Inspiration, for Blogvember

[browngirl]

circlingfreedom asked me what inspires me, and I fear this post will not be the most fascinating look at a creative process ever, but I'll try.

I can't think of a time when I haven't been inspired. There's so much in the world, both the internal world of the mind and the external universe of life, people, nature, the universe… there's so much in history, in technology, in the future and the past.

I mean, look at today's Astronomy Picture of the Day, a human-scale panoramic vista of Mars. How many stories could one tell based on this image!

I often get stuck on how to express that inspiration -- when I get "writer's block" it's because I can't figure out how to arrange words to write a story or poem the way I want it, so when people give me more plot bunnies as treatment it's doubly frustrating -- but I always find so much inspiration all around. In the tilt of a child's smile, in the sweep of clouds across a fall sky, in a song's rippling arpeggio, in a star's twinkle through city light pollution, in the tingling warmth of sliced ginger, in the sugary crunch of a boiled candy. The world is so full. I just wish I could capture a slightly larger minuscule fraction of all there is around me and within me, to share with my fellow sentients.

Comments

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

I love how you see the details that are there in life to be inspired by, and stop to let yourself be moved by them.

And how your creative process flows.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[circlingfreedom.livejournal.com]

Beautiful - and incredibly moving.
Reminds me of the beauty in every little thing even when you get hit with really bad news.

Thank you.

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

What a good thing there are decades ahead of you. :)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

This is the best way to be: because of your interest in everything--because of seeing that--you live in a rich, rich world whose delights and challenges you'll never exhaust. Wonderful!