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]
I first discovered SARK when I was in my late teens. There was an independent bookstore in my town where I would go to discover things that they didn’t have at the chain bookstore where I worked. In addition to books on creativity and alternative living and artistic endeavors, this bookstore had posters. One of them was a poster of SARK sayings.
For those who don’t know, SARK is an artist and author from here in San Francisco (although I didn’t realize she was from here when I was still living in Arizona). She writes her books in colorful handwriting and dares her readers to dream. She provides simple mantras for living a more creative life, allows space in her books for readers to color outside of her lines and embraces the idea that every page can be a starting point for something else.
I’ve come back to SARK again and again over the years. In periods when inspiration is weak, I’ll remember her writing and print out a copy of one of her sayings to hang over my desk. I’ll remind myself that it’s okay to spend an afternoon coloring or to take a lazy day to just be in bed with a book; things I learned from SARK when I was overworking and making those rare stops in independent bookstores.
Learn more about SARK here.
Question of the Day: Which creative writer inspires you most?
I mentioned not that long ago that I was starting to get really interested in altered art. Specifically, I was looking at altered book art. However I was also just kind of getting inspired to start making more collages and doing more with altering items that I had around the house.
During the time that I was doing a whole lot of research into altered art, I stumbled across mail art swaps. These are groups that commit to some sort of art project. Each member of the group creates their part of the art project and sends it to the person they’re assigned to send it to. For example, I completed a swap in which we were each supposed to make two 8×10 collages for two people; we made our collages and mailed them off. In exchange, we got mail art from someone else in the group.
These groups are a source of inspiration because they challenge you to create something artistic given certain guidelines or parameters. You also have a tendency to try to do a better job than you might on a collage piece for yourself because you know that you’re giving it as a gift to someone else. Plus you get art in the mail and get to see how someone else in the group interpreted the same artistic instructions which can give you a lot of insight into creative perspectives.
I’m not sure how often I’ll participate in these types of swaps but I think it’s a good thing to do every now and then. I’d love to find a writing group that is similar to this. Perhaps sending a poem to someone in the group based on a certain theme. That’s something to think about …
Question of the Day: Have you ever participated in any sort of mail art swap; if so, how was it inspiring?
[Tags] altered art, art, collage, mail art, swap, creativity, inspiration [/Tags]
I mentioned yesterday that one of the things that I find inspiring is Time Banking. It’s a social system for the exchange of services. But I’m also inspired by people who barter their material items. And that’s essentially what the Freecycle network is all about. Although I suppose it’s more simple than bartering; it’s a place where you can give away anything that you don’t want and place where you can look for free items that you might need.
There are a few reasons that I find this to be inspiring:
- You receive emails telling you what people have available. Often, you’ll see something that you would never have thought to get and are inspired with an idea of how to use it creatively.
- It encourages meeting new people. You have to meet up with the local people to give or get your stuff. That can turn in to some interesting conversations that lead to sime sort of inspiration.
- It can be used to de-clutter and simplify your life. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s easier to find inspiration if you don’t have a whole lot of stuff around the house for it to hide behind!
Besides, it’s just a good thing to get rid of the things that you are not using and to let them have a nice new home!
Question of the Day: How many items do you think you have in your house that you could give away right now?
[Tags] freecycle, barter, give away, free stuff, trade, inspiration, recycle, re-use [/Tags]
Every morning that you come to the Real Words blog, you’ll find information about something that has inspired me. Sometimes this is specific to what has inspired my writing. Other times it’s just something that I find inspirational about life. After all, writers do their writing based on their lives.
Today’s source of inspiration is something that I’ve just started to learn about - time banking. It’s basically a social system which encourages people to use their skills to help out others. You list a number of services that you would be willing to provide. People who need them can get in touch with you and ask if you’ll help. When you do, you earn “time dollars”. Those dollars can be spent to buy your own assistance.
It’s basically the same system as bartering (which can be done in many places through Craigslist). However it provides a place where the community of people interested in bartering can gather together and easily find each other. Seems like a way that people can help each other out doing things that they enjoy and are good at. And a way that people without a lot of money can get the services they need.
I haven’t done more than check it out yet but I’m thinking that I might as soon as I get enough downtime to really look through how it works. Perhaps I can offer writing services in exchange for some help with the things that I am not nearly so good at!
Question of the Day: Does anyone have experience with Time Banking that they can share?
[Tags] time bank, community, change, social, barter, inspiration [/Tags]
I mentioned yesterday that one of my Real Words posts was featured at a recent blog carnival. That got me thinking about why I like blog carnivals and I realized that it’s because they’re really inspiring.
