10 Ways to Find Inspiration
It's now been a full week since not even a crumb of inspiration has come to write anything for the blog - only the necessary texts for work. This morning I woke up with a certain irritation: where has my inspiration gone? I look out of the window - everything is already turning green, but the sky is overcast; suddenly, along with raindrops from the sky, large snowflakes begin to fall. A splendid backdrop for crawling back into bed, pulling the duvet over your head, and not starting anything at all.
No, it cannot be that there are no ways to get yourself back on track. I drank my coffee, leafed through "Kapitāls", posted something on Facebook, looked out of the window again - nothing had changed - but then the thought came that inspiration can be found in many and varied ways and from many different sources. Here are a few ideas.
Inspiration from nature
1. Go for a walk in nature without keeping track of time. That is to say, without constantly checking your watch or smartphone. Yesterday was the perfect day for such a walk along the sea - but today (I glance out of the window again) - well, no.
2. Pay attention to small details - seashells underfoot, the azure of the sky and at least five shades of blue, freshly opened bright lime-green buds. Yesterday by the sea I picked up a pebble that turned out to be a rounded piece of wood, so smoothed by the water that you couldn't tell the difference. Beige, café-au-lait tones - exactly the kind I'd like to use for decorating the new home.
3. Practise deep breathing and listen to the sounds of nature. This is an excellent exercise especially in a pine forest in spring. The chirping of birds, the rustle of the wind.
4. Look at nature photographs or National Geographic featuring places in the world yet to be visited - an endless desert, the open expanse of the sea, sharp mountain peaks, valleys and gorges filled with mist, bone-chillingly cold mountain rivers and tiny streams.
Inspiration from the web
5. Watch TEDx recordings with inspiring and charismatic speakers.
6. Browse Pinterest, building image collections by theme, colour, and mood. Study inspiration collages, or mood boards, created by other users.
7. Find original DIY creations that you can make by hand using everyday materials.
Inspiration from people
8. Attend an experience-sharing or discussion evening, learn something new. On Thursday evening I went to a Coach Club event (for the first time). In small groups we played Dixit cards, created metaphors, shared associations. To be among people completely unknown to you but share very personal feelings - a new experience worth writing about.
9. Get involved in tidying up the local neighbourhood or cleaning up the environment - for instance at the Great Talka.
10. Participate in the increasingly popular networking events - contact mornings, speed networking, business breakfasts. Meet new people, the businesses they represent, their perspectives on things. You may also exchange contacts and build closer relationships.
It is wholesome, from time to time, to ask yourself - when did you last do something for the first time in your life? Long ago, very long ago? Well then, this situation needs to be corrected right today, right now! It is always harder to take the first step, to start something, to nudge yourself, to push yourself out of a state of stagnation - especially when the surrounding environment offers no motivation.
Feel free to add to my list if you have any more ideas for finding inspiration!
comments