When my life is extra full, and I find my breathing room getting tighter and smaller, I try to allow time for my mind to wander (in small increments) to what inspires me. Even for a split second while running an errand, or the last five minutes before I fall asleep, I think about what bolsters my spirit. What makes me feel alive. What keeps my creativity thriving.
This time of year is my favorite. Unfortunately, it is also our busiest time of each year, so it usually passes as a fleeting thought. But I try to hold on to the moments I can grab from it.
Below is one of those moments. I was running around our house between schoolwork, dinner prep, and email answering when I saw the sky. I felt that overwhelming feeling of guilt, “I should be out there enjoying that…..” so I grabbed my camera and took a 2 minute break. Years ago, it was this time of year that we walked through this house, and would you believe it was this gorgeous tree that called my name? I just couldn’t get over it’s beauty, as it gracefully hung over the back deck. And now we are blessed to see it change each year, shedding it’s leaves each fall and beginning the cycle all over again.
The simple things….these are what inspire me most. These are my happy thoughts I dwell on when I feel overwhelmed. My children laughing, my husband’s ongoing love, the way the sun sets across my backyard. These thoughts warm me, revive me, and drive me to capture beauty all around, even in it’s simplest form.
So, I want to hear from you….because you all inspire me as well. Please share in the comments below what you are currently inspired by, or what you find currently pushing you to better yourself. I will randomly choose from the comments later this week, and the winner will receive a 12×18 mounted print.
I can’t wait to hear from you!!
jess
Artist, wife, mama of four.
Lover of life
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i must admit that i feel a bit like that lately. I am buried with work and I can’t seam to see the end of it. But there is one thing that inspired me and keep me calm. Browsing through DIY projects and collecting them for winter that i expect to be less busy. thanks for sharing your thoughts. it is refreshing. xx
Currently if you drive down the streets here in Nebraska, the leaves are falling, and you get the feeling it’s almost raining leaves. I love this time of year, even as short as it is. It reminds me that while seasons are small, they are magnificently beautiful. Same goes with life. It’s beautiful and we don’t know how much time we have here on this earth. It encourages me to do what I love, love others and ultimately remember the big love that God has for all of us.
I think this is a great post, and an even better jester on your part! I couldn’t have written it better myself. As a wedding photographer too I sit in my basement and work away, missing this beautiful time of year. And everyday I feel a little lost by 6PM coming out of my “hole” to make dinner. Then I hear my 3 year say to my 2 year old ” I missed you today Finn! I love you Finn” (she was at preschool) and I know I’m doing something right. Knowing my children love each other and appreciate each other, life, and the world around us, fills my cup back up everyday. I go back to work the next day inspired to edit and answer emails to folks just getting started on the “family” path! Jess I’m submitting this comment as just a pure appreciation for what you’re doing! Not to be entered into the print part-Although I love your work! Thanks for posting something beautiful today! Happy Fall!
Opps-I’m sorry I just re-read (sometimes I type way to fast for my brain..) sorry I meant gesture!!!
As a writer, I am inspired by words. In books, quotes, blog posts, lyrics. But most especially, the words of Proverbs 13:12, “…a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Knowing that God cares about my longings and dreams just as much as I do pushes me to continue to reach for them.
I would say things that inspire me are people’s actions. For instance: A simple act of kindness through a letter sent via “snail mail” inspires me to be more creative in telling people how I feel rather than just a text message. Calling them intead or visiting them or sending a silly puzzle message through the mail as well. =)
Love this post! I have been feeling that way lately as well and no matter what kind of mood I’m in, looking at the wonderful West Texas Sunsets we have on the early fall days inspire me to just breathe and know that even on a bad day, God can use the world to make us smile again.
Nick and I just took a hike on Sunday with my camera so I could do this VERY same thing! :) Mmmwwwahhh!
I’m currently inspired by lots of things right now! The weather is probably what puts me in a fun & productive mood. I’ve been focusing on being creative in the kitchen, cooking foods from scratch like Lebanese food. Trying to focus on not buying processed food thanks to watching Forks Over Knives. I have also been “nesting” as some would call it. After being in our city condo for a year, I’m finally adding pieces that make it cozy & like a home! So much fun!! Love your inspirational photo. Visiting my parents in NC this weekend I was in awe of the colors this year!
What inspires me right now is my daughter’s gummy smile. I became a mommy in July and everytime she looks me in the eyes and smiles my insides fill up with light and my heart hurts with the love I have for her. That smile gets me going every morning and helps me get through the work day.
I am NOT brown-nosing, but I’m really inspired by all the beautiful images I see on the web, including your space. I dream about beautiful photos at night -poses that may work, locations…and I’m not even a “real” photographer!:)
Right now, things inspiring me are pinterest (so many DIY things/crafts to do and so little time!), the change of seasons (appreciating beauty in creation and change of activities with my kids, getting cozy) and we just finished up classes to foster/adopt and I am inspired by others who I’ve met that have chosen to do this.
just like geri and all the rest of us…we sit inside and work.ALL the TIME. the warm and cold come and go. thankfully i at least get to look out my window. and it helps i have a dog that forces me to go outside once in awhile. sad though isnt it? :-/
i love the look of fall. what artist doesn’t?
just like i told ya last night. i’m so burnt out right now, i’m finding it hard to be inspired by ANYTHING!! lol. i’ll get back to you in the spring when i’m rejuvenated. :-D
I’m inspired by my little boy’s curiosity. He makes me want to grow and learn.
This question really touched my heart and caused me to reflect on what is daily in my life that keeps me going. What inspires me most currently is my sweet husband as he struggles through his health problems.He turns to me each morning with a smile and a cheerful “Good Morning, love.” He shows such courage and resilience each day. He shows me how a man of faith can face tests and never waver. He is a daily inspiration to me and I hope that I am learning the lessons that his life is teaching me.
Hmm…. what am I inspired by? The look in my young children’s eyes when I show up as a surprise to help at school. The feeling like no time has gone by with my husband after 10 years of marriage. My parent’s thankfulness when I work on their garden or help them at their house. A drive in silence on a beautiful fall day… crunching through the fallen leaves in the yard… smelling the fresh air… the sounds of laughter… There are a lot of things, I suppose!
I feel it exactly! Busy, busy… With the kids, dinners, appointments, sessions.
I’m finding inspiration in God’s word. Knowing His plan for everything in my beautifully blessed life keeps me working on being a better wife, mother, servant, and friend. It’s easy to skip this quiet time in lieu of things that “must” get done but that is what truly gets me going.
Maybe silly to say in response to this post but YOU are an inspiration. I can’t even remember how I stumbled upon your blog but coming to this space has been a part of my weeks ever since. I so very much appreciate all that you share; from your art, to family, to your faith. I am from Alberta, Canada so I know it would be way to far to send a mounted print- that is really not my purpose in commenting. I simply have been wanting to thank you for what you do and how you guys inspire, for quite some time now! God Bless.
…oops…I should say though that even though it is far-I would love the print regardless. It is beautiful! … :)
I am longing for inspiration right now. I am feeling a bit lost in emails and deadlines and managing all the details. ;) SO, what would inspire me? A coffee date with my two best friends would be just what I need right now. This always inspires and refreshes me. Oh, and baking pumpkin cookies would be good also. Laundry hanging in the line is another inspiration. And kissing me babies cheeks. ;) Ok…nuff for now.
Having moved away from family and friends and starting school to be a photographer this fall, inspiration in the sincerest form comes from the love that I feel from those who are no longer living in the same house or city that I am in. The support that they show me day in and day out inspires me to always do my best work. No matter how I feel on any given day, the love and support that I feel from home can push me through the toughest challenges.
A sunrise can just make my day!!!! I am always grateful I got to see that few minutes of magnificent!
I feel like you – the simple things are what I find most inspiring. Brilliant sunsets/sunrises; golden hour light on orange-red leaves; children laughing; a few minutes of complete silence to close my eyes and just…breathe; cheeks cool from early morning fall air; anticipation of adventures. So many things.
I can, and have, gone on for much too long on this topic. Looking for inspiration in everything we do is what this life should be all about, right? So, I’ll stick with what moves me today.
I just got back from vacation, so the inspiration I’m thinking the most about right now is centered around traveling… seeing the world from someone else’s eyes, pulling me out of my tiny sphere, thinking about all of the different, but equally beautiful ways that life can be lived.. even if it’s pretending to be a wizard at Universal Studio’s version of Hogwarts :)
This summer I became a mom. I gave birth to my daughter on the 1st of August and she is my inspiration. She inspires me to be the best person I can be!
Reading beautiful blogs like yours inspires me. Whenever I feel a bit down picking up my camera and doing something I love makes me feel better. Every time. I’ve just moved to France (originally from uk) and so the massive change is messing with my head a bit. But looking a beautiful photos and trying to take photos that I’m proud of picks me up :) so thank you x
Last December my sister gave birth to a still born baby girl, and it was a very difficult time for my family. There was a company that took sweet pictures of my sleeping niece. They allowed us to hold onto my niece without having her with us. Those pictures have brought me and my family hope over the last year. Those pictures inspire me to bring the hope of Christ to other families who have experienced what my family and I did almost a year ago. The hope and love of Christ is our strength during our most difficult times in life. I want to show other’s His hope and love through my pictures.
Wow- I’m inspired by many things. Let me clarify, I’m MOTIVATED by many things. My biggest motivation comes from observing the marvelous sights and joyful people around me. The desire to experience these wonders, mixed with extreme stubbornness and a dash of “gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” motivates me when nothing else can… I have a degenerative joint condition that has eaten away all of the cartilage in my body. At 27, I rock two fake hips, two fake knees, one fake shoulder, and more rods, nuts, and bolts in my spine than most robots. I shouldn’t be moving around, really, and I do spend most of my time bed-bound. But sometimes I just can’t overcome the desire to do the things that bring me joy, even if those same activities are accompanied by pain. My doctors mean well when they urge me to stop doing photography shoots, and my boyfriend has the best intentions when he tries to curtail my dancing at concerts and weddings. They know, as I do, that these actions will put me out of commission (and usually unconscious) for at least two days after my infraction of the “rules” imposed by my disability. But I figure that I’ll be in much bigger trouble if/when I develop the mechanism to stifle my impulses to experience the things that bring me true joy. And so, I suppose, I am motivated by the desire, the NEED, to take advantage of the opportunities for happiness that arise each day. I think that’s something everyone wants, even if we don’t recognize the urgency imposed by time. In a way, then, I’m grateful for my disability because it reminds me of the value of time. And this reminder, though painful, motivates me to be more joyful every day.
Enjoyed looking at this, extremely good stuff, thanks .