For those who don’t know, blog carnivals are round-ups of different posts submitted from various blogs. They are usually themed around a certain topic. For example, you might have a “blog carnival on writing” that includes posts about fiction writing, freelance writing and writing tips.
There are a few reasons why blog carnivals can be a source of inspiration. Here are some of those reasons:
- Links to inspiring materials. A blog carnival provides links to a bunch of different posts on a topic that you enjoy. You might not have discovered these posts on your own and what you find there might inspire you.
- A bunch of talent in one place. Seeing all of those posts combined together in one place can make you feel great about your topic and inspired to write something else about it.
- Parameters for the post. Sometimes there will be a blog carnival that interests me but I don’t have an appropriate post to submit. That inspires me to write one that fits the parameters of the carnival.
- Frequency of submissions. If you participate in a regular blog carnival then you may opt to submit a new post each week. This means that you are forced to write at least one great post on that topic per week. Demand for your writing can be inspiring in and of itself.
Blog carnivals are inspiring - and they’re also just a lot of fun. They support your work and the work of others and lead you to lots of great resources.
Question of the Day: Do you participate in blog carnivals; why or why not?
[Tags] blog, carnival, writing, freelance, inspiration, submission [/Tags]
There is a great list posted at Make It Better which has 84 simple suggestions of how to live a better life. Each of these things is a small source of inspiration. We could all stand to be reminded that we should forgive our parents, de-clutter our lives and say “no” when we feel like it. However, it’s the compilation of the list that’s truly inspiring.
Lists like these can be printed out and hung in our work spaces or our living rooms to remind us to get back to the basics of life. It’s so easy to get caught up in the complexity of daily living but we don’t have to do so. The simple mantras that we live by are a daily inspiration.
Incidentally, I came across the list when I checked out this month’s blog carnival at Dodgeblogium. There are a lot of neat things to see over at the carnival, including one of my favorite Real Words posts: How to Steadily Increase Your Freelance Income.
Question of the Day: What would be number one on your list of rules to live by?
[Tags] lists, rules, mantra, simplicity, inspiration [/Tags]
*Inspired is a daily Real Words column sharing all that inspires one working writer.
“I try to leave out the parts that people skip.” ~Elmore Leonard
I am a big fan of quotations because I always enjoy seeing other writers phrase something in a way that I wish I had done myself. In some cases, it’s the choice of phrasing that can be an inspiration. In this case, it is the message itself which is inspiring.
I know that one of the things that I do as a writer is that I get long-winded. I add too much description where it’s not necessary. I take a paragraph to explain something that could probably be detailed in a sentence if I could just get the right sentence down.
Do I consider this a flaw? Not necessarily. I think that every writer has their own style and that it’s necessary to be true to that style if you’re really going to write from your heart. Nevertheless, I do know that there are times when brevity would be better. As a result, I find this quote inspiring. It’s a reminder to just leave in the part that people want to read and cut out the rest.
Question of the Day: Are you a writer who favors lengthy descriptions or do you cut to the chase?
[Tags] writing, writer, quote, elmore leonard, description, inspiration [/Tags]
After doing my research for yesterday’s post linking to 100 different Top 100 Lists for Writers, I realized that doing a list of one hundred things is actually really difficult. It’s time-consuming and it requires research and it demands that you really look at your topic from the inside out. Doing that is something that is completely inspirational.
I would recommend it as something that all writers should do no matter what their topic - just come up with a niche in that topic and then do a “Top 100″ list for it. It could be “100 Tips” for doing that thing better or “100 best resources” for more information on the topic. Or whatever.
It’s a great brainstorming exercise. It’s a great way to start working your way out of basic ideas and into more creative ideas on a topic. And it’s a great way to start learning more about the topic yourself since you’re tapping into new resources for your research.
It’s truly inspiring!
*Inspired is a daily Real Worlds column where I share the things that inspire me and keep me going as a writer.
This treadmill desk is a great tool for freelancers to avoid being sedentary. I try to get out in the air and walk around every day myself because I definitely think sunshine is as important to creativity as exercise is but there’s lots of days when the weather doesn’t really make me want to get up from the desk. I think the creative approach that this allows is an interesting way to add some more exercise into your life even though you have to be on the computer all day. It’s also a lot better for your back if you’re standing and not just sitting all day so this is good even if you aren’t going to use the treadmill part of it all of the time.
Learn more about how a freelance writer / blogger might use this tool here.
[Tags] freelance, exercise, treadmill, desk, inspiration [/Tags]
