Finding Inspiration in New Places

Inspiration is most appreciated when you least expect it.

Waking up this morning, after three days of travel for work, my mind was foggy and my body a bit sore. (Sitting on airplanes and lifting suitcases into overhead bins will do that.) But in going through my inbox, I found two things that immediately got me going, like the spiciness of a cup of bhakti chai.

A boundary crosser who I had blogged about a few years ago, Brian Schmidt, emailed me about a convention he started last year for his industry, GameSoundCon.  Brian composes music for video games. He's got undergraduate degrees in Music Composition and Computer Engineering, and a graduate degree in Computer Applications in Music. As the website states, "GameSoundCon is for composers, sound designers, audio engineers and others who want to learn what it takes to work in the video game music and sound industry."

Sounds pretty run of the mill....until you see the video of who showed up and what they talked about. See for yourself.

These are people who love what they do, are creative and practical at the same time, and take their work seriously. We need more people in the workplace like this. If you aren't bringing that kind of passion and sensibility to your work, maybe you should reconsider your profession.

My second jolt of inspiration this morning came via an email from Patricia Ryan Madson, author of the book, Improv Wisdom.  Patricia recently rejuvenated her blogging efforts with a year-long series of postings on everyday objects in her life.  Again, this doesn't sound like much. Until you see that Patricia is a woman who sees the world with a special lens, with the eye of a painter, the heart of an improvisor, and the mind of a writer. It's a powerful combination. Photo by Patricia Ryan Madson.

Where are you finding inspiration these days?

Comments

[Patricia Ryan Madson]

My goodness, you've made MY day once again. I am dumbstruck by the compliment about my eye, heart and mind. How truly happy I am that it gave you a lift. And seeing the paintbox on your blog just makes me want to paint. With prose like that maybe I can hire you as my publicist!! Thank you once again for being an ally and helper.

[carolross]

My pleasure, Patricia. It's easy to recommend "the good stuff," which is often more than the content, but also who you are being when you create.