Inspiration: The Gift of Gifts for Writers

In line with ABCWednesday's Round 15 "I Week" I thought I'd talk a bit about inspiration - what it is and the age-old question, where we might find it.

Found at:  under30ceo.com

 According to http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inspiration

in·spi·ra·tion

noun \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən, -(ˌ)spi-\

: something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone
: a person, place, experience, etc., that makes someone want to do or create something

: a good idea

 Wikipedia breaks inspiration into two categories: "ARTISTIC" inspiration which they define as "sudden creativity in artistic production" and "BIBLICAL" inspiration based upon "the doctrine in Jude-Christian theology"


But we're all different. We learn differently. We work differently. We have different needs and goals. As such, our sources and means of inspiration must, by definition be different too.

Maybe you find inspiration in what you see around you:

From: superstrengthhealth.com

From: entrepreneur.com

 

From: googleapis.com

vangoghgallery.com

Maybe you find inspiration from music? If so, please leave some of your favorite music suggestions in the comments below!

Or, you may find inspiration from others:

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value ~Albert Einstein

Every strike brings me closer to the next home run  ~Babe Ruth

I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse ~Florence Nightingale

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover. ~Mark Twain

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear. ~Rosa Parks

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. ~Amelia Earhart

If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. ~Vincent Van Gogh

Eighty percent of success is showing up ~Woody Allen 

Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent ~Eleanor Roosevelt

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.  ~Maya Angelou

It is never too late to be what you might have been. ~George Eliot

Personally, I find inspiration all around me - from my colleagues to my spouse, to my children, and strangely enough in my dreams.  On one discouraging day, a wonderful friend and colleague, Andra Medea, hooked me onto zenpencils.com. I've used one of their posts before (The Power of Words in Graphic Novels) where "Phenomenal Women: A Poem by Maya Angelou" is beautifully presented, complements of zenpencils.com

In closing, I present another zenpencils post: a quote by author and video blogger John Green:Make Gifts for People.  John and his brother, Hank, are the Vlogbrothers. They helped pioneer video blogging (communicating only through YouTube videos for a year). John Green also hosts/co-writes  Crash Course World History - a series that tells the entire history of civilization in over forty, very entertaining 10-minute videos.

In the quote below, John Green (via zen pencils) offers words of advice, inspiration and encouragement for aspiring writers:

From http://zenpencils.com/comic/119-john-green-make-gifts-for-people/

As always, I want to thank you for your visits. These visits and your insightful, kind comments are always inspirations for me.

Please share what inspires you in the comments below.