inspire me! {cure creative's block} part four

1. Pray

2. Pinterest

3. Music

4. Learn from the Masters

When I was little, I knew I wanted to be a writer.  I'm not sure that I necessarily had a knack for it, but I desperately wanted to do it.  I loved books.  Wait, no... I loved books.  I loved words.  I loved how words worked together to form thoughts.  I loved how some were stronger than others, and when certain sequences were created, I could be transported anywhere: to another planet, another world, another time in history, another way of life, another person's mind...  the thought of it excited me; and I wanted to take part in this mysterious, beautiful craft.

As I consumed books at an alarming rate; learning new words, understanding certain sequences, punctuation, literary devices (If you ask my mom, almost everything that I know about the English language I did not learn from my school textbooks, though I did them anyway. :P), character development and so much more, observation and passion for words was my teacher.

Even now as I read some of my favorite works, books filled with rich character development, excellence in description, choice wording--it sets my creative heart on fire.  I want to be a part of that!

I believe it is the same any time that we observe excellence in any area of art.  If it be music, listen to the finest.  If it be painting, feast your eyes on only the best.  Research, read, listen, observe--fill your mind with excellence!

The Bible gives us a standard for our work, 

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks through Him to God the Father."  ~Colossians 3:17

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, 

do all to the glory of God."  ~1 Corinthians 10:31

God has called us to represent Him here on the earth--we are to bring His glory in everything that we do! Whether it be the exciting mode of art or even just mundane routine of doing your chores in the morning, He calls us to His glory and excellence in everything that we do!

Praise be to God that there have been those gone before to pave a way for us and show us what excellence looks like!  Don't let their work be in vain; consume it, treasure it, enjoy it, then allow it to fuel your creative fire to go and multiply it.

Be blessed, I apologize for the delay in posting!  :-)

inspire me! {cure creative's block} part three

1. Pray

2. Pinterest

3. Music

...from movie soundtracks to your favorite band, sometimes a mood or a single line from a song can inspire a story, or a character quality, or most importantly, just whatever element that it is that will help you jump over that creative blockage!

Oftentimes, I'll be listening to the radio and a song will come on with just one single line that will spark an entire story idea.  I love Spotify for this...it has so much available to listen to for completely free--I could listen to music for hours and hours...the different concepts presented in the songs provide awesome material for story points or characterization.

Songs like:













...just to name a few.  But I often find that it can be just a single line from a song that will inspire a whole concept for me.  Like for this last song, I just adored the line, "...the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair..."

Another idea is to use movie soundtracks for different moods in your writing.

Sad scene?  Try some soft, minor keyed songs.

Action scene?  Some fast paced, exciting sounds.

Some favorite soundtracks are:











...and this is by no means an exhaustive list, obviously!

I would encourage you to explore music with inspiration in mind.  Grooveshark and Spotify are fantastic resources to listen to tons of music for free--although, I must advise caution with the ads if you do not have the premium accounts for these sites.

Some other great options for finding new music would be Pandora Radio and iTunes radio.  Put in your 'mood song' and let the station do the searching for you!

Hope you're enjoying the series so far!

How do you find inspiration?  

I'd love to hear about it!

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out parts one and two, and be on the lookout for part four!

inspire me! {cure creative's block} part two

(If you haven't read it yet, be sure to read 'Part One'!)

...alright, where were we? 

2. Pinterest

If you're female, and have any sort of teeny tiny creative bone in your body, chances are you must have a Pinterest account. (To be clear, it's not that Pinterest is solely for females, but just that the majority of females have Pinterest accounts, lol!) I know that I adore mine.  I have found so many neat ideas--things I probably never would have thought of myself!

Visit Amy's profile on Pinterest.

Follow Amy's board {I Heart} Inspiration on Pinterest.

Follow Amy's board {Stories} Writing Prompts on Pinterest.

Now, I will admit...I've probably gotten carried away...with the amount of boards that I have...on Pinterest (seriously, I need everything categorized to be able to find things--can you blame me?)...

Pinterest is an excellent source for inspiration, for tutorials on various projects, and tips and ideas for TONS of different projects... I have found so much visual inspiration by browsing various boards for writing prompts.  There are boards with awesome quotes...

Follow Amy's board {I Heart} Words on Pinterest.

For writers, there are lots of great boards filled with characterization boards with some fabulous ideas that may spark a story...

Follow Amy's board {Stories} Characters on Pinterest.

