By Majid Gafoor
One often hears people lamenting, “I want to do something, but I’m waiting for inspiration.” Really? Is that all that is holding you back?
Let me tell you about inspiration.
It is not a bolt of lightning from heaven that strikes you on the top of your head or even a light bulb that goes off all of a sudden in your conscious mind. Instead all that is required is that you open your eyes and ears and you will see and hear that it is all around you, each and every day, each and every moment.
On a bright day, the clouds float, form and reform in the skies, creating images that only your mind can interpret and create stories and memories. On rainy days, the patterns on windows and indeed, even the splashes on the roads and pavements are creative works of art that are ever changing. Add to that the cacophony of the raindrops and you have a symphony that defies any attempts by humans to imitate it.
Walk by a garden and see the intricacies where flowers are transformed from buds to blooms of not only a myriad of colours, but also in tints that are so delicate as to evoke wonder as to how it is possible. Not just satisfied with wondrous beauty, some blooms also vie for your senses of smell which are appealing to the point of being hypnotic. Even within the cracks of sidewalks are designs to stir the imagination.
If that is not sufficient, focus on the blades of grass peeping out of the cracks. Is that not a story of the struggle for survival? Just a bit of dirt between the cracks and the opportunistic seed and life begins.
On a more human level, we can witness creativity in music, art and colours. They assail our senses constantly everywhere we go, so much so that we are almost overwhelmed. But that is only because we try to take it all in at one time. Instead, you should try to separate them into bits of information to wonder at. How is it possible for someone to create a piece of art that makes you want to look at it over and over again? Or a piece of literature that draws you into a totally different world from the one you inhabit? These are just some everyday examples.
Have you heard a baby cry or seen the smile on his chubby face? How such sounds and images stir your emotions? Look and you will see birds in the skies. Listen and you will hear humanity at work in all its activities and purposes. Test the aromas that flit in and out of your nostrils. We tend to ignore them, but a bit of focus will bring back memories of places, times and even people.
I could go on and on, but you get the picture. We can play the lazy game and say we are waiting for inspiration or we can take up the challenge that life itself presents to us – I AM INSPIRATION. USE ME.
Majid Gafoor is a former journalist from Hong Kong. He now lives in Canada.
