Finding Inspiration in Unlikely Places

I’ve been putting off writing a blog post, not because I don’t want to, no, but because I’ve been having trouble figuring out what to write about. In the past, I used to get a glimmer of a blog idea when I was traveling or even on my commute to work. Now that I’ve been at home for the past ten months, finding ideas and inspiration has been difficult.

This dry spell caused me to think back to my roots, when my love of writing blossomed in middle and high school. What made me want to write back then, and when did I do my best thinking? And then, it came to me. It was music that brought my ideas to life. That’s when I let my mind wander. So, after sitting with a blank wordpress page open, I hopped over to our piano and I began playing and singing some of my favorite songs from musicals. I couldn’t believe the difference in my stream of consciousness. I’m very self-conscious about my singing and playing the piano, but luckily no one in my household is going to judge me, so I could just be me and let my brain do the rest. My husband even cheered for me after each piece even if my voice couldn’t reach the high G. I really need to find some more pieces written for altos!

After that burst of music, suddenly I’m typing at an incredible wpm, so much so my high school computer teacher would be proud. It’s amazing how just one small change can make a difference in your motivation. Even though I was singing some utterly depressing songs from Le Misérables, I felt hopeful and alive.

It’s been hard to write and be creative when the world sometimes seems so bleak, but I need to remind myself that there are still some amazing things that I’m able to do in my own home to help me find that spark of creativity that might be missing, even if it is different than I ever expected. Excuse me now while I go type away another short story idea that just popped into my head…