Tuesday, September 9, 2014

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:

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.

12 comments:

  1. I'm listening to Paul McCartney, c. 1966, talking about how he used to listen to narrow types of music, but that he was getting into classical music, Indian music. He wondered why he used to shut out those other radio stations in the past. .

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  2. I am finding inspiration from the garden right now - hard work yes but inspiring!
    Thanks so much.
    Denise ABC Team

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  3. This is awesome...I enjoyed every bit of it and needless to say, I am taking some inspiration...The comic strip from zenpencil.com conveys a great message. For some reason I felt very strong that there will be someone who would call upon the word "Inspire" for this I prompt...but the content is not even close to how I would have approached for this prompt....Very innovative, inspiring and illustrative :)

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  4. Inspiration is something that occurs spontaneously. I always prepare my lessons with inspiration and if it is a real inspiration my students are getting enthusiastic and inspire me in their turn. I really loved those lessons.
    Have a great week.
    Wil, ABCW Team

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  5. Inspiration along with Imagination, - wonderful qualities (gifts?)

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  6. Very nice post, we find inspiration in many places. Our girls are our main force of inspiration, Nature it self may just be the second. The world is full as amazing things that can inspire us.
    Have a lovely week!

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  7. I have been busy making Christmas gifts for my family. The inspiration came from wanting to share what I find fulfilling. Of course, I hope they appreciate my gifts, but I did enjoy in the doing.

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  8. Wonderful post for I ~ Inspiration is all around me ~ just a matter of 'doing it' like everything else!

    artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

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  9. Inspiration seems to just pop into my head...lots of times from mistakes or errors that I turn into art or into poetry and lyrics. I do enjoy conversations with God in my head so I attribute most of my inspiration to the Lord and the Holy Spirit...lovely post and deep♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/inspired-by-legos/

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  10. Great post for the lette I! Very inspirational :)

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  11. Love the post! Inspiration is everywhere I think. One just need to look around carefully) And Beethoven for me is definetly very inspirational!

    www.artinmess.ru

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