Inspired!, I delve into that inspiration more deeply and get a better sense of why I am inspired by different things.
Not everyone has a blog or will write a daily post about what inspires them. But I would encourage other people to start keeping a daily journal of inspiration or collecting a file folder of inspiring images and ideas. The act of paying attention to what inspires you can cause significant changes in your creative work … and it can give you a different outlook on your life. It’s a magical experience.
Question of the Day: What inspires you as you read this?
[Tags] inspiration, writing, journal, creativity, art [/Tags]
I recently signed up to get some free coffee from a new coffee and tea company called Joffrey’s. I haven’t had a chance to taste the coffee yet but I can tell you that the advertising that came along with the coffee totally caught my attention. Not only is it written in a fun font including colors that highlight certain points but the first-person phrasing is attention-getting in a frolicking kind of way.
Take a look at just one part of the ad:
“I’m an entertainer at heart. A social animal. I make life more fun. And I’m known for being somewhat irreverent, unconventional. Oh, and I have a sly sense of humor and love poking holes in the self-importance of others. After all, I’m just coffee and tea. Non-conformist. Sophisticated. But just coffee and tea.”
How fun is that?! It’s a coffee ad but it makes you think of your coffee in a completely different way. And since coffee is such an integral part of the writing life for many people, I think it’s coffee that will appeal to writers!
Question of the Day: Which ads do you find inspirational to your writing?
[Tags] writing, coffee, joffreys, advertising [/Tags]
I recently received a note card that was printed by a group called THASC (The Handicapped And Senior Citizens). This group employs a series of artists who use art as a form of rehabilitation. The art is sold in the form of notecards and other promotional items in order to raise money for the group.
The notecard that I received had a beautiful pencil drawing of a lighthouse. The back of the card informed me of the following:
“LIGHTHOUSE” is an original artwork drawing by Bill Whiting, resident of the Wolverine State, Michigan. Paralyzed following a trampoline accident twenty two years ago. A self taught artist. Drawings are accomplished with a pencil held in mouth.”
I think it’s obvious why that’s inspiring. The persistence and commitment to artwork, the astounding detail in the drawing and the broader setting of the THASC group all serve as creative inspiration.
I haven’t been able to find out anything else about Bill Whiting - and he doesn’t appear to currently have any work on the THASC website - but the card was inspiring nonetheless.
Question of the Day: Which other artists should I check out who have created art despite formidable odds?
[Tags] art, thasc, bill whiting, drawing, inspiration [/Tags]
There are so many reasons that I live in San Francisco that I couldn’t possibly count all of them. However, the core reason is that San Francisco is a place where the general attitude is one of laidback open-mindedness. People just let each other be here in a way that you don’t always see everywhere else in the country.
This topic came up at a dinner with friends the other night and one of my friends put an interesting spin on it. The specific part of the conversation was that we were trying to describe the difference between the liberalism of San Francisco and the liberalism of other places in the country. It’s something that’s been talked about a million times before because San Francisco pushes the boundaries of permissiveness.
In coming up with a description for the difference, one of my friends made the following (paraphrased but poignant) remark:
“The spectrum of acceptable attitudes in San Francisco is from ”I shop at the Farmer’s Market sometimes” through “I grow all of my organic food and am completely off the grid”. In contrast, the spectrum of acceptable attitudes in most other liberal cities in the United States runs from “I get all of my food from the Wal-Mart grocery store” through “I shop at the Farmer’s Market sometimes”.
Although this obviously only looks at one aspect of life, it boils down the basic difference between San Francisco and the rest of the nation. We take what is considered highly liberal elsewhere and make that the bottom rung of acceptable behavior here.
And although others may not like that way of life, I find it inspiring. The best thing about San Francisco - better than the unique neighborhoods, the rich history and the beauty of both city and nature - is that San Francisco just lets you be whoever you are. What’s more inspiring than that?
Question of the Day: What’s the most inspiring thing about the city where you live?
[Tags] writing, inspiration, san francisco, liberal, attitudes, way of life, farmers market [/Tags]
Happy April!
Since it’s April 1st, I suppose that means that it’s April Fools Day. Although I don’t usually do anything for this “holiday” myself, I have to admit that it’s passing by each year always gives me a moment to remember some really great pranks from childhood. As a result, I tend to find April Fools Day a little bit inspiring.
Anything that reminds us of things in childhood that we don’t usually think about can be inspiring to our writing. That’s what makes writing prompts so great - they demand that we think about specific questions (often from the past) that we don’t normally take the time to think about. This gives new focus to our work and can bring out some truths that make our writing sparkle a little bit brighter.
Other than just the memories, April Fools Day also inspires me with the fun that it presents. There are a plethora of great little pranks that can be pulled which make people laugh without causing any harm. Dreaming up these pranks gets your creative juices flowing - and that flow will eke over into other aspects of your life including your work.
Question of the Day: What’s the best April Fools story you have?
[Tags] april fools, jokes, pranks, inspiration, writing [/Tags]
I’m always a little bit inspired by someone who has come up with a great screen name for himself or herself. We so often see online names that lack imagination (many of the ones I use are probably guilty of this) either because we need to use our given / professional name for work purposes or because we’re just in the habit of using the same old screen name that we’ve always used. As a result, it always catches my eye when someone has a great screen name that makes you look twice.
