Inspiration and creativity are indelibly linked. Inspiration materializes from the ether, exploding like St. Elmo’s Fire. The event is awe-inspiring, forging a connection to a powerful energy, and the motivation to create. You emerge with certainty, clarity, and a vision. A concept to launch your project, intuition on how to proceed, or a novel way to complete your task, is the product of your transcendental experience.

Recreating the encounter is an exercise in futility, and chasing it makes it more elusive. When I hit a wall, the best solution is to step away from my screen and do something else. I have a laundry list of preferred activities. I shovel snow, do yoga, walk outside, indulge in a hot bath, or brew a strong pot of coffee to sip with fresh baked red velvet cake. Ideas have struck while weeding, crocheting, arranging a bouquet, listening to the wind dancing in the trees, and feeling the sun warm my skin.

Some writers report success with reading, finding quiet moments, immersing themselves in nature, or engaging in other creative pursuits. I have discovered taking risks helps me tap into my source. I often start a new project without knowing what I am doing. By creating high failure potential, I cause the cosmos to take notice. The payoff comes when a story appears, the entire piece written in my mind before my fingers ever touch the keyboard. The common thread is a willingness to let go, play, and consider possibilities hidden within the realm of the seemingly impossible.

Where do you find inspiration?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Winter writing appeals to romantics. It conjures images of fingerless gloves, roaring fires, heavy sweaters, howling winds. Accumulations of ice and snow create the desire to be anywhere else. We brave the cold, dark outdoors, and retreat to familiar, cozy surroundings to sip a mug of steaming mulled wine that warms us from the inside out. We embrace Scandinavian hygge by lighting scented candles, baking pies, and cookies, selecting a favorite book to read, as we curl up on the couch before nodding off for an impromptu nap.

Dreams fuel active imaginations that seek refuge in creating alternate realities, strange new worlds, and intriguing characters. We nurture our stories like exotic plants in a glass conservatory. The tales become our babies and we watch, guide, and develop the plot, construct character arcs, and hone our storytelling craft. When the story blossoms we happily and proudly open the door to share our creations with our fellow adventurers.

Winter fosters hibernation, withdrawing to a pleasant haven to reflect, ponder, and find existential meaning. Writing is a natural extension, a way to process and clarify thoughts and ideas. We tell stories to make sense of our world. If we are lucky, we and the adventurers who follow our led, discover the obliteration lurking between the sentences.

What tale transports you to another world?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It is a secretive club. The members rarely advertise their affiliation in public, but when two of them meet, something passes between them, a nod, a smile, a bond. We are people who read. Research seems to support the conclusion that brilliant individuals, the ones who impact the world, read. They expose their minds to diverse subjects, and submerge themselves deep into a topic, knowing the exercise will propel them to higher levels of personal and professional excellence.

When avid readers recognize a peer, their conversations move easily covering their preferred genres, recent reads, classics, good books, great books, and the hallowed ground of life-changing books. Details aren’t necessary. We know the feeling of reading a story that alters our chemistry, changing us from the inside out. Words lift our mood by confirming we are not alone. Memorable characters have lofty aspirations, and impossible dreams, they struggle to do the right thing and become better humans.

Good books are mirrors reflecting our inner truths and revealing the pathways which connect our past and present to our hopes for a brighter future. As we turn the pages, we laugh, cry, tremble in fear, and rejoiced in the protagonists’ victories. We increase our knowledge, develop our brain, improve our imagination, and boost levels of concentration and focus. If we are lucky, reading changes not just our life, but the lives of those around us.

Have you read any great books lately?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Is your destiny written in the stars? Your daily horoscope can offer insight on whether you will meet your soul mate today, or if your best option is hiding under the covers. Interpretations from the heavenly bodies influence many, offering guidance with their decisions. Others scoff at relying on unproven theories.

Our society places great value on truth, science, and a preponderance of evidence to support our tradition of enlightenment, and to explain our world. A sensible person believes in the well explained. They disregard the existence of wonder, dismiss awe, question the possibility of miracles, and discount the surprise of serendipity. We satisfy our interests with a quick internet search. But studies show the individuals who are the most innovative, are also more eager to explore, accept risks, and dig deeper into “why.”

They say curiosity drives creativity, and creativity takes us on non-linear paths through sometimes embarrassing happenstance. Tapping into our creative side means allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, to get messy, to move things around, and experiment. We must develop a willingness to laugh, play, and flirt with genius. The inspiration is within your reach. You only need to look at the stars.

What questions will you explore today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday, a frog asked me to solve an elementary level math problem. Number manipulation is my favorite subject, so I agreed. Imagine my surprise when he declared I was wrong.

Here is the story question he gave me:

Five frogs were sitting on a log. Four frogs decided to jump into the pond. How many frogs were left?  Was your response one?  The correct answer is five frogs remain sitting on the log. Shocked and appalled, I was certain the amphibian didn’t understand simple subtraction. He licked his eyeball and assured me the error was not my mathematical skills; it was my logic. He said I assumed no difference existed between deciding and doing.

Action taken without prior reflection can yield disastrous results, but all thought and no movement is just as detrimental. Congratulate yourself for reaching a decision and prepare yourself for the difficult work to begin. The toughest step is moving from deciding to doing. Fear often induces paralysis, leaving us sitting on a rotting log, instead of leaping into our journey toward a better situation. Don’t allow inaction to negate your resolution. Realize you don’t need every answer, and perfection only happens with practice.

Are you ready to jump into your day?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer