Inspiration’s Powerful Impact

Inspiration does magical things, or at least it seems to in the way it affects us. What if you could replicate that magic at will?

You actually can - almost.

Why would it be beneficial to recreate that magic? Well, all of the benefits of inspiration do more than just keep the engines of creativity running.

For starters, inspiration can -

• Give you more energy

• Provide aspirations to start planning for the future

• Generate thoughts about the possibilities both current and beyond

• Create a more positive outlook

• Give you confidence

• Make you more creative

Not too bad as far as a list of benefits goes. Especially considering that everyone is feeling the weight of this year to some degree. But the importance of staying inspired is something that will stay relevant long after this pandemic is behind us. 

If you can find ways to be inspired it can be the key to shift you towards future optimism. It can be the very thing that gives us a ticket out of our current perspective and offer something to look forward to.

Recreating the Magic of Inspiration

Sounds great - now what?

Inspiration can be slippery to obtain. You can’t take a pill for it, you can’t suddenly manifest it and you can’t exactly make it happen by force of will. There’s a certain ambiguity in capturing it but there are habits you can cultivate to increase your odds of bumping into it. 

1. Break a pattern - Whether it’s changing how you approach a task you’ve done before or by exploring a completely new route, switching up thought patterns that are normally on autopilot can force your mind to expand in new ways. 

2. Stay Curious - Living is, in and of itself, a life-long learning experience. But imagine the possibilities of going beyond just the day-to-day activities. Picking up a new skill, like learning how to DIY your own backyard garden boxes, or simply reading a book can help in maintaining neuroplasticity. This is something that is critical in keeping a mind healthy. Creating fresh experiences can drastically expand your perspective and equip you with new tools to tackle projects currently outside your wheelhouse.

3. Meet new people - This is admittedly a little difficult to do right now but it’s smart to anticipate the return of people gathering in groups once again. It could be a networking event, a gallery opening, a fashion show, or attending a lecture. While stepping outside your social comfort zone can be intimidating, making new connections can be very rewarding. They can teach you to value things you may never have thought of before, or shed light on issues you didn’t think were important previously. All of this can lead to new ideas and insights. 

4. Create an inspiration routine - Practice makes perfect and if you want to create more opportunity to let inspiration in, you have to be intentional about it. Building time into your schedule on a regular basis for curiosity-based activities will ensure that you are maximizing your chances for more inspired living. Try to set achievable goals to keep you on track. Find an accountability partner and do it together. It’s more fun that way regardless of the outcome!

5. Get outside - Reconnecting with nature is like an instant inspiration elixir. It’s almost impossible to walk away from it without it influencing you in some positive way - even if it’s just the physical exercise. You don’t have to be near a National Park to receive the benefits, simply staying close and heading to your local park or taking a walk in your neighborhood can offer the same level of stimulation. 

Since civilization began, mother nature has been the main source of influence in cultural pursuits. Her vast repertoire of colors, shapes, patterns, sounds, and lifeforms is a never-ending vault of creativity. The best part is that anyone can tap into that genius and experience it for themselves. You just have to go outside. 

Bonus time - I created a tool to help you build your own inspiration engine that will continue to run with a little daily maintenance. It’s free to download and will give you an actionable framework to keep you on track.

Nature as a Source of Inspiration

It’s not surprising that art is most commonly informed by nature’s bounty. You see this with a painter’s color palette. Even the pigments are extracted from minerals found in the earth. The song of a whale or a bird might inspire a melody for a musician. An even more direct correlation would be a landscape photographer whose subject is quite literally, nature herself. 

The same rings true for my own craft of making jewelry. Working extensively with gemstones, I rely on the treasures that mother nature provides to bring my designs to life. The inspiration doesn’t end there however. Many of the configurations found in each piece could represent something you might discover in nature. 

Sacred geometry, the golden ratio, the Fibonacci sequence, even the rule of three’s often play a significant part as a design element in my work. Nature has a way of creating aesthetically pleasing patterns that I can implement to achieve a similar effect in my own art. It almost feels like cheating.

Just take a look at some of my Pinterest pins. The visual representation illustrating this point is glaringly evident.

The thousands of years old glaciers were specifically impressionable on me. These expansive formations that contain so much of the earth’s history continue to haunt my thoughts. The beauty of the textures and colors are as timeless as the formations themselves. The impact of their allure is sure to influence my upcoming collection Glacier.

For a peek into the majestic wilderness and the source of my inspiration you can view my short documentary video here - 

Inspiration is Accessible to All

Inspiration benefits us all. Whether you’re an artist, an IT manager, blogger, stay at home mom, lawyer, or otherwise. It is something that transcends any industry or occupation. While it’s easy to understand the basic principles of developing an ‘inspiration routine’, implementation is a whole other story. 

That’s why I made a trackable monthly planner for the year complete with over 30 ideas to help get you started with your own goals. Stay motivated with my bucket list organizer and printable cut out stickers. Combined, these should assist you to build better practices into your schedule effortlessly. Remember it takes about 30 days to transform an action into a habit. Download the planner and print it out to be on your way to creating a personalized system to make your most inspired life ever.