I talk a lot about finding inspiration in things…
Cars. Dressers. A pile of laundry. You name it.
However, a huge part of staying encouraged and inspired comes from those who are actually alive.
Y’know… humans! Real live people! Your kin!
Shocking, I know. Who knew?
You are not your friends.
I don’t mean this in an “I’m 13 and this is deep” kind of way.
I mean it literally. You are not your friends.
Your friends have minds that work differently than yours. They can paint pictures that you wouldn’t have thought to paint, or write stories in a way you wouldn’t have considered. Good! How boring it would be if we were all the same!
We’re all different. Obvious, isn’t it? But I think we forget sometimes…and because we forget, it can be easy to let the success of our friends discourage us rather than inspire us.
And, weirdly, that can make us want to do things all alone.
Stop trying to be Batman.
Give me one good reason why you think you should be creating things alone.
Seriously!
How can you unlock your full creative potential without engaging with your fellow creatives? How can you grow without community?
It doesn’t make any sense to do it alone. So, reach out. Discuss things with your friends. You can’t bounce an idea off an empty chair.
Passion begets passion.
We all have things we’re passionate about and we often like to talk about those things.
And when people talk about their passions, the passion can spread.
I love music. I sing; I studied voice for years, trained professionally. But when it comes to composition or music theory, I really don’t know anything. I find it frustrating and confusing.
But I discovered musicians like Adam Neely and Charles Cornell, who live in that music-theory world. They love it, and they’re passionate about it–the way that they talk about music theory and composition hooks me every time. Whether I fully understand what they’re talking about or not, their passion is straight up infectious. I get excited about a passion that isn’t even my own!
How cool is that?
Use your friends!
C’mon, guys, don’t make it weird.
I’m fortunate enough to have awesomely creative friends here in Cambridge. When ever I’m feeling down about my own projects, I just ask them what they’re working on! Their creative energy and passion about their work is like a jump-start for my own creative battery. A hard reset, if you will.
Take my friend Noah, for example: he just published his first book, Outlaw Blood.
Noah has such an engaging, immersive writing style. Not only does reading his work inspire me, but seeing him grow and tackle the publishing process is amazing to see. I can’t wait for you to read this book, guys!
Outlaw Blood is a fantasy/sci-fi western about Clye, a man on the run from the law and the guilt that haunts him. Here’s a blurb about the plot:
Turned loose with a posse of bounty hunters, Clye cuts a deal to capture his former blood brother in the Yeller gang. The lawmen want him alive for hanging–to satiate the town’s lust for blood.
Clye has enough skill with a pistol to make a lawman blush, enough power with sand to blind the keenest hawk, and a load of guilt heavy enough to sink a cathrahd to its knees.
They say the blood of an outlaw ain’t worth a pint of milk.
Clye’s bartered with a lot of things in his life–never with his blood.
Yet.
Outlaw Blood is gritty and thought provoking, all while immersing you in a fascinating new world. It poses the question: is it ever too late to redeem your name?
Go get your own copy over on Amazon!
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So glad to hear that, Mattie! You're welcome for the reminder.
Hi Judy! I'll be staying in Cambridge :-)
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