Thursday, July 8, 2010

Inspiration All Around Me

Wow. I'm astounded by the creative, beautiful minds I've surrounded myself with. Amongst the many ways to receive inspiration, books and movies seem perhaps not true sources yet they are really stories. They can be fleeting but are inspirational at the same time for me. For such a long time I've been a lover of books and also the stories movies briefly wrap us up in. (I must confess in the last few years with no real romance and sometimes not even much "of a life" while I work/take care of my six year old, I am periodically drawn to fluffy things that make me feel good for the moment.) Even the fluff can have its benefits. I love when you shift your energy, and sometimes the fluffiest fluff does that for me.

These days I am staying at home with my daughter, choosing not to work out in the world. Whenever I've chosen not to work conventionally in the past, I tend to get squirrelly. I need stimulation and contact with others. I'm quite the extrovert. I can also honestly admit living in Key West and Miami Beach has given me the gift of thinking I need more stimulation, that my life and all surrounding me needs to be like a comedic sitcom. It's fun when it is, yet I do see it for what it is and how I've changed.

What I love these days about staying home and recreating my space and, at the same time, my life, is going within. I feel more vibrant and more alive when I take time for me by journaling my three pages, by blogging, by connecting with like-minded souls. I had the most wonderful life before my daughter was born. I did a lot of work on myself, becoming more spiritual, releasing qualities I no longer needed from the world at large and my family of origin in specific. I wouldn't trade those times for anything. I also love how what we've lived allows us to be who we are at this moment. Even the hard stuff. It's so difficult when we're going through the low moments, and yet we know we'll end up learning much from it.

What I truly appreciate is those who inspire me with their tales of how they live their creative lives. I read mildlycreative.com and blackinkpad.blogspot.com frequently. I have loved reading the words of SARK, Geneen Roth, Nathalie Goldberg, Anne Lammott, yet the blogs are right there, so easy to read the honest words, take it into my heart, and pick myself up if needed. Or to go create some art. Or room for making art.

For the millions of reasons doing your art is good for your soul, the one I love best is that it allows you to sink into yourself. To get to know yourself (again perhaps if you've gotten caught up in life), to allow yourself to actually like yourself again. Yay! Isn't that a valid yet great goal in life? To do what you love so you learn to love yourself or if you already do, keep loving yourself? Seems to me it's a grand life if you can do this. Thanks to my creative mentors for encouraging me!

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