Inspiration is not just the currency of rich or old people, of tourists staring out over Cape Breton’s look-offs, or of academia. It is real. It belongs to everyone, even those on welfare or EI, even those surrounded by concrete and fences, or living in poor, seasonally-active areas.
Inspiration gets you in the gut. It gets me to pull out my camera, more and more every day, to snap shots. Of what? Of nothing much important. But just, oh, everything.
I read blogs for inspiration. Usually after I read a blog post by one of these three, I’m itching to whip off my own post. I have them in the favorites toolbar in my browser:
- Elise Blaha. This lady is consistently awesome. I think that’s what we look for in a good blog – consistency, and awesomeness. (And that’s what I aim for around here.) She rocks blog design, she rocks photos, and she hits a good balance of personal and business. Colorful, too!
- A Beautiful Mess. This lady is a blogging superstar. She gets somewhere like 500,000 views a day (for comparison, I get like a hundred.) But, it takes consistency and awesomeness to keep me coming back daily, and she’s got it. After reading this blog, I always feel inspired to just take on a random project, and feel like no matter how it turned out, it would be awesome. She’s got that perfect mix of hip and down-to-earth.
- Kal Barteski/LoveLife. This lady is a painter in Winnipeg. She’s spunky and isn’t afraid to say unpopular things. She fights for her own creative life. I love that.
Music also inspires me. Currently I’m rocking out dance music. Like, super pop-y dance music like David Guetta and Rihanna. Not every club track does it for me, but this sort of music really keeps me going. You can dance to it as you haul boxes up and down and in and out of cars and houses, or as you clean, and clean, and clean.
Photos from the top: My boyfriend’s new house !! (Yay, so exciting!) My brother’s refurbished, free bike (thanks Brooke and Kate!). The wharf in Baddeck. The best cafe in Baddeck (in my humble opinion) – the fact that they’re open year-round (hint hint other cafes!) goes a long way towards being my favorite. Fries and chicken burgers – easy Friday night food for us. Fridge magnets and found weird paper-mache heads – some of the fun of moving in to a new place!
What inspires you?
After reading this, I’m inspired by you 🙂
I agree with oland, Leah, you’re inspiring! (Also, would you believe we had chicken burgers and fries for Friday supper too?) Hmmmm…other things…my messy jewelry desk covered with bits and pieces waiting to be assembled into beautiful and fun things, a new story idea simmering in the back of my mind, a picture waiting to bloom into a story idea…and words, words, words. Always the words.
Thanks Sherry!! I wonder how interesting a “cape breton suppers” blog would be. Just a blog about what people have for dinner. 🙂
1. I am inspired by your work on Dream Big. Watching your evolution as a writer is inspiring me to get writing too.
2. CBC Radio. Right now I have the luck to have a job that allows me to keep an earbud plugged into CBC all day. I have a special little notebook in which I jot down ideas that catch my attention and books that I want to borrow or buy.
3. TED.com. Where else could I be brought to tears by a woman who is breaking down cultural barriers with her banjo in China, learn that I’ve been using paper towel incorrectly, and listen to profound statements about our relationship with shame and vulnerability?
4. The work of the Paq’tnkek Youth Group to create a short video imagining a day without bullying.
http://adaywithoutbullying.blogspot.ca/
5. As for music: Fatoumata Diawara is consuming my attention for the moment. She is a Malian singer/songwriter living in France who sings in Wassalou of peace, justice, women’s lives, love and compassion. http://youtu.be/E82BifytoYY
I love these links, Randy! I also love TED talks. And notebooks are such a powerful incubator for creativity. I’m glad you use them, too.