What inspires me.

Seeing friends who picked up a camera years ago, just as a hobby, but are now professional photographers. Or pro photographers who were out of work, but instead of whining, they filled their lives with other things, took up manual labor, menial jobs, and did what they had to do to feed their family. That's inspiring.

I find much inspiration from photographers, namely James Allen Walker and Bradley Spitzer. Not just from the images they create that make for easy reblogging on Tumblr, but the conversations. I've had solid conversations with these people, and I'm always left inspired. 

Friends who've hit rock bottom but refuse to quit. I find inspiration in their resolve, in refusing to be a victim, and getting on with it. Doing work that has to be done. The sewage and waste at the bottom, it's easy to wallow there in self-pity, lord knows I've wanted to on occasion, but seeing friends go through the fire. That inspires me.

I find the following lyrics inspiring:

"I will rise again" from Love as Arson, by Converge.

"You're not getting under my skin," from The Anthem of Angry Brides, by Norma Jean.

Ev Bouge was a big inspiration to me, in getting rid of all my stuff and working remotely. Seth Godin inspires me, in that he posts something everyday that knocks my socks off. John Gruber of Daring Fireball inspires me, and Jason Kottke, two blog pioneers who do what they do online, without tricks and gimmicks. They just write darn well.

The video 'Dark side of the lens' inspires me. The line, "if there's no future in it, at least it's a present worth remembering" kills me every time.

During my travels, I always make a point to get next to large bodies of water. When I stood next to Lake Pontchartrain, in New Orleans, LA, it humbled me. All that space, all that water, nothing on the horizon, the breeze... it froze me in my tracks. The enormity of that scene, what it took to get there, in quitting my dream job at AOL Music, leaving the city I loved, giving up owning a bed. Those bodies of water inspire me. 

Massive amounts of water, which reminds me of how small I am in this world. On this planet. In this country. On the internet. And not to be discouraged by it, but to work within those limitations. I am inspired anytime I get asked to do an interview, or write a guest post. I am blown away that any of my travel adventures have inspired anyone to take risks and start their own adventures. I can be going through some heavy stuff, but then an email shows up, from someone I don't know, but they tell me they've read my stuff for years, and they decided to up and move across the country. Or quit their job. Or take a chance. That. That inspires me. That keeps me going.

Everyday presents another chance to be inspired, and even when I'm not inspired, I get to put on some music, play air-drums, give myself chills, take a walk, grin like an idiot and get on with life.

That is what inspires me.