Guest Post: Amber Porter Cox // @amberportercox

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I thought travel inspired me through the freedom to roam and to explore the world.  And then I realized that, for me, it's more about the ability to exercise free will, to express one's self creatively. Some people call it "self-expression," "art," or even plain "rebellion" - I just appreciate the drive to create, whatever you want to call it.

The philospher Heidegger says we are defined by what we "care" about, deep down.

These people care about what they create: Lady Gaga makes art, music, and publicity in the modern age; Martin Luther King inspired a generation through his leadership; Maynard Dixon was inspired to capture the lifestyle of the Southwest; Dorothea Lange profoundly influenced the development of documentary photography; Herb Kelleher created a culture and a business that defied the norm; and Steven Covey changed the way people think about business and communication.

I am inspired by people who are passionate, people who are driven to something different, the people who find a way to create - to be themselves, to live creatively. Through expression in attire, music, art, the written word, businesses created, and even through a unique lifestyle - that may include blue hair - people like this inspire me to go live differently, and create.

I'm inspired by people who care enough to extend themselves in order to create. This may be all that inspires me.