inspiration

The Story You Have to Tell

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St. Augustine writing, revising, and re-writin...

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Have you asked “Why do I write?  If not, you should.  It will put your writing into perspective.  For some writers, the answer will be for fun, for money, for success, for fame, for love of the craft, to express myself, to help or inspire others … the answers to that question are personal and there are no wrong answers to it.  However, your answer must match your motive, and your motive, should match your effort and goals.

If you are in it to make money or for success, you should be realistic on the venues that you will use to make your goals a reality.  However, if you are doing it to inspire others, then that should be your main focus.  Somehow, money becomes secondary, almost an after thought.  The time for monetary reward comes eventually if you stay true to your purpose and reason for writing.

For some writers, the story they have to tell – wether inspirational or not – is the greater purpose – they have to tell the story, whether it sells well or not.  They know that they need to write the story and the story must reach the reader it was intended for or the reader who needs to get its message.  Wether it is for millions of readers or just one reader, does not matter.  For these writers, the story itself, (the message) is worth more than monetary compensation or fame.  They would write it anyway.  Why?  Because the story itself becomes “the why” – it is the story they have to tell.

The Ageless Artist

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Sketch of W. Somerset Maugham.

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This morning I read a post on Facebook that quoted someone – “… no artist should be allowed to live after he’s 40.  By then a man has done his best work, all he does after that is repetition.” Of Human Bondage,” W. Somerset Maugham.

My reply to the quote itself was,  “Those are such foolish words, inspiration and art are ageless.”

If that was true possibly half or more of the greatest works in history would have not come to be.  Art and Inspiration are ageless, simply because they come from within, from the heart, the soul, and the deepest crevices of our spirit.  The artist inside you is ageless and ready to create when the need and instinct to create makes it inevitable for Art to be born.  Whether artists realize it or not, their art comes from their deepest desire to become creators themselves, and from the spiritual connection between their humanity and their soul.  When you create a piece, there is more than the aging carcass at work; the shell is just the instrument to make art real, art relies on the artist to become, but it is.  Many artists may have the same idea, but it is expressed in different ways and takes its unique form; therefore, becoming art.  In that sense, the artist is ageless.

Uninspired? Change Your Spot

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Distracted Bunny

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Today, as I was getting ready to work on my novel, I could not get myself started.  I sat at the desk, opened the file, and soon got distracted with something else.  I knew I had to go back to it, but something was not quite right.  I felt the urge to go outside and write, pen in hand.  I looked outside and the chair was still a bit wet from last night rain, but I went outside anyway.  I sat to write.  Soon, words started to pour, almost nonstop.  In no time, I had a chapter done, as soon as the words stopped pouring in.

I understood that I was ready to write, just not at my desk.  Sometimes, just moving to another spot will do the trick to get you started on that page or that chapter.  Next time, if you want to get started but somehow don’t seem to connect with your muse, go somewhere else and try it.

The Power of Change

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Cover page cuverture Turning the Tide On Clima...

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I have met people who do not like change.  They simply don’t like things around them to be different, whether change is for the better or not.  There is risk in change – the unknown.  For some people, this is scary; simply put, they prefer the known to the unknown.  The known comforts them.

I welcome change, whether good or bad, if there is such a thing as bad change.  I believe that when we see our circumstances to be changing for the worst, it is just a matter of perception.  Change always bring something new and different.  With this, it brings the opportunity for new challenges, growth, and new lessons.  It brings the chance – requested or unrequested – of creating something new of the experience or change.  In a way, change is creation.  Change is always forward, even when it is perceived as a step backwards.

Some people may disagree with me on this.  For example, if you were to lose everything you own, you would perceive this as a negative change in your life.  However, this could be the best opportunity for you to start anew, to create a second life, an exciting opportunity.  Yes, no one thinks of being in that situation, and I don’t know of anyone that would consciously welcome it; however, many people in today’s economy have gone thru similar change.  The perception of this change is what will make them powerless or powerful individuals.  This is the power of change.

