How Are You Inspired?

I was listening to the podcast, Creative Living with Jamie, where she interviewed Elizabeth MacCrellish, an author and all around creative gal. Elizabeth said she gets her creativity from taking long, slow walks. She picks up leaves and probably other “forest debris” to use as inspiration.

photo credit Scarleth White

My first thought was – wait! Other people do that too! (Not the walking part – but the picking up random things part.) Growing up, my mom would take us on walks to find “stuff” in the woods. Mostly, she was searching for real moss and birch skins to use in our crafting projects. Then we went through the grapevine phase where we searched for the “weed” to make grapevine wreaths. My friends thought she was a little odd when, out of the blue while driving along the country roads she’d gasp “Oh! Look at the dead wood pile with the moss growing.” And she’d stop the minivan to pick woodland treasures.

She was obviously inspired by the outdoors – the woods, the landscape – and we used it whenever we could in our projects. (Mom – remember the “plant chairs” we made?! Everything needs a place to rest, including plants.)

This past summer, I attended my first ever scrapbook convention with my mom and sister in the rustic town of Des Moines, Iowa. I was amazed by the people who came from near and far, lugging heavy boxes and totes-on-wheels full of hundreds of dollars of juicy scrapbooking creations.

Besides the classes, we spent good money to just have a place to sit and scrap until the late hours of the evening. (It sounds a little crazy when I put it that way, right?) Around me, some tables were filled with rowdy laughter and some were quietly focused – almost oblivious to the rowdiness taking place with the help of caffeinated drinks.

But we all had one common thread – we immediately had to make something because we were so inspired from the classes that day. It didn’t matter if we sat in one place for hours – we couldn’t even feel the chair. We were so focused, so inspired to create, create, create! My family even took advantage of no hot water one morning at our hotel and demanded a free table and chairs so we could scrap right there in our room.

I left Des Moines feeling so accomplished and rejuvenated. I was even writing this blog post in my head on the four-hour drive home. (So why did it take three months to actually write it? Ah, that’s another post.)

How are you inspired? What makes you feel rejuvenated, refreshed and renewed? I believe we need hobbies to keep us sane and to feel alive. For some, the hobby turns into a full time labor of love; like our producers on the network for instance. For some, filming was just something they did to remember their hunts. Then they started editing, adding in some graphics and they were hooked. They took a simple walk in the woods and they were inspired to start a television show.

So take a walk and see where it leads you. Pick up random things and bring them home. When your husband, wife or kids ask you why you brought that home, just respond, “I was inspired.”