inspire {264/365}

Today isn’t just another day.
Today I’ll create something beautiful.
– unknown

inspire 264/365

50mm  f/1.4  ISO 100 1/1600 (bad)
flypaper texture, birds from Skeletal Mess

What inspires you ?

For myself, creatively speaking (and if you haven’t figured out within ten minutes of knowing me that with me, it’s ALL about the creating, 24/7, 365 days a year) it seems there isn’t much that doesn’t inspire me.  And since I’ve started this photography project, the inspiration factor has magnified times twenty.  Everywhere I look I see a scene, an idea.  I have to stop and make something out of it.  It’s a compulsion.

And then you add in the design factor and things get crazy.  A sign along the side of the road could have me creating posters in my head, imagining where I might hang a collage in my home. A label at the grocery store might send me off dreaming up some new stamped pillows or a sidetable I’ve been dieing to paint and stamp up like an old crate (I actually have two salvaged tables sitting in my garage, rotting while they wait for me to get around to them).  And picking up a decorating magazine?  Pretty much a  guarantee that I’ll have my entire main floor redesigned and furnished (in my mind) before I get to the last page.  Except I’ll have redesigned some of the furniture because, y’know, I didn’t like the leg or a curve or something silly like that.

Go ahead and add some music to any of the above and all hell breaks loose.

Honestly.  It’s pretty crowded in my head at times.

Crazy.

Words.  Words inspire me the most, I think.  That shot up there (and ummm, this entire post … heh) was inspired by this week’s Simply Hue Creative Challenge ~ Inspire.  That’s where my mind went.  That’s what I saw.

(actually, my mind usually goes in a million different directions, usually quite unattainable directions, before settling down on one single idea.  It’s nuts)

And finally, my girl.  There’s a reason I wanted her in this shot.  She IS my inspiration, plain and simple, at the core of everything I do.  From the very first moment I set eyes on her little face, she’s inspired me, every single day, to be a better person.

A better woman.

For her.

Daughters do that to you :)

So yeah, what inspires you?

Do tell :)

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Have you visited  yet?  because you really should ;)

You can find my 365 project on flickr or check out the flickr group for Shutter Sisters and Designer Digitals.

For all daily photos posted here – Click project365 in the Category list in the right sidebar.

19 Comments
  • Leslie
    Posted at 23:13h, 21 September Reply

    First of all, that is the loveliest picture. I have goosebumps from it. The perfection is in the “nothing in the frame but bokeh.” It leaves everything to the imagination – everything to creativity.

    Genius, really. And I mean that.

    Lastly, what inspires me the most: Imperfection. I think that’s where beauty lies. I love cracked things, broken things. (And some would argue “people,” too.)

    Lovely post, dear. One of my favorites ever.

    • janice
      Posted at 23:20h, 21 September Reply

      Thanks girl. And I’m in total agreement with ‘imperfections’.
      If it’s all brand new, I usually don’t want it. heh.
      (except for cars … I’d take a new car please).
      Plus, it’s why you love me ;)

  • geneil
    Posted at 10:45h, 22 September Reply

    I admire you Jan… you are always so full of creativity and it shows in all your pics and projects. sigh. I have been feeling a bit uninspired lately. not sure how to get back on track.

    • janice
      Posted at 10:50h, 22 September Reply

      Thanks girl, but believe me, there are PLENTY of days when I am totally uninspired. Honestly.
      Props help ;)
      (and bribing my daughter LOL)

  • Erin
    Posted at 18:16h, 22 September Reply

    Awesome pic, J… you do have an eye for things. Prety soon you’ll have a showing in a gallery!
    As for inspoiration, I am still torn between “nothing” and “something” …
    Anger inspires me. It inspires me to speak out or write about what I am angry about … although I just don’t feel I have a place to write/blog anymore. The blogosphere has become so crowded the words seem to get lost somewhere, which I can’t say is “un”- inspiring, it’s “dis”- inspiring —because uninspired to me means doing nothing, and dis-inspried to me means having gotten inspired, done something but it’s been wasted. And I hatehatehate wasted time, wasted work, wasted energy. Cripe, my work for 10 years and now again is all about NOT wasting resources!
    “Inspired” also seems like it means one has done something great… often I see things in my head and have absolutely no idea how to make it happen. I see certain glass beads and I can see a piece in my head that I could make out of them, but I try and it doesn’t work… then I get frustrated and give up.

    Does any of that make sense?

    • janice
      Posted at 18:38h, 22 September Reply

      Totally makes sense, but I would think that you are more ‘discouraged’ than anything.
      xoxo

  • Jamie S
    Posted at 21:50h, 22 September Reply

    It’s no surprise, but music inspires me. As does nature and the work of other artists.

    • Rob the neighbor
      Posted at 08:17h, 23 September Reply

      Such talent Jan , very inspirational !

  • Maureen @ Cottage 960
    Posted at 11:03h, 23 September Reply

    oh, i so, so love this shot. really. i would love to have this on my wall to enjoy every. single. day. framed bokeh *sigh* so beautiful.
    thanks for the peek into your mind, what a fun place. :)
    you inspire me. you and the other wonderfully talented artist friends i have found on this big wide web. i feel so blessed to be able to sit down in front of a computer monitor everyday and experience such beauty and joy and sorrow and all of it expressed through their art.
    congrats on being featured on Mortal Muses Everyday Beauty. so happy to see your work there.
    ♥ maureen

    • janice
      Posted at 17:37h, 23 September Reply

      You flatter me. Always.
      You have no idea how much I appreciate that.

  • Lizzi S.
    Posted at 15:57h, 23 September Reply

    This is a gorgeous photo. Your editing and composition are just perfect.

    What inspires me? That’s a big question!

    Everything. Seriously. The cotton fields near my house to the train tracks down the street. Everything I see has me thinking “I could create something more out of that.”

    • janice
      Posted at 17:30h, 23 September Reply

      Exactly!!! yay!

  • Puna
    Posted at 15:59h, 23 September Reply

    This photo is inspiring! So wonderfully creative and the use of texture is brilliant!

    • janice
      Posted at 17:31h, 23 September Reply

      Thanks Puna!

  • Tug
    Posted at 16:00h, 23 September Reply

    I absolutely LOVE how you set this shot up – creative doesn’t even begin to cover it!

    (I thought the widget thingie said Love that Shit at first)

    (No, I don’t have any idea why)

    • janice
      Posted at 17:31h, 23 September Reply

      My boss looked at that today and said the exact same thing!
      LMAO!
      It’s why I like you guys ;)

  • Susan
    Posted at 19:51h, 23 September Reply

    I don’t know that I was inspired by much until I got serious about learning photography. Now I can’t stop. Everything does, but mostly Gods creation, from people to animals to flowers, sunsets, harvest moons etc.

  • justine Gordon
    Posted at 01:59h, 27 October Reply

    this is a fantastic shot, I saw your post on mortal muses – great stuff

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