I’m also a big fan of any sort of play on words. I think words should be played with! So my interest was particularly captured when I was stumbling (through the social bookmarking site StumbleUpon) and I came across a profile with the name:
It’s a different kind of name. And it’s a great play on words (because of the spelling of break and the phrase ‘brake for animals’ it conjures up). I think we should all break for trees a little more in our lives. If we did, perhaps we’d be more inspired to come up with unique screen names and otherwise infuse creativity into the little things in our lives!
Question of the Day: What’s the best online name you’ve come across on the web?
[Tags] inspired, creativity, screen name, break for trees [/Tags]
I wrote a post earlier in the week describing the fact that I don’t think typos are that big of a deal. As a writer, I definitely make sure to proofread my work so that others don’t see typos because I think it’s the professional thing to do. But if it were up to me, people would be a lot less judgmental about the occasional typo because I really don’t think they matter much in the big scheme of a written piece.
In fact, I think that typos can be really inspiring when I see them in other people’s work. Here are some of the ways that you might think about being inspired the next time that you see a typo in someone’s work:
- Take time to wonder about why the typo happened. Imagine the author writing that piece of work and why he ended up with a typo. You just might find that this wondering leads to the development of a character in your next story.
- Ask yourself what the author really meant. Assess whether the typo makes any difference to that intended meaning. If not, let yourself think about the reasons that we take typos so seriously when they don’t really matter much.
- Let your mind wander over the different meanings that are created when an amusing typo crops up.
- Look at the word that’s been misspelled and see how many other words - real and imagined - can be created out of changing around those same letters.
- Let each typo be a reminder to come back to the piece. Most of us read with half our attention while thinking about (or doing) other things. A typo catches our attention and refocuses us on the page. Let each one be a reminder to really pay attention to what you’re reading.
- Look at the typo and see if it’s a nonsense word. If it is, spend some time brainstorming what that word could mean if it was a real word. Sound it out. Ask yourself what it feels like. Be inspired by the mistake.
I know that I’m one of very few people - and certainly very few professional writers - who don’t believe that typos are a big deal. But it’s true, I don’t. And I think they can be inspiring if we look for the inspiration in them. Let’s have more fun with our words, especially when they don’t come out the way that we intended.
Question of the Day: Can you imagine that typos are a source of inspiration?
[Tags] typo, edit, freelance, writing, copyediting, inspiration, creativity [/Tags]
Inspired is a daily column here on Real Words that reveals all of the different things that inspire me throughout the week. What I’m finding inspirational today is this stunning photograph of the insides of a beautiful flower. It comes from Caught in Time Photography where you can go to check out galleries of other impressive photos.
I find this inspiring as a writer for a few reasons. These reasons include:
- Quality photography eludes me. My medium is words. I love images but I’m not skilled at capturing them in any form. I’ve definitely never gotten to the point of being skilled at capturing great close-up photos with a camera. Someone else that can do it inspires me as an artist.
- The attention to detail. As a writer, you can never get too much attention to detail in your life. Breaking everything down to those small little pieces makes it easier to understand. Knowing how to look at details helps you to capture nuances in your own work and to really allow readers to connect with what you’re trying to describe.
- The light and shadow. Writing boils down to showing off the light and shadows in life. I love seeing that complex notion captured simply in photographs such as this one.
It’s also just a really beautiful picture that I can gaze at to inspire daydreams.
Question of the Day: Why do you think flowers have so often been a source of inspiration to artists of all kinds?
[Tags] photography, art, flower, inspiration, writing [/Tags]
This quote by Audre Lorde is one of the most inspiring lines of writing that I’ve read throughout the years:
“When we speak
We are afraid
Our words will not be heard nor welcomed.
But when we are silent,
We are still afraid.
So it is better to speak.”
That is what writing is all about; the willingness to speak our own truths despite the fears that may attempt to hold us back.
To always strive to speak what is in our hearts despite what we are concerned the consequences may be is one of the goals of a writer’s life … and the act of doing so is always an inspiration.
Question of the Day: What’s your favorite Audre Lorde quote?
[Tags] audre lorde, quote, writing, silence, fear [/Tags]
I’m currently infatuated with the design of a new hybrid / plug-in electric vehicle that is being made this year by a new car company called Aptera. The vehicle is a three-wheel car that gets the equivalent of 300 mpg and has other neat eco-friendly features such as a heating and cooling system that’s powered by solar panel energy. It’s a fully-functional car able to handle highway speeds and is available for pre-order by California residents at the current time.
Here are a few of the reasons that I find this car to be inspiring:
- It’s eco-friendly. I’m a big fan of the green movement (and strongly believe that writers should practice green habits; learn more here). Anything that moves this forward is inspiring to me.
- The design is truly unique. It’s not something that you can see anywhere else. That kind of vision is always inspirational. More than that, it’s got a forward-thinking style that makes it look like a space vehicle. That makes me want to create a character who will want to ride in that car. It gets those wheels of creative writing spinning.
- It’s neither here nor there. It’s a three-wheel car that’s classified as a motorcycle but functions like a car. That kind of ambiguity leaves room for inspiration. It makes me wonder what else lies in its in-betweens.
Learn more about the Aptera car here.
Question of the Day: Do you believe that a car can be a source of inspiration for a writer?
[Tags] aptera, hybrid, plug-in car, electric vehicle, green, eco-friendly, inspiration, design, auto [/Tags]
