Inspiration Is Everywhere (Learn To Look)

Hellos & Hellos,

Inspiration is a very interesting word.

It tethers close to motivation, but also so far away from action. It not tangible, often inexplicable, and hard to find. When you do find it, sometimes you don’t know what to do with it and suddenly, it’s gone as quickly as it came.

Inspiration, while used in multiple ways, has one thing in common no matter the purpose.

It incites something inside you. Whether you act on it or not is a different story. But feeling inspired definitely makes you feel something. 

You feel happier, more creative, you can feel motivated, you can feel smarter, you can feel validated, by no one but yourself.

Inspiration never fails to make you feel. Something.

I need to admit, this feeling is addictive. No wonder artists and creatives usually use external sources of anything to make themselves feel that way all the time. Negative influences aside, even learning how to feel inspired is a mammoth of a task itself.

And here is how I do it.

Art Exhibitions For Beginners

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is an art festival that happens every two years in Fort Kochi, Kerala, India. It includes all sorts of exhibitions, from all kinds of artists, from all over the world.

While I may not be an art connoisseur, I do enjoy looking and learning about interesting things. And that’s what my first art festival taught me.

The entire essence of this exhibition forces you to get out of your head and your thoughts and to look at what’s in front of you. To observe, to pay attention, to take a beat and not force interpretation, but absorb how it makes you feel.

The reason they say looking at another person’s art can be inspiring because you’re not forcing your brain to do anything. Its just exposing yourself to different mediums, visuals and unique thought processes.

More often than not, deciphering the thinking process of the artists can also lead to new, inventive ideas of your own.

Your brain gets very good at organizing novelty and suddenly you’ll get an idea out of what seems like nothing.

Its not nothing, its inspiration.

The Power Of Presence

Attention is slowly becoming a very precious, scarce commodity.

Everything these days demands attention, none demand presence. And they are no longer the same thing.

Attention grabs, presence invites.

Attention needs to be brighter, louder, shocking, entertaining to make you look. Presence can just be, unassuming, quiet, calm, and intentional.

You have to bring attention to the present. You have to learn to observe.

You don’t have to comment, judge or profile. You just have to look. Just like art.

Once your mind clears from its own internal narrative, you will see hidden moments tucked between the everyday.

The evening golden light on your bookcase, the heart shaped crème on your coffee, flowers blooming between cemented cracks on the road, the green in someone’s eyes, the moment of stillness when you step into an empty elevator, and everything in between.

All because you learned how to be present.

Experiencing The New

Routine is such a funny thing.

We do so much to have one, create one, fall into one. We study routines from successful people, from individuals we aspire to be like, from advice gurus on the internet. Just to construct the perfect morning routine, night routine, skin routine, workout routine.

And then what happens? Eventually we get bored of routine.

Doing the same thing day in and day out, eating the same meals, meeting the same people.

We crave innovation. Something new, something interesting, a change of scenery, a change of pace, a change of… you guessed it. Routine.

Now, there is not wrong with the essence of building a healthy schedule for life, but if there is anything doomscrolling has taught us is that our brain craves new stimulants. That’s why every reel after reel feels like a hit of something new that your brain is looking for.

And while routine has its place in grounding us and creating a sense of balance, it may deter us away from finding new avenues to get inspired.

That’s why switching things up a bit can actually help you get inspired because of the change in your visual environment. Something your brain looks at and goes, hey that’s new, this kinds reminds me of… wait, this is so cool, just like…. Oh, I bet I could do this…

And one thought leads to another and suddenly you get an idea!

That’s also one reason why travel will never fail to inspire.

Action Before The Assumption

Contrary to what I have said till now, you don’t go looking for inspiration, it comes to you.

It comes to you while you were just putting yourself in situations for it to find you.

The action of wanting to be inspired and taking the measures for it- come before the assumption that if I do XYZ I will be inspired.

You just do the thing, take that trip, read that book, watch that movie, meet that person, go to that place.

You take yourself on what Julia Cameron from The Artists Way, calls an ‘Artist Date’

As often and as authentically as you can.

So while routines can feed the analytical, optimized side of your brain, Artist Dates can feed the creative, innovative side.

In life, I think there is a need to balance both.

I cant work when my room is a mess, I cant relax when I know I’ve procrastinated on something for work, I cant think when I’m stuck in the same 4x4 spaces etc.

Do something, do anything, and if done authentically, inspiration is soon to follow.

I know I cant be inspired all the time. But nothing is stopping me to try.

In fact, I don’t think I need to be inspired just for work and writing. I can be inspired to watch a different genre of movie, to start a new workout regime, to try a new recipe. I can be inspired to be a better person, a patient listener, a better contributor to society.

My sense of inspiration is not limited to the traditional aspect of a creative.

Here, inspiration to me is striving to live life to my fullest potential. Whatever that means and however that manifests.

Inspiration never fails to make you feel, remember?

So why not use that feeling to do something good?

Anyway, I wanted to use this blog piece to write about my Kochi trip with one of my bestest friends. But I was ‘inspired’ to make it more than a travel recap.

Here are the things that inspired me on this trip:

The change of scenery from the plane, from a cityscape to greenery and sea. | The power in just asking. | A hand drawn map of Fort Kochi. | Daily outfit photos before the staircase. | Lamps made up of recycled paper bill. | Having great travel chemistry with someone. | The seafood platter at Paragon. | Breakfast buffets. | Breezy boat rides. | Green cove cafes. | PAZAMPHORI! | Pier seating at Seagull. | Huuugeee paintings. Huge. | Long conversations in cab rides. | When you go to another city looking for inspiration, not realizing you travel companion next to you would end up becoming the biggest source of it all. :)

Hoping you find inspiration wherever you go,

Niki. :)