Photos of amazing settings can make your imagination run wild...

Follow Amy's board {Stories} Settings Inspiration on Pinterest.

And some pictures have a thousand words, waiting to be written...

Follow Amy's board {Stories} Inspiration on Pinterest.

Tip! One of my favorite exercises for fighting my writer's block is as I'm browsing Pinterest, to grab a bunch of pins and put them in a Word doc.  Then, underneath each photo, write whatever comes to my head, even if it's just a sentence.  Then move on to the next one and so on.  It helps to keep the creative juices flowing, and to at least keep writing even if it's not a full fledged project.

So there you go!  I must now offer a formal apology for all of the time that you are about to spend on Pinterest looking at inspirational boards...honestly, it can be addicting, lol!  But in all seriousness, do be careful not to let the pursuit of inspiration slow you down from just sitting down and doing it.  (I say all of this because I've had my own struggles of getting on for a 'quick dose of inspiration' before I write, only to end up not having time to write at all!)

Keep writing, keep creating!  Use Pinterest as a tool, and don't let it get the better of you.  ;-)

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the series!  

What do you do for inspiration?  

I'd love to hear about it and may even add it to my list!  

Be on the lookout for part three coming up soon...

inspire me! {cure creative's block} part one

I'd venture to say, whether you're an artist, a writer, a musician, a seamstress, a designer...a creator, you have experienced Creative's Block at some point in your journey.

We've all been there.  That dry, disinterested path.  No inspiration, no direction.  It's downright awful!

In my own journey as a creative, I have discovered a few things that help to get the creative juices flowing again, and I thought that I'd share them with you!

The first one is so simple...yet so easy to forget.  I find myself forgetting this in my art as a writer all the time.

1. Pray

All right, so it sounds too obvious, and maybe even like a cop-out for the first in this series.  But it is my belief that this element is so important, and so often overlooked!

There are a couple reasons:

• God is the Ultimate Artist.  He wrote the first story (not to mention the story of eternity), He taught the birds how to sing, He painted the first sunset, He sculpted the first human...He even made the first clothes!  When you are looking to learn more about a craft, you go to those that have the most experience to learn and be taught by them.  God promises that He is always listening, and is always ready to bless those with wisdom that ask (James 1:5).

• What if God is trying to get your attention?  What if He has an incredible piece that He has for you to create, and He needs you to be totally focused on Him to do it?  Seek Him, read His Word (I always tend to get great story ideas when I read the Proverbs, just fyi! LOL), ask Him what He would have you to be focusing on right now.  

Isn't that what we are here for?  To bring Him glory and honor with the fruit of our hands?

Ask Him what is next, what would bring Him the most glory.  Implore Him for divine inspiration.

And then, wait.  (That's the hardest part--ask me how I know.)

Sometimes God gives us times of dryness as a part of the journey.  A time to be quiet and listen.  A time to just pray and seek His glory.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1

In the meantime, don't stop practicing.  You may not have a 'great idea' right now, but keep honing your skills for when you do!  It is crucial to stay on your game, to keep learning, to keep practicing.

When inspiration arrives, you want to be ready.

I hope you enjoyed the first part in this series!  Stay tuned for part two coming soon...

a crucifixion type love

Try to watch this video without getting goosebumps.  I dare you.

Go ahead.  I'll wait.

"...a love that would make angels wish that they were in our shoes..."

Wow.  Just...  Wow.

I watch that video, and I think of the relationship between lovers, as the video relates.  The relationship between Christ and His Church, His Bride, His Beloved.

Then I think of my own relationship with His Church.  My brothers.  My sisters.

How much more shall I die to myself in loving them?  

How much more when I spread my arms to embrace a dear fellow believer... 

How much more with that crown of thorns upon my head, surrendering my thoughts, my time, my ambitions, for the interest of my sister or brother...

How much more shall I give my back to be beaten, to carry the burden of my dear believer?

The picture of marriage, and the relationship between lovers is such an immaculate, beautiful representation of the sacrificial love with which He first loved us.

But then He calls us to go and do the same.

The love that sets us apart. 

"...a love that makes God get up and dance around his throne every time he sets his eyes on us..."

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."  ~1 John 4:9-11

immodesty is...insecurity?

