Creative inspiration for the new year + My fourth blogiversary!

Hello! Happy New Year! Twenty-fourteen, wow!

Today, we are snowed in with 10 inches on the ground. The temperature will be a high of one degree. The city of St. Louis is pretty much shut down. Crazy. I imagine it is similar in much of the country.

This is a post that I have been wanting to write for a long time. It’s a bit non-standard for this blog, but yesterday marked my fourth year of blogging here (hooray!), it’s a new year full of potential, so it seems to fit right in nonetheless.

What follows is a mixed list of things that inspire me and sources of creative motivation. I have a lot of hefty pursuits on my mind for 2014 (blog + art + Etsy business + house + etc.), and I need every drop of inspiration I can squeeze out of the universe.

Most of these are at least few years old because they are the things that have stuck with me over time.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

You don’t have to be an artist to find value in this book. It speaks to battles with procrastination and other hurdles one must overcome when tackling most any project or venture. I read it twice and took notes! And I think I’m due for a refresher, actually. If you are struggling to get started, start here.

Glen Hansard Academy Award acceptance speech

(speech gets started at about :55)

Did you see the movie Once? It came out about 7+ years ago, so there’s a good chance many have caught up with it by now. Anyway, this speech briefly synopsizes the crazy path this film took, from being a low-budget indie all the way to the Oscars.

This clip might have more of an impact on me personally because my husband and I saw a sneak preview of the film before it came out where the Glen and Marketa sang a few songs after the credits rolled. From performing in the aisle of a half-empty movie theater to winning an Academy Award in just a few months time. Doesn’t get more inspirational than that.

“MAKE ART. MAKE ART.”

Ack, I just watched the clip again, and it nearly made me cry again.

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

You might have seen this, as it made the internet rounds over the past couple of years. It’s a presentation that went viral and has now become a book. The blog post has since been truncated, so seek out the book. (Our library had it.) Great advice, especially for beginners or anyone needing a boost.

Elizabeth Gilbert on Radiolab Help! episode

One of my mini-interests is learning about the creative process and how ideas seem to find us (instead of the other way around). Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love) talks about the creative muse and the indescribable Tom Waits in this episode of the awesome NPR show, Radiolab. (The segment starts at 27:45 if you want to skip ahead, and goes to about 38-something.)

Gilbert also touches on similar topics in this TED talk.

Creative Something

A must-follow blog for creative types. Bits of inspiration and ideas on how to be more creative. I find myself bookmarking or pinning nearly every single post.