Ways You Can Find Inspiration

Inspiration can come from anywhere. True or False? I recently joined a group of quilters on QuiltSpace, which is a free app you have to download before joining. I’ve posted a few of my quilts so people can get to know me, and I’ve enjoyed seeing other people’s quilts. Some of them are absolutely stunning. Naturally, I’ve posted one or two of my improv quilts. After all, would anyone know ME without my improv?

Anyway, another quilter asked, “Where do you get your inspiration?” Of course, I answered her question in my usual way: everywhere! And I proceeded to list some of the places and things that touched my muse. Old buildings and machinery. Any museum, like this recent visit. A bathroom wall once. Lots of tiles and carpets. (Richard loves it when I stop and take photos of the floor.) Flowers, trees, actually anything in nature. A design on someone’s dress or shirt. Actually, any fabric.

Once, a funny thing that someone said reminded me of tripping over the sidewalk. (I do that often.) As a result, I started looking for cracks in sidewalks. And cracked glass. Broken flower pots, and so on. It turns out, I love the waves and curves and corners that happen when something cracks or breaks. Not my favorite vase, but well…

Let me explain what this really means: I am not afraid. Okay, I am no longer afraid. I’m not afraid of what others think. I’m not afraid of trying, even when the chances are pretty low that the attempt will succeed. I not afraid to try even when Richard says it won’t work. Okay, but I want to try so I can see why it won’t work. I’m not afraid to learn more or learn from my mistakes.

I’m not afraid that I will not be enough. It’s possible, certainly. However, if I put all of myself into something and it is not good enough, I have simply learned (one more time) where to set the bar. And I, alone, am the one who sets it for myself. My bar is flexible. I can move it up or down depending on my situation and need. Maybe I’ll try that not-good-enough thing again, now that I’ve learned a few things. But I don’t have to. Plus, what’s awesome is that I make that decision.

Maybe this attitude came with age, but I think it comes from a different place. I think it’s from so often being the people-pleaser. The caretaker. The by-stander. The one who steps up. Or steps down. Who relinquishes credit for the whole. Who cares just enough. Or too much. The one who was afraid.

Now ask: what inspires me? Everything. Anything. All the things. The things I am afraid of. That are too hard. The things that I have to figure out. Alone. The things that no one else sees. That others call me crazy for. The things that I dream of. The people around me. The world around me.

I look for the inspiration. No, I search for inspiration. Everywhere. All the time.

We took a walk one day in a little wooded area that was wet and swampy. Many of the trees had fallen down years earlier. I was fascinated by the moss and lichen. Naturally, I took at least 50 photos of rotten trees, moss, lichen, broken branches. One tree had broken into several pieces and fallen in a strangely haphazard way. I stopped Richard and had him help me figure out how the pieces fit together. I needed to know how it must have stood straight despite the way it lay on the ground. It took us several minutes, because the pieces had to fit like a 3D puzzle. I had to flip and turn them in my head so that the broken edges matched. Now, why? Why? Because when I have a question, I need the answer. In the answer lies the inspiration!

Think about where you get your inspiration. Can you name a few? Leave them in the comments!