Inspiration #5: Friends

Tonight in Baltimore we're eagerly glancing out the window and wondering how much snow will be on the ground by morning.  Forecasts are calling for a legitimate blizzard, so all signs point to a weekend spent solidly indoors and away from the roads and sidewalks.


Today I was lucky enough to get the first 60 pages of my manuscript back with comments from a friend -- the best way to prepare for some dedicated time inside.  While this kind of peer review can be scary, it is in many ways what I've been trained to do.  Critique -- including critique of work in progress -- is part of being an artist, part of having a fine arts degree.


Skimming over my pages was without a doubt the most inspiring part of my day because the comments in the margins were exactly what I was looking for: the kind of feedback you can only get from someone who is comfortable enough to be 100% honest with you and also willing to think critically about what they're reading.  Creative people don't share works in progress with each other to hear things like "oh, it's really good, you're a really great writer/painter/photographer."  They do it to hear things  like "I don't think this character would have done this" or "your proportions are off -- see how that shoulder doesn't look like it fits with the rest of the body?"


I feel privileged to share my life with people who will provide me the kind of feedback I also love to give: feedback that you have to be ready to take constructively, feedback that makes you realize you're still a long way from the finish line but you have something excellent to work with.  Sure, there's plenty that can be hard to hear, especially when you've already invested a lot of time and energy in a project.  But it's exciting and difficult and ultimately what helps you become better at what you do.  I guess it goes back to that old cliche I hate so much: "you can't create art in a vacuum."

Inspiration #2: Kiss Me It's Beginning to Snow

Today felt frustrating at a number of points, and for the most part I was more than happy to hole up inside with some good friends after work and catch up on a few episodes of American Idol.  Maybe the day made me more cynical than I thought, because I refused to believe we were getting a real snowfall until I stepped out the door to catch my cab home.  Then I found myself in the middle of that beautiful snowfall silence that feels like it just stops the world.

Snow inspires me for several reasons.  One, that silence seems to give my heart room to feel and my mind room to think.  I love the winter, love the cold and the snow -- it's just so invigorating!  On another more practical note, there's a distinct possibility our office will experience a snow delay or even a closure tomorrow.  I'm already closing my eyes and imagining waking up and brewing a steaming mug of coffee, wandering around in my bathrobe and PJs, sitting down to a project, squinting at the light reflecting off the snow and shining in my windows.

And lest you think my white balance is off, nighttime snowfalls really do look like this under our streetlights.