The best things in life, like inspiration, are free. I walk down a new street and chance to see a poem pasted to a wall. The words inspire me; the random discovery inspires me; the sense of the sublime presented in a crude, common way inspires me. Someone else before me has apparently been inspired to add a red heart on top of the words, their spontaneous red curving lines spilling out onto the wall itself. I take a photo and post it here on my blog because this public display of words and thoughts and art inspires me to post my writings in public too. The domino-effect could continue on and on, depending on who sees it, who values it, who sees something personal in it, who is moved to take creative action.

The poem above speaks of dancing in the square (nella piazza), and I visualize the dancers, eyes locked to one another, performing the tango for anyone who wants to watch. Was the poem inspired by a real dance? I am reminded of lyrics I have been inspired to write about dancing [Let Me Sing This Dance With You]. Have my song lyrics inspired anyone to think of “singing a dance” with someone they love? Each inspirational trigger is like a pebble thrown into a quiet pond, creating concentric ripples. Where will the ripples travel? Who will they reach? What will be created when a handful of pebbles is tossed at the same time–when a group of people create together and the ripples merge into more exotic patterns? That to me is the ultimate “return on investment”. Pure alchemy–lead into gold. I am grateful to anyone who has created something or done something that inspires me to create. That is pure wealth.

Below are just some of the inspirational photos I have taken recently. Some just make me happy and that inspires me to be more joyful each day. Some are what I call “lyrical triggers” because I use them as fodder for my journaling, my visual art projects, and my songwriting. And, some are just plain uplifting or amusing to me, they make me laugh or make me think more deeply; that’s valuable to me too.

Time will tell which of these triggers will transform into a truly meaningful creative expression, but for now, I share the images with you here. Happy Spring! -Laurie