Inspiration

After viewing the wonderful collections this past fashion week, I started to think about inspiration. Inspiration can come from anywhere and anything.... but how exactly do we get inspired? I suppose the traditional way I think about inspiration is in the artistic or creative sense. That is, we get "inspired" to create a piece of art or design a beautiful piece of clothing by our surroundings, by the time of year, or by the zeitgeist (what is "in the air" or "of the moment"). But when I really begin to think about it, inspiration can come in so many shapes and forms and can be used for so much more than artistic presentation.

I see inspiration as a motivation for doing the things we do. A reason for getting up in the morning - seeing the bigger picture. If we had no inspiration, we just go through the motions of our day-to-day activities and happiness would be very difficult to achieve. The way I see it, you must be inspired to be a success and to be happy in life. It is often when we are inspired the most that we do our very best work and reach our fullest potential. It is that drive that forces us to push boundaries and strive for the best results possible.

Currently, I am the most inspired by the people around me, and those who are closest to me. No matter if they are halfway around the world or a 5-minute train ride away, I really define myself by these people. They have taught me to open my mind up to many different ways of doing things and that nothing is ever as bad as it seems. No matter how lost I feel, I know I can always get inspiration from my loved ones, so that I may find my way again.

Here is a sample mood board from fashionista.com with things that inspire fashion for September 2010

What do you get inspired by?