Inspiration: Movies on my mind

Sometimes when I feel stuck, I like to watch some feel good movies that leave me feeling inspired and motivated. Here are three movies that have inspired / moved / encouraged me lately.

The first is The Secret of Kells, an Irish-French-Belgian animated feature film by Cartoon Saloon. I didn't know what to expect before watching the movie, but I was so awed. Not only is the animation beautiful, but its message of hope reminded me so much of the bible and the importance of scripture. Favorite line: "The book that turned darkness into light."

Second is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - I'm a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia series, and this third movie made by Disney seems to capture the spirit of the books most closely. Favorite lines: "We have nothing, if not belief," and "You've got an extraordinary destiny, something greater than you could imagine."

Lastly, rewatching Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service helped me understand a little bit more about the creative process. Favorite lines: "We each need to find our own inspiration, Kiki. Sometimes it's not easy," and "We can fly with our spirit."

These movies are beautiful and filled with inspiring lines. I recommend you check them out the next time you need some inspiration and/or something to make your heart feel warm!

Inspiration: Creativity Tips

For all who experience creative blocks, here are some tips that I reference whenever I need to get back into the flow:

My favorites include #1, 4, 6, 21 and 31 (source unknown)

#7 and 8 (source)

#2 and #10 (source)

Which tips are your favorites? If you know any tips that are not included here, please feel free to share them! :)

Sketchbook & Journal Inspiration

I love seeing what other people do with their sketchbooks and journals. Here is a collection of some artist journals/sketchbooks that I particularly find inspiring:

 (lucieverett)

Love little envelopes! (hellosandwich)

Nail polish as markers! (decor8blog)

Never can have too much washi tape :) (ohhellofriend)

Full page doodles (Geninne)

Observation drawings (claudiagpearson)

Simple collages (Camilla Engman)

(sleep/talk)

I'll be traveling to Korea soon, and that is the perfect excuse for me to start a new sketchbook/journal. If any of my entries turn out good, I'll be sure to share :)

Inspiration from: Project 365 by Elizabeth Gadd

Elizabeth Gadd's Project 365 on Flickr is beautiful...and her personal view on nature's beauty is inspiring:

View her entire Flickr stream for more amazing photos (I encourage you to view them in "lightbox mode") and their inspiring descriptions.

Inspiration from: Improv Everywhere

I'm inspired by Improv Everywhere, "a New York City-based prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places." I love this collective effort of creating fun and making people smile:







See more on improveverywhere.com!

Inspiration from: Things We Forget

Things We Forget is a blog that shares messages on "sticky notes left to their fate in public places each day." Love these stickies:

 

I always write reminders to myself on stickies, but these stickies contain the real reminders I never want to forget. There are many more good ones at thingsweforget.blogspot.com!

Inspiration from: Picture This

"It's more fun when you take a closer look," is the subtitle of the blog, "Picture This," and the author/artist couldn't have said it any better. I'm sure we have all enjoyed seeing something more in a water stain, wood grain or pattern, but Tineke Meirink actually visualizes some of the amazing things she sees:

She posts a picture of what the image is, and then a picture of what she sees. Here are some others:

The ordinary can be surprisingly inspiring. See more of the series at itsjustmorefunwhenyoutakeacloserlook.blogspot.com!

Inspiration from: Quotes on Creativity

Inspiration from: The Nameless Collective

Several friends of mine are part of The Nameless Collective - a network that encourages individuals to gather as a community to combine their unique gifts and talents to spread the values of faith, hope, and love to a generation that has been questioned, discouraged, and rejected.

Check out their Friday verses (in wallpaper format for iPhones):

See more on their website, and also check out their store for apparel and stickers!

Seeing stuff like this while surfing on the internet is so encouraging. A small design, illustration, or post can shed so much light.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
- Mathew 5:16

Inspiration from: Guerrilla Gardening

Moss graffiti? Seed bombs? I recently learned about guerrilla gardening on kind over matter and I am in love with the idea. I'm especially in love with Anna Garforth's work:

View more of her work on her website.

Inspired to make the world more beautiful? Try making seed bombs:

(LA Times)

Throw them in vacant areas of soil, allow rain water to disintegrate it, and watch them grow!

(The Guerrilla Gardener)

Inspiration from: Little Things

I recently came across Little Things, a site that simply lists all the things we should appreciate. Here are some of my favorites:

To add my own to the list: when I find a new artist I like on Pandora. If there are other little things you are thankful for, please share! There are so many little things we forget to be grateful for!