Finding inspiration... even amongst imperfection :)

Sitting on our back steps, still groggy from waking up, cup of (naturally decaffeinated) coffee in hand, I found inspiration for my day amongst the imperfection.

A corner of our veggie patch has become overgrown with a vine from my neighbour’s farm.

The property changed hands a few years ago and the new owners no longer run cattle beside our fence, which has left the paddock to become overrun with weeds while they establish their new orchard.

So our view is no longer of lush, green grass covering gently undulating hills. Instead it’s of dead and dried out weeds which stand unbending in the breeze, long prickly grass with brown edges and a very persistent form of vine which grows over our wire fence and into our veggie patch.

But I wasn’t paying attention to all of that this morning.

A group of little wrens had come to visit.

Tiny, light-brown feathered friends hopped from the wire fence and under the invading vine out onto our garden.

One landed on the rosemary bush and darted up and down the stalks. I could hear the click of her beak as she caught insects and foraged on the spent flowers. Another flew to the edge of our pond and hopped under the new canopy provided by the ever invading weed-vine, completely out of sight, while her friends sat on the red fountain grass and mulberry tree, hopping from one spot to another, looking for their breakfast.

It was like watching a playful children’s story book come to life in my own back yard.

My heart still feels so light, so grateful and delighted by their visit.

Living a creative life means slowing down to notice your surroundings. Paying attention to what moves your heart. Knowing what you deeply, truly and authentically love. And allowing yourself to have more of that.

Yes please. I’d love another serve.

I believe finding inspiration is actually a form of self care and self love. Knowing yourself so well as to know what simple practices light you up when life doesn’t seem perfect (which, let’s face it, is most of the time) is an important tool to have in your self care took kit.

Amongst the weeds, the chaos, the noise, the clamour; being able to pause, replenish your own well, and find what truly delights you is what I love about living a creative life.

As a painter, inspiration is my currency.

Having a vast range of scenes stored in my mind’s eye from adventures outdoors, colour combinations glimpsed in gardens or national parks, compositions and landforms which cause my heart to flutter are what move me to pick up a paint brush and create.

I learnt early in my career that time spent doing those things that I love; bush walking, visiting streams, sitting quietly in the garden and watching the birds, was imperative to my creative practice. They didn’t feel like work, but without them, my work didn’t work.

My priorities in life changed from always having to be ‘on’ and producing, to acknowledging and prioritising the receptive stage of the process as much as the giving. I needed to nurture my inspiration in order to create.

Be kind to yourself.

Finding inspiration is about being kind to yourself.

In some ways, inspiration as another word for giving yourself permission to receive gifts (gifts of beauty, delight, wonder, colour, curiosity) from things you love, and then doing more of those things!

Through life I’ve noticed that what we focus on expands. It tends to fill our awareness and take on larger and larger proportions. Seeing the world through the lens of inspiration means we can focus on what we do want, rather than what we don’t.

I love the grass wrens.

I’ve photographed them and painted them many times in the years I’ve lived here. And when I spotted them again this morning, the weeds didn’t matter. Their unruliness wasn’t the focus of my mind.

Living a creative life is great training for becoming present, practicing gratitude, prioritising doing more of what you love, and focusing on what delights you.

Rather than battling with the ‘shoulds’ of life, trying to corral unruly circumstances until everything is ‘all under control’ and ‘neatly lined up in a row.’ Living a creative life puts the focus back on what we love.

Through the lens of inspiration, weeds can be transformed into the backdrop of a scene from a children’s story book in your own back-yard.

Exploring Inspiration & Freedom

In Flourish with Painting & Creativity we spend two entire modules on what are some of my favourite topics; Inspiration and Freedom. Which are the next two elements I’ve found are key to living a creative life.

We explore playful practices to find what inspires you personally and ways to include more of that in your day, and also practical creative outlets that are portable (so you can take them with you anywhere) and encourage you to live a life that’s full of creative freedom.

Enrollments close this week, and we’d love to have you join us.

Flourish with Painting & Creativity really is more than just a painting course; it’s full to the brim with love-drenched principles, practices and priorities I’ve personally honed to live a joyful, soulfully satisfying creative life. Right now, there’s nothing I’d love to share with you more.

Wishing you and yours a lovely Easter if you celebrate. I’ll be back with the last of our mini-series on the 8 Elements to Flourish with Painting & Creativity tomorrow.

Until then, I hope you have a delightful and inspiration-filled day!

With much love,
Nicola xx

PS. What creative excursion can you take yourself on today? A walk in the park? A visit to the beach? How about a hot cup of tea in your garden? Take some time to cherish yourself and you may be surprised by how inspired you naturally feel as a result. xx