8 Things That Really Inspire Me ...

My room is always covered in magazines... whether they are about decorating, fashion, or anything in between, I find the themes, colours and pictures mesmerising, and it’s a great way to spark a train of thought which could lead to an amazing drawing, painting or poem. That rustic themed kitchen? It would make the perfect setting for...

Photo Credit: .neha.

Music has a huge effect on my mood... it’s one of the only things that can lift me out of a rage, and leave me feeling okay. It can make me happy, sad, angry... I really feel the music, and that can be so inspiring. If I’m stuck on what to write next, I listen to a song that I think fits the scene. It always makes my imagination spark!

Do you remember your dreams? I tend to... maybe not the whole dream, but people or places often stick out to me, or I’ll remember some dialogue or a feeling, and often these make the perfect inspiration. Recreating the dream from what I can remember, and editing it, is a great activity for getting rid of writer's block, too. I keep a dream diary, and it makes great reading!

Photo Credit: B℮n

Looking at random scenes always makes my mind whir...like this picture. I didn’t take it, and I’ve never been to where it was taken, but the bright red of the bike against the cold white snow... it sends my mind into overdrive giving it a story, and an atmosphere, and a background. I just can’t help myself...

Photo Credit: A Cranmer

I have hundreds of books. I love to read. When my mind isn’t producing it’s own stories, I love to read other people's... I love the adventure! Controversial books are often great inspiration, too. For example, I read 'My Sisters Keeper' long before the hype, and already had an opinion on what had happened. The book started a fire inside of me, and that passion makes excellent inspiration...'The Time Traveller's Wife' is another very controversial yet excellent book.

Photo Credit: BoblyP

I can spend hours and hours wandering around art galleries... I like to ignore the ‘stock’ explanation of what each picture is, and instead make up my own story. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it's impossible, but I always try to think outside the box, and I always find I walk away with a mind that is already piecing together a story!

Photo Credit: jackfre2

Have you ever wondered what walls would say, if they could talk? Who would have built your house, lived there before you, who will be there afterwards? Now think about architectural masterpieces... palaces, temples and natural wonders. Give them a story, and a past, and a voice. I always find photographs don’t do places justice... my head spins with ideas whenever I visit somewhere amazing!

Photo Credit: bored-now

Okay, so no one wants to remember those emotions that twist your insides up and make you want to feel numb, but they are fantastic for giving characters believable emotion... pulling out those feelings will give you a rage and a passion to work with, and I find that converts into great inspiration.

If you think about it, everything is inspiration. You can be inspired when you wake up, just before you go to sleep, when you are walking your dog... there is inspiration everywhere! And once you’ve opened your mind to it, you’ll find it is always flooding in. I can never turn my mind off! And now that I’ve shared my secrets, I’d love to hear what inspires you!

Top Photo Credit: steverose57