Finding Inspiration

Artist: a person who creates

• That’s one definition.
• Another might be a person who is talented in sculpture, painting, drawing, etc.
• Or perhaps an artist can only be an artist if their art is sold for profit.

• How would you define an artist?

I think there is an artist in all of us. My favorite definition of an artist is “someone who reveals the things inside and outside of us that we may have missed” while swept up in the everyday.

• So to be an artist, one must learn to linger.
• One must look.
• Take a second look.
• Listen, watch, observe, notice.
• And then reveal.
• An artist sees the same things we see, but takes the time to illuminate what we’d typically let fade into the peripheral darkness.

How many times have you been caught in rush hour traffic, frustrated by the sudden 15 mph speed limit, mentally rehashing the day’s workload, while the sun slowly sets, casting pink and oranges hues across your windshield?

• There was a quiet beauty consuming the sky, but you missed it because your mind was too busy to notice. 
• According to my favorite definition at the start, an artist, would have noticed. They would have paused the mind chatter, taken stock of the sublimity of the environment, and encouraged you to do the same.
• You don’t have to have the eye, (or ears, or nose, for that matter) to see art.

You’ve just have to be present.

I don’t know about you, but it sounds like we all have that potential.

We could all be that kind of artist.

• We just need to slow down.
• Travel inward.
• Get to know yourself. Find what you gravitate towards.
• What are the things you notice?
• Are you inspired by books? Places? People?
• Do you touch flowers, feel sunsets, hear silence?

Let the subtle “art” that makes up our everyday lives inspire you to create, share, and reveal what’s right in front of us.
And I’ve got three ideas to help you start manifesting your inner artist.

Find Your Inspiration

1. Walking Meditation

When I first started meditating, I’ll be honest with how frustrating I found it. As someone who couldn’t stand being still, the idea of spending time just sitting on the floor, breathing, seemed like a massive waste of my time. My thoughts were buzzing, and try as I might to simply let them float through my mind without following where they went, I just couldn’t do it. I do much better with what I call “Mindful Movement” aka walking meditations. Your body is given the freedom to move around and it forces your mind to be more present.

For a walking meditation, I recommend going outside. Simply walking around the block will give you a better opportunity to use all five sense while still feeling grounded.

• Without any specific pace or gait, just walk comfortably and notice your body.
• Do you step down heel-then-toe, or toe-then-heel?
• Are your arms swinging comfortably by your sides?
• Are you on pavement or grass?
• Are you breathing through your nose or mouth?
• These are all just questions to get you acquainted with your present self.
• Then, once you’ve established your mind+body connection, start to notice your surroundings.
• What colors do you see?
• Do you smell grass? Gasoline? Barbeque?
• How does the air feel on your face?
• Can you hear cars, birds, airplanes?

Notice how acutely aware you are of a place you’d probably dismissed as unworthy of a second glance.

Now you’re seeing a small robin’s nest way, tucked high up in a tree. You’re hearing bees and insects, forgetting they were cohabiting this space with you. You’re smelling flowers and grass that seem more vibrant than you ever remember.

You’re engaging your inner artist. You’re noticing all the things everyday life obscures. Share it.

2. Free Write

• This is a simple practice to reveal what may be going on inside ourselves. With so many thoughts, ideas, words, and phrases swirling through our brains, it’s easy to let it all bundle up into an irreversible knot.
• Free writing lets you create space in your mind. It extracts those jumbled thoughts and puts them onto paper, giving us the mental clarity we all so desperately want.
• When you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed by the noise going on in your head, grab a pen and paper.
• Without judgement, no erasing, or scratch outs, just write.
• Write 500 words without stopping.
• Let your stream of consciousness move from your mind, down to your hand, through your pen, and finish it’s journey on your paper.
• When you’re done, read it.
• Notice what thoughts you had been holding onto. See what reveals itself.
• You might be surprised to find some thoughts you didn’t even know were there. Too easily stowed away, hidden from yourself, letting louder, flashier thoughts take all your attention.
• Well now, you have an unbiased view into your own mind. You’ll notice which thoughts came from your inner artist:
• I loved the way that song made me feel.
• The sunlight casts an unusual shadow at this time.
• See what your inner artist wants you to hear.
• And then divulge that. Let those thoughts take the forefront of your brain, entertain those ideas, let yourself feel present and inspired.

3. Artist Date

Julia Cameron is an artist. She’s a musician, a writer, a teacher, and she inspires. She knows how to tap into her inner artist and has written several books teaching you to find your own. She created a program called The Artist’s Way that serves as a guide for your personal journey in reaching your highest creative power.

One of the tools she recommends in taking your inner artist on a date. While this may sound odd, bear with me. She advises that you set aside at least two hours each week to go on a date alone (just you and your inner artist). It can be anywhere.

• It can be the movies, an art museum, the local fair, the park, the options are endless.
• The point of this exercise is to let you cultivate a relationship with your inner artist.
• By spending quality time together, you’ll start to hear more.
• You’ll actively listen for your artist’s voice as it becomes a new fixture in your everyday life.

Suddenly you’ll find yourself back in rush-hour traffic, never exceeding 15 mph, but this time, you’ll be staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the beautiful sunset happening around you because your inner artist pointed it out. Oh in which the ways we grow.

The most beautiful things in life don’t ask for attention.

• They’re the subtle things that are always there like
• The moon
• The changing seasons
• The meaningful stares
• The hands being held
• The stillness in nature.
• They can be seen without notice. But when noticed, are breathtaking.

Find what inspires you. Find what makes you look twice, listen harder, see deeper.

We’re all artists, so find your inspiration and reveal what you see.