I just listened to this short thought by John Piper on the topic of modesty, and posted this little (okay, lengthy) dissertation on a thought that I had on Facebook, and I thought I'd share with you all:

Before we can even DISCUSS the guidelines and boundaries of modesty, you must understand just how absolutely, totally, and truly you are loved by Jesus...is He your treasure? Is He your pursuit of happiness and joy? Do you really, truly, honestly realize what a treasure you are to Him? Is it Him you're looking to please, or others?

Girls, you are worth so much more. Modesty isn't just an attitude or a way of dressing, it's realizing your IDENTITY. It's realizing that you are SO MUCH MORE than how you appear on the outside. You are the daughter of the King. You were redeemed by His blood. You don't need to dress any certain way to be accepted or approved by anyone in this world. It starts with Him. Once your heart is His, from it will flow the love for others that will cause you to dress for His glory...whatever the boundaries may be that He will reveal to you.

I notice an epidemic of 'modest dressers' whose clothes cover, but their hearts are yearning for acceptance and attention. They may dress modestly for the sake of their parents, their peers, their church...all for the sake of being accepted and feeling like they belong. What then, is it still modesty? This is the evil root of the enemy, putting emphasis on the outward appearance, even within 'modest' Christian circles. It's no longer modesty. Though the clothes cover, it is immodesty at it's root--insecurity and vanity; idolatry, replacing the acceptance of God with men.

Modesty roots in the heart, knowing your place in the Kingdom of God. You are a princess. You are dressed proper. Lift your head, smile wide, breath deep, and realize your inexplicable worth to Him. He loves YOU. Yes, YOU, sweet girl.

‪#‎modesty‬ ‪#‎identityinChrist‬ ‪#‎worthsomuchmore‬ ‪#‎dressedbyHim‬

I know this is a bit of a hot topic this time of year (haha, no pun intended ;P), and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above.

What do you think about Piper's position?

What do you think of the idea that immodesty is insecurity at it's core?

...before the dawn

Darkness.

Silence. 

Blackness.  

The kind in which you walk wondering where your foot's next step will rest.

The kind in which you wonder, if the path ahead leads to a garden of choicest fruits, or the edge of a cliff.

The kind that meets you in the very core of your being.  That makes your hands shake, your fingers numb.  As you stretch them out, grasping for a sign of something there.

Something besides you.  

Or are you alone?

In this abyss, you can't see.  Anything.

You can't hear.  Anything.

It's just you.  And that thudding heartbeat.

You stop.  The world is changing.  You begin to hear the stirrings in the trees above. 

The sound of rustling surrounds you.  Louder, louder, louder it gets!  Soon, chaos reigns.  You cover your ears in agony.  Your mind races with thoughts of the unknown creatures that could be causing the ruckus.  Will it hurt me?  Is this my last moment?  Will they kill me?

You run.  Your feet care not where they fall, just to get away.  Away from the noise, the chaos, the fear.  Run.  Run.  Run.

Tears begin to fall.  You know not why, but that your paranoia runs wild in the darkness.  For in the deep blackness, your future is unknown.  Your eyes are blind, for lack of the sun.  When the life seems boundless, the possibilities for fear run rampant.  The mind runs wild.

The symphony of chaos crescendoes, then ceases with deafening silence.  You stop.  Your heart pounds, you want to breath heavy, but you daren't make a sound.

You catch your breath.  It seems that all of creation does the same. 

As a flash of light illuminates the horizon.  Your heart feels as if it would burst.  But the dark line far away does first.  Before your very eyes, the darkness gives way to glorious light.  A mixture of pinks, oranges, yellows, and colors yet to comprehend by the human eye explode in that moment.  The moment after the world's breath caught.

The moment in which the darkness was conquered.  And the light reigned, again.  

Then you remember.  It's morning.  Just like yesterday.  The light won.  Just like yesterday.  During the night the darkness battled well.  Again, it fought for it's place in this world, seeking that it may reign the day.  The night seems not to be enough for it's hungry clutches.

But yet, the light catches.  And says no, strong.

All this.  A sunrise everyday for thousands and thousands of years.

And yet, it would seem that creation catches it's breath before every dawn.  Before the darkness gets what is coming to it.

God allows the darkness its time right before He shows up.  He never allows the darkness to tarry longer than we can endure.  He gives darkness it's way, so that when He shows up in His brilliant glory, He can steal our breath away.

Who can watch a sunrise without appreciating the beauty?  

Could it be that ingrained within our hearts is the thirst to witness light's victory over the darkness?

"...Weeping may tarry for the night,

    but joy comes with the morning."

~Psalm 30:5