What inspires me.

Six Day in Nelson and Cantebury, Colin McCahon (found here). I chose this because Colin McCahon tells
his story so, so well. Whenever I see his work I am instantly home.

First of all, please forgive me for posting my Blog It Forward post so late in the day! The only real excuse I can give is that I was so overwhelmed by the idea of putting 'what inspires me' into one post that I couldn't bring myself to start it and not have any idea where I was going. I feel like I'm ready for it now though, so here goes!

Last night I read the beautiful post over at Blissful Thinking and was really struck by how she touched on something that had been on my mind, ever since starting to think on this post, that is being inspired by....well, people (I'd recommend going over and reading the post, it's a bit more specific than just 'people', but you'll see what I mean). When contemplating what inspired me I was going back and forth between focusing on big, overarching themes or the smaller, more specific inspirations I see around me. There is so much that I'm inspired by daily, a particular song, a certain design sense, a perfect quote, beauty captured on film, my family, my friends...but chronicling all of that would take forever. When I thought about it, it all came back to people. I am inspired by people, and more specifically, people telling their stories. I have always loved storytelling, I love getting lost in someone else's ideas and worlds and getting a sense of connection to someone else, be it in person or not, is such a fantastic feeling.

Kurt Vonnegut once took a break from writing because he was frustrated with the tradition structure of storytelling. The idea of there being primary characters and secondary characters didn't sit well with him, because in reality there are no secondary characters. People are not secondary characters, everybody's story is just as valid as the next person. One of the things I love about the internet, is that in many ways it has brought us closer, and we can share our lives and stories with a wider audience. People are sharing their stories through the photo's they take, the blog posts they write, the treasures they create with their hands, through angry op-ed articles, in music written and recorded in someones bedroom, by podcasts with everyday people being given a voice and and their stories validated as interesting and important. We are invited into people's homes on design tours, we are taught by others & movements are grown.

It isn't just limited to the internet though, going to the library, meeting up with friends, marching in protest , watching independent film, seeing a band play, chatting to someone on the bus, all inspire me as I get a glimpse into the world of someone else.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you inspire me. Community inspires me. Authenticity and openness inspires me. Sharing ourselves with each other inspires me. The excitement of others inspires me. Because it's all like I'm being told a wonderful story, and I can continue to get lost in the many ideas and worlds being shared around me.

For more inspiration, be sure to check out tomorrow's post over at the lovely Bread of Many. I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

xo