Designing Your Life Map

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A treasure map

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I have to admit that I love lists.  Yeah, I make all kinds of lists.  Therefore, to me, goal setting comes natural, it’s been like that for long.  I find that most things that I put in writing somehow get done, or play it that way – even when I think I have forgotten about them.  One thing that I have indulged on recently, is creating a life map.  This is not with the purpose of tracking or carving each step on stone, but more as a fun way to visualize the things that I would like to carry out and showcase my interests at a particular stage of life.  We all know that interests change and it is important to allow these changes.

Your life map can be an inspirational tool and it can include pictures or take the shape of an actual map that you create – this is the fun part.  It can also follow a timeline or a series of steps – just as a treasure map would.  I find it makes goal setting more interesting and helps you focus as you look at it everyday and see the big picture plastered in front of you.  It is the inspiration to do what you have to do everyday – what you know you have to do – even when people around you may not understand it as you do.

Next time you sit down to check or write some goals , try this method and see how you like it.

Roses by Magic

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A rose bush.

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Sitting at my computer for long hours is a bit tiring, so I try to walk around the house, for short breaks or to get some  coffee.  Today, I glanced outside thru the screen door that leads to the backyard.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the rose-bush full of dark red roses – a magical blanket of red.  When did it happen?  As if by magic, the rose-bush that was just sticks a few weeks ago, turned into a marvel of nature.  Although I was not paying attention, the change did not happen from one day to the next – it took some time; slowly the lush leaves appeared, and later, the breathtaking roses.

This gave me some insight.  I thought, sometimes, we worry so much when we are following our call, specially when we don’t see results right away.  We tend to shrivel, to dry, and forget that the growth happens slowly; and just as those roses one day appeared in all their splendor, so it will happen if we continue our path and let growth and bloom happen naturally.

Me Who, What, Huh?

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A Jolt can with the text "America's most ...

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I guess it happens in your early forties, but suddenly, you find yourself questioning everything around you – the universe, society, career, friendships … and how you have lived your entire life.  The only thing not being questioned is family – because you are stuck with it.  Somehow, nothing seems to make sense, or at least, have the same meaning it had.  It could be a dramatic experience for many, or an exciting period in your life.  You can analyze everything to exhaustion and become depressed, or you can just enjoy the sudden jolt of enlightenment that seems to break you in  halves.

Eventually, like everything, it will pass, and you will emerge once more.  Depending on what you made of the experience, you will emerge strong or vulnerable – but no matter what, it is still you.  I am convinced that midlife crisis happens for a reason – it is necessary to ground you once more,  just as the “terrible twos” or the “challenging teens.”  Will it happen around your sixties, eighties …?  Who knows.  Me Who, What, Huh?

Shakespeare a Day 14

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The Death of Desdemona, by Eugène Ferdinand Vi...

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“Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge had stomach for them all.” – Othello, The Moor of Venice

This line is full of emotion, vengeance and anger – both strong and powerful emotions that can take over the best of our humanity.  It only takes a moment for those emotions to undo the best in us.  As humans, we experience a ray of feelings and emotions that can shape our behavior; the real power rests in how we deal with them.

My favorite authors are the ones that can tell a good story but also let me feel the emotions through the words in the page.

Shakespeare a Day 10

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Puck and the Fairies (from Midsummer Night’s D...

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“Lord, what fools these mortals be.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

One just ought to look around; but as fools as we might be, we are also capable of greatness, of beauty, of art, of soulful awe, of kind deeds, of self-less sacrifices, of loving deeds, of creativity.  And that is how we cannot deny our divine traces.

Shakespeare a Day 8

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“He hath a heart as sound as a bell and his tongue is the clapper; for what his heart thinks his tongue speaks.” – Much Ado About Nothing

Love it!  Our bells ring of love, hate, joy, sadness, passion, hurt, envy, anger, awe, spirit …  What ever melody we play inside, notes play on the outside.  Might as well become instruments for good, praise, and the highest Love.  In the end, the music we send out vibrates back to us.