Bloggers

I don't know about you, but I am constantly thankful for this little corner of the internet that I get to share with fellow bloggers. I have never "met" more inspirational and creative people in my life. I am so thankful that every day I have the chance to be inspired by others, and that others are kind enough to share their inspiration and creativity with me. It sometimes is the only thing that keeps me going. Remember that there are people out there that think like me, and that are driven by creativity and passion.

I just wanted to share with you all a few of my favorite bloggers of the moment. There are seriously sooo many you guys, but I needed to keep the list rather short. I hope to do this more often, but here are some lovelies that just make me think and give me constant creative ideas on the daily. And I promise there are soo many more. I wish I could share them all.

Art Fawn.. you guys seriously. This lady is amazing. Her photos are always lovely, and her style is unreal. I am so glad that I stumbled upon her blog a couple months ago. She seriously is the sweetest, and you just can't help but want to be her best friend!

Chronicles of She..talk about someone who is always thinking of others. I promise you will just love her. Reading her blog always makes me want to better myself and help others. Also follow her on Insta! Her pics are the bomb!

Lifesize Paperdoll.. The lovely Maggey is always a constant inspiration to me. From her style, to making things happen for herself. She is currently living the dream interning in the incredible Seattle, and believe me... just read about some of her adventures and you will want to be her. Plus, she is freaking hilarious!

Owls In My Heart.. oh my goodness, where to even begin when it comes to the lovely Stephanie. Her words have the power to break your heart, and than put you back together again. I promise in a good way. This lady has a way with words, and her pictures are always a delight. She really is probably one of the most creative seeking ladies, and she inspires me so much.

Shake, Rattle and Ramble.. I don't think there is a blogger that makes me thing more than Meg does. Her posts are some of the few that no matter what I HAVE to read, because there is just always something there. She just has a way of putting things that completely changes your outlook, or just makes you smile because you are so happy that someone gets it. Like seriously every day you guys!

The S Diaries.. Shawnee is one of the raddest ladies I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know through blogging. She seriously is just one- of- a kind, and her blog is always such a pick-me-up. This girl always has the best quotes, and is such a cool hippie at heart. I just stinking love her to pieces! I want to be her.

Tightrope to the Sun.. I don't think I will ever meet a more talented writer in all my life. Seriously you guys, I wish she could write my life. I have never known someone who uses words so effortlessly. I seriously feel like I am constantly in awe at the beauty of her words when I read her posts. She is just fantastic ok!

Well I hope that you guys take the time to go and visit ALL these lovely ladies. It is definitely worth the time, and I'm sure most of you know of each other already. That is the other great thing about blogging. We all seem to find ourselves connected at some point. Isn't it great?!

What are some blogs that you constantly find as a go-to for inspiration, or to get the creative juices flowing??

Guest Post: Meg

I am overjoyed by the requests I got to do guest posts. Each and every single lady that wanted to has a blog that truly inspires me, and who I would want to be best friends with in real life. Like seriously though, they are AMAZING you guys!

We will start with the wonderful Meg from shake, rattle and ramble. Pretty please make sure you check out her blog, because she is absolutely wonderful!!

I have asked each guest poster (is that a word?) to share five random things about themselves, and then what inspires them. I feel think with the transition of seasons everyone gets in a bit of a rut inspiration wise. I am confident these lovely ladies can give you a new perspective on things, so that is why I asked them to share what inspires them. Enjoy!

Five random facts: 1) I do not wear high heels.  2) I play the cello.  3) There is something oddly exciting to me about being "old" one day; I admire the elderly.  4) I am married to a wonderful bearded man who I've known since high school.  5) I wish I had an on/off switch for my thoughts.

On Inspiration:

My personal definition for inspiration is motivation from an outside or third-party influence to express something sincere.  Sincerity is my central objective in anything I do, and I feel very strongly that art, any kind of art, is sincere expression.  If it is not honest, if it is not in earnest, it is not art. 

Now that you know what I consider inspiration to be, I will tell you what specific things inspire me, specifically.  But first, I'm going to do both of us a favor and skip over the obvious, bohemian answers.  What I mean by that are things such as truth, beauty, love, nature, etc, etc.  I do this because everyone in existence with a heart thunking inside of their chest is inspired by these things at some point. Including them in this would be as pointless as writing, "I am human and I breathe air" in my About Me section.  For this reason, I do not feel the need to write about these in particular.

What I have been and continue to be inspired by most are my relationships with others.  The reason, I think, that I am so easily inspired by these is the great potential they have to provide such a wide range of emotion.  Relationships can be the best or the worst things in our lives.  They can cause us great joy or heaping amounts of misery.  They have the power to get under our skin, to take root in our hearts and grow.  It doesn't matter what kind of relationship.  Whether it is romantic, platonic, professional or personal, this whole "getting to know other people" thing is not for the weak-willed. Go through a list of your favorite songs in your mind.  How many of them were written about a relationship?  My guess is, probably the majority.  It seems to me that nothing gets us people smiling, frowning, laughing, crying, jumping for joy or sinking in agony more than human drama.  And, in turn, nothing is more likely to inspire us, to motivate us to create something sincere.

Because my main form of expression is writing, another source of inspiration for me is some good literature.  I love books.   I love the way that reading certain authors causes me to think the way their book reads.  Do you know what I mean?  Suddenly that author's style sinks into my mind, and I hear my thoughts in their voice all day long.  It's oddly enjoyable.  It sort of feels like taking a vacation from my own brain.

 

I recently read a book by Daniel Handler, and it completely changed the way I had been approaching what I wrote.  He is so fearless.  I had a refreshed perspective, and no longer felt hesitant about running with the ideas that came into my mind. 

That's the thing about inspiration.  It can't be accompanied by fear or hesitation.  These are the spoilers of sincere expression.  Inspiration also doesn't always (or, in my case, ever) come all at once.  You've got to keep that faucet of creativity on at all times.  Don't reject the ideas that your brain gives you, appreciate them!  Let your brain know it's doing what you want it to.  Run with it. 
 

"I feel such a creative force in me: I am convinced that there will be a time when, let us say, I will make something good every day, on a regular basis...I am doing my very best to make every effort because I am longing so much to make beautiful things.  But beautiful things mean painstaking work, disappointment, and perseverance." -Van Gogh