Tips for Inspiration
It's important to stay inspired. Not just as a writer, blogger, artist, or whatever your niche is, but as a human being. If we don't stay inspired we tend to lose motivation and lose sight of our goals or ambitions. Inspiration helps us reflect on our lives and the types of individuals we are. It makes us recognize what we find important and what our values are.
I've realized this lately, I don't actively partake in creative inspiration like I once used to. In effect, I've been suffering from writer’s block, so I thought I would share some things that inspire me. These are just a few things that help me reflect on who I am and the situations I am handed in life. To think critically of my current dilemmas so I don't mess things up further, that is all I really ask for to inspire me.
Sometimes we all need just a little bit of help to find beauty in the little things:
Quotes, mainly literary or philosophical quotes inspire me. Quotes always make the little hamsters in my brain start running on their wheels. I always try to relate a quote to myself or an experience I've had, just to see if I can.
"Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical." - Sophia Loren
Movies, but not just any ol' blockbuster hit. Certain movie's out there are real deep, where you actually have to sit there and think about the storyline in order for it to make sense. I find a lot of independent cinema does this for me with movies like Mirrormask, Garden State, The Fountain, and pretty much any Focus Feature Film (they are my favorite!) like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There are even some foreign films that really make your brain just explode all over the place. My favorite is Amelie. If you take anything from this post, please watch Amelie. It's an absolutely beautiful film that really makes you contemplate your life. I believe it's on instant play on Netflix, it is in French so you will need subtitles but it's worth it.
Obviously Books are a wonderful source of Inspiration, and next to independent films, my favorite source. I love the prose type stories with incredible imagery that presents its self as a crystal clear reality in your imagination. My favorite in this category is Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. It's a short read, which is why I love it so much. You can read it in one sitting if you want to. The imagery is stunning in this book, here is an example:
"The world, like a great iris of an even more gigantic eye, which has also just opened and stretched out to encompass everything, stared back at him."
It's like whoa! What did this say, all I know is I feel like I'm being stalked now! Okay anyways, you get the picture, this book is amazing.
Some other books worth mentioning are The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (I love love love this book, but definitely M for Mature), and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (also M for Mature). I also like some lighter stuff to draw inspiration from, such as Jane Austen. I cannot read a damn Jane Austen novel without thinking in her language usage for weeks! It's horrible. I start using words like "amiable", or "indeed" a lot! It is a good vocabulary booster, if that’s what you need.
My favorite author that I can't go without mentioning is Neil Gaiman! The worlds of fantasy he creates are wonderful, nothing inspires me more than taking a break from this world to visit another filled with magic and adventure. My favorite books by him are Stardust (which is also a movie worth watching), Neverwhere, and a wonderful little novel he wrote with Terry Pratchett called Good Omens (funniest book I've ever read). And if you enjoy anything in the graphic novel medium I suggest you check out Neil Gaiman's Sandman Comics.The Sandman Comics tips the scale when it comes to inspiring fantasy. There are so many elements to these novels that I could talk about for days, but since this post is already quite long I shall have to make an entirely separate post dedicated to them. I will also have to re-read them for it’s been about a year. I’ll just tell you now, if the story line doesn’t make your imagination go beyond your thoughts limitations, the artwork will.
Now for music, I’m not a big fan of a lot of music nowadays, but I love music that helps me calm down and mediate. It also has to send me into a beautiful world so I can feel completely at peace. With these criteria’s I have only one name to give you; Amethystium. All their stuff is on youtube and I highly suggest you give them a listen. I hope my little tidbits help you out in the future to better your writer or at least give you idea’s to write about.
