Keep sight of inspiration

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
~Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

A friend has just sent me back my Danika and Yatimah (book 2) manuscript, with a message, “I Loved, Loved, Loved it …”

I could almost taste my relief. I enjoyed writing this story but it’s a funny thing – as the inspiration flows and I come nearer to completion questions begin to pop into my head. Have I done enough? Is it too long? etc etc.

Then this morning I woke up went to the kitchen and poured a cup of tea, which I took out onto the deck. There was a slight breeze and a sky full of dark grey and white scudding clouds. No doubt they will eventually drop some rain , not here, but on some other lucky persons property. But what a sparkling day! For me, there’s nothing quite as wonderful as an Autumn morning. It’s the season I love and the time of year I mention most in my books.

For some reason I get a strong compulsion to write in Autumn. So I sat with Bobby and the newly arrived Roger who was waiting to pounce on the cat the moment he left the security of my knee and thought about the inspiration in my life. I listened to the horses impatient voices down in the stables and I realised that the goings on around me had cleared away all the reservations about the Danika and Yatimah book. By taking the time to observe where my inspiration comes from my concerns had disappeared.

I understand everyone has a different take on being inspired, it can be nature that inspires, work, travelling or our extraordinary Arabian horses. I can only speak for myself, though many will possibly agree that inspiration is a part of daily life for the people fortunate enough to own a horse. Mind you where we live, work, or play surrounds us with inspiration every single moment of our waking hours if we care to take notice.

So how do I stay inspired?

I always keep my eyes open and be observant. I inhale inspiration until it becomes a part of my being, something that never really leaves me. Remember inspiration isn’t just a one-time thing. The more I look for it the more I need it. In a way it’s like a drug.
Now I know to keep sight of inspiration I must keep my eyes open, stay in the present, and breathe the beauty or the interesting around me. I’ve found I only had to practice barely a dozen times for it to become a habit. The more I notice life around me the more inspired my life becomes, even my writing now flows easily.

Others have told me keeping inspiration in your sights is a skill and I believe it to be so. I love this idea of looking at inspiration as a skill, as something you have to practice. Once the skill is acquired even the simplest things such as a leaf floating, like the tinniest wind-surfer, from the highest limb of a tree to the ground, becomes an inspiration.

Aaron Rose said, “In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” He is so right!

Keep inspiration coming:

Work with inspired people – one of the best ways to stay inspired is to work with creative, enthusiastic, positive people.
Read daily – books of all kinds, blogs to magazines .
Get outside – nature is one of the biggest inspirations, and you’ll miss it if you’re inside all day. What is better then fresh air in the early morning, a brisk evening walk at sundown… heaven to me.
Talk with new people – they’ll always expose you to new and interesting things, if you’re open to it.
Break out of your routine – see things from a different perspective. Take notice if you visit somewhere where you’ve never been before. Take extra notice of the familiar around you. What you see, hear or smell may surprise you.
Find time for silence – silence is far more inspiring than you might think.
Exercise – when you get moving exercise gets the blood pumping and ideas pop out of nowhere. Some of my most inspired thoughts come when I’m cleaning stables.
Use your inspiration – Be moved, and do something with your inspiration a short story, a drawing, a poem. Create something amazing.
Share your inspiration – and you will inspire others.
 

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

~Vincent van Gogh