creativity

From this lovely post at Message