Finding my inspiration again

I just got back from a family vacation in Europe. We visited Spain, France, Italy, and Malta. It’s no surprise I came back more inspired than I’ve been in a long time. That feeling didn’t last long as my excitement turned to sadness.

Ottawa, the city I live in, has a reputation for being a sleepy bureaucratic town. I also live in the suburbs where everything looks the same. My mind went back to before the vacation and how uninspired I felt. Mostly likely because I was burnt out. Thankfully, I caught myself.

I remembered Rick Rubin’s book The Creative Act. He writes about how being inspired is a state of mind. One where you actively choose to be open to whatever the universe brings your way. You just need to pay attention.

That was just like the experience I had coming of age in this boring government town. If I wanted to have a good time, I had to actively work to seek it out. I always found a way!

This made me believe that I can take steps to keep feeling inspired. Here’s a list   of the things I came up with to do that for myself:

• Surround myself with creative people
• Attend events for creative people
• Visit a museum or gallery
• Attend cultural community events
• Spend time in nature
• Go on walks in different parts of the city
• Be on the lookout for graffiti
• Make art to express myself
• Go to markets and fairs

While I don’t live in Europe where inspiration is bountiful, it looks like I still have lots of ways to get inspired here too.