Friday, May 29, 2009

Inspiration

I find that both things great and small can be an inspiration.

Two people who inspire me are Luisa Perkins and John Roos.

I'll be lucky enough to have both of them visit here sometime in the near future - I'll be reviewing Luisa's amazing cookbook, Comfortably Yum, and John will be the launch for a new feature here: Local Love Fridays. Local Love Fridays will focus on small, independent business owners in the Ann Arbor/Southeast Michigan area, and our first feature will be RoosRoast Coffee. I'm hoping that some of you who are farther afield will take up this challenge, too, and help us to learn about your communities through those who are trying to make a difference in this crazy world economy.

I'm not yet sure if my debut piece will be next week or on June 12th. Stay tuned for that one.

In the meantime, I'm going to leave you with some of my favorite quotes. These quotations inspire me on a daily basis, but, you know, I'm kind of word-driven like that.

Ray Bradbury:

"To sum it all up, if you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling.

You must write every single day of your life.

You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in glorious fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next.

You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats on your crazy heads.

I wish for you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime.

I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you.

May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories - science fiction and otherwise.

Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And, out of that love, remake a world."

Sai Baba:

"Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve upon the silence?"

Eleanor Roosevelt:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your permission."

Horace:

"Carpe diem."

What makes you "seize the day"? What inspires you?

20 comments:

anno said...

Good coffee, good books, good friends; always does it for me. Looking forward to hearing more about yours.

thailandchani said...

Change. Choices. And good books.



~*

Luisa Perkins said...

*Smiling, blushing.*

I love the idea of Local Love! If you make a button, I hope you let me use it.

Good music helps me seize the day! So does the inspiration of lovely friends like you.

Momisodes said...

Bradbury's quote is wonderful. I couldn't help but smile reading it.

I can't wait to read your cookbook review and Local Love Fridays (I love that idea BTW).

Thistlemoon said...

Love. Life. Nature. Food. Animals. Perseverance.

Kate said...

Writing. And reading. It is my life.

Mariposa said...

Coffee and books...always a good combination!

Look forward to it!

April said...

If I knew what inspired me, I wouldn't get writer's block so often!

Jen said...

Anno - good coffee, good books, good friends - Luisa/John take care of all three! And I concur in terms of your inspiration.

Ah... Chani... change and choices. Good points!

Ah, Luisa - good music - of COURSE! I hope I make a button, too... I have no idea how to make one, lol.

Momisodes - I love, love, love the Bradbury quote. It's over my desk. Would you be interested in any occasional Boston Local Love?

Great points, Jenn. Great forms of inspiration.

I couldn't agree more, Kate! And thanks so much for stopping by!

Mariposa - wonderful combination. Always.

April - hmmm... didn't think of it that way!

Acedog said...

In no particular order: A well turned sentence, Miro's paintings, my wife and children, a good pinot noir, silence, music, autumn, coffee, friends.....

Virtualsprite said...

Reading other people who are excited about writing.

Making music. Feeling the vibrations of the strings underneath my fingers when I play my viola.

Seeing my children and husband happy.

Good food.

Oh said...

Books, magazines, conversation, exercise. Art. Which is in all of the above.

Alex Harrison said...

Can't wait to start reading Local Love...it will help me stay connected with A2 from Denver...

Jen said...

Acedog, Virtual and Oh - I think I'd agree with all of your lists!

Alex - you'll be missed! Denver is supposed to be just a wonderful city, though. Maybe you can give a local perspective from there. ;-)

Anonymous said...

"Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve upon the silence?"
I like this one :)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I'm with Maryann. That spoke to me as well. I love a good book on the beach with my favourite glass of Okanagan wine in hand.

Jen said...

Maryann - it's probably my favorite, philosophically, too. It was always on my sister's fridge.

Val, that sounds like perfect inspiration to me.

Brittany | the Home Ground said...

All of those quotes are incredible. I think you've posted the Bradbury one before? Or else, I've read it on someone else's blog. It puts passion in me. It makes me want to do those things. I would like to find an old dusty library and do that, inhale the scents.

Anyway, I find inspiration in the wonders of the natural world around us, a well-written piece of literature, the incredibly important daily tasks that are not seen as such. Many things.

Jen said...

You're so right, Brittany, I have posted the Bradbury before. I guess I just love it so much, it's the first thing that comes to mind.

I think I see how you're inspired in many of your blog entries.

Leslie said...

Oh, I love these quotes. I need to infuse the Sai Baba one into my life!

As for my inspiration: Dave and my girls. There's nothing in better in life than loving them.