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.

CHALLENGE (for Kids, Writers, Artists): Creating Effective Visual Messages

THE CHALLENGE: Aliens are invading Earth to mine ALL its resources (that includes YOU!!). Pick a side and create a message that either helps SAVE Earth from invading aliens or helps aliens CONQUER Earth... one image at a time.

To do this let me give you some background information, basic building blocks for creating messages, and some suggestions and details to help you meet the challenge.

BACKGROUND:

This challenge was presented at the 2013 San Diego International Comic-Con was called “How to Conquer the World One Image at a Time.”  The following four  award-winning graphic novel writers/illustrators joined me: Jimmy Gownley (Amelia books), Royden Lepp (Rust); JohnGreen (Teen Boat), and Larry Marder (Bean World).

In this post I’d like to invite you all to virtually join our panel. Below are:

• Details of the challenge;
• The basics of visually storytelling;
• Examples of how the panelists responded to the challenge

I begin with the challenge. Please think about this challenge as I relay the visual-story telling basics.  Then take a look at what my colleagues created and share your own.  Share this with your kids too!!!! I’d love to see what they come up with!

Courtesy: Men in Black

The CHALLENGE DETAILS:

Aliens are invading Earth to mine ALL its resources (that includes YOU!!). Pick a side and help SAVE or CONQUER Earth one image at a time. You must create a visual message for your side (its content and target audience is up to you). Your message might:

·      WARN Earth of its impending danger where resistance is futile;

·      RALLY public awareness and resistance because resistance is never futile;

·      CONVINCE humans of a better life on alien planets;

·      CREATE an  Alien Party Election poster;

·      Provide INVASION SAFETY TIPS;

·      Anything else you think will help your side.

From: theabundantartist.com

VISUAL STORYTELLING 101...or the basics of visual literacy:

With this challenge in mind, let me relay some four key elements to visually story-telling:

1. As you create your message you must KNOW/CONSIDER:

·      WHO your target audience is (kids, teachers, parents, friends, aliens, Americans, etc.);

·      WHAT you want to say (Try to save Earth from invasion? Try to help aliens make peaceful transition? Humorous? Fact-filled? Safety tips? Instructions? );

·      HOW to clearly and relate that message, grab their attention and convince them balancing logic, credibility, and passion (with humor, facts, universal icons and symbols, simple vocabulary, etc.)

For Example:

Depending on the message and our target audience you will need to balance and use varying amount of credibility, logic andpassion.  For example, a message to your teacher, asking her to consider using graphic novels for a book report will probably include a good deal of logic along with a dose of credibility citing references to the benefits of graphic novels for educational purposes.  Trying to convince a friend to read a graphic novel, however, will probably relay more on emotion and  passion (“Oh its so AWESOME”) than credibility and references to its educational benefits. For more on this please see this post on balancing logos (logic), ethos (credibility), and pathos (passion/emotion) in visual messages.

2. You must decide how to balance and use words, symbols, images and icons.  And, regardless of the balance you chose to use,  carefully considering how your audience will interpret your choices.  For example, this image can be seen as: 

·      The number “two” or two fingers;

·      Bunny ears;

·      A sign for victory; and/or

·      A sign for peace

While this particular example shows the multiple messages images and symbols can relay, know that words also frequently carry multiple meanings. So, when using words or images make sure you usie them effectively for your particular target audience.

3. Your use of COLOR also must be carefully considered. Color can grab our attention, raise or lower blood pressure, clam or excite us, and relay concepts and motions.  Colorful images make communication interesting and motivate the receiver.

 As I have already posted and written a lot about use of color I will only briefly relay a points to illustrate color choice influences your message.

Briefly: red excites us and raises blood pressure, appetite and body temperature while blue clams us and lowers our blood pressure and respiration.  Red can relay danger and prime attention.  Blue, aside from calming, can relay elite status and adventure.  Green is also calming and is often used to denote ‘nature’ or ‘natural’ but it can also be used to relay ‘envy.’  Yellow (like red) primes our attention and is actually the first color our brains register.  Yellow relays sunshine and youth but too much yellow can often be unpleasant.

For more on color, please see: Color Casts Powerful Messages: Learn how to USE it!

4. Your use of the SPACE and DESIGN of the page is also really important.  While our brains tend to prefer “balanced” pages and designs, our attention is held longer by asymmetrical images. Also while an image may be placed asymmetrically on a page, it can still be  “balanced” with proper use of color, icons, words and corollary images.

Let me give you an example: 

In the image below by Pablo Alfieri we can clearly see how he uses color, font, space, icons/image, and asymmetry and balance to make us FEEL PLAYFUL.

Image by Pablo Alfieri

First, PLAYFUL is presented in a bold yellow font and feels energetic and...playful.  The word is then set against a regal purple background (relaying a feeling of acceptance and authority).

Next, is the use of confetti – a symbol of celebration and playfulness and one sees a random, impulsive purple string and diagonal narrow blue line – again suggesting playfulness and creativity.

Then, there is the a play of light and dark.  PLAYFULNESS and the confetti are placed to the side and inside a lighter purple area, surrounded by a much darker purple background.  Placing the message inside the lighter area AND the use of bright yellow, immediately bring our attention to the message.

Finally, we see that the words are off to the side.  This use of asymmetry is another effective means of grabbing our attention and keeping our interest on the message. And, even though the message is asymmetrical, it feels balanced as the lighter, playful message on one side, is balanced, surrounded and to some extent grounded by the darker, established, authoritative purple all around it. The blue diagonal line and extending confetti also help add a feeling of balance and harmony.

CHALLENGE MESSAGES BY MY ESTEEMED PANELISTS:

Below are some of the messages designed by my esteemed panelists (please do not copy or reproduce these images without express written permission).

Please consider contributing your own images and the images of your kids and students.  As always, I thank you for your visit and hope you’ll contribute your own insights, experiences and images in the comments below.

This first image was done by John Green.  Unfortunately, my scanner did not include the colors used.  In this image, while mostly black and white, all the lettering is in a dark green shade.

In this image, John Green shows a "friendly" alien trying to lure kids into space (because it's "cool") in an effort to  take over Earth and harvest its resources:

Courtesy of John Green

The next two images are by Larry Marder.  Here too, I am was unable to transfer the color. Larry's first image "Join or Die!" is  black and white...the message is clear.  Notice the use of jagged edges in this explosion and the tiny figure on a sphere. Notice how tense the image makes us:

Courtesy of Larry Marder

Courtesy of Larry Marder

In Larry's second image, "There is room for us all!" the figure is in black and white but he's standing on Earth whose oceans are a light blue color and continents are shades of green.  The other "mass" is also colored in shades of green with the large circles shaded in yellow. Notice how different the "feel"of the image is:

Finally, below is an image by Royden Lepp.  Luckily the color did come out:

Courtesy of Royden Lepp

When designing this image, Royden wanted the viewer to recollect the propaganda images the Nazis relayed (particularly to the French) in World War II where viewers were informed that Nazi invasion would bring happier, better times. Notice the use of color, light and design. The aliens are clearly invading, but families are happy, lights are on and they seem quite welcome. What is Royeden's real message?

WHAT WILL YOUR MESSAGE BE?

 

Please think about this and include your own images in the comments below.

 

And, if you're not up to creating/sending your own image, please let us know what you might say and how.

 

As always, thank you for your visit and please leave some message for us in the comments below.

 

NOTE: The images above by John Green, Larry Marder and Royden Lepp  ARE FOR THIS POST ONLY. YOU MAY NOT COPY OR REPRODUCE THEM without expressed written permission.