I was recently listening to an actor on an interview discussing the role he played on his latest show. He explained how the major inspiration for his performance was a trip he went on before they start shooting, where he got to spend some time with his elder brother. And just noticing the man (he had obviously already known for years) sparked some alternations on the way he decided to portray the character afterwards. Which really worked well for him and which the director ended up liking a lot more. And I just couldn’t stop thinking about that.

Because this is exactly what I keep realizing art is all about. Finding inspiration in regular (possibly often seemingly mundane) details that we might already be so used to, and somehow incorporating that into the creative process. Art doesn’t necessarily always happen after huge breakthroughs or crazy life-changing experiences. Art is in everything and can be found everywhere, if we allow ourselves to listen and observe. I mean, this could’ve been a completely normal break for the actor; he could’ve totally missed the fact that what he was looking for was literally right before him. In his own brother.

Now that I’m almost hitting one year of writing *taking a very long moment to process that*, I'm able to notice the difference. When I first started, I remember I used to wake up on most days with one thought: I need to find something interesting to write about today. I'd actively look for a unique event that can maybe trigger more of my words. I'd really pay attention to the things people do, and the words they say. I'd almost always go back home knowing what I'm writing about that night. And while writing still doesn’t always come easy to me on most days, I think I no longer consciously do this. I don’t look for inspiration, it just happens. I sit down with my keyboard every night, and I know that something will come out. Because something always comes out. I no longer struggle with finding ideas as much as I struggle with finding the time to make way for them. Because there’s just so much to write about.

So much beauty around.
So many unresolved feelings inside.
So many thought-provoking art that pushes more of mine out.
And so many people whose mere presence makes me want to spend forever exploring and describing them.

It’s all out there, in everyday details. In the birds singing so rhythmically. In the first bite of a sandwich after the loudest belly sounds. In watching a cup of coffee spill before everyone's eyes. In the silent hug of a friend, or the inability to wrap arms around them on other days when it really hurts. In the welcoming smile on the security guard’s face every night.

Inspiration is everywhere. It’s not a big word for a non-existent reality. It’s always right there, wherever your eyes choose to rest. Wherever your ears choose to take you next.

Can you hear it?

November 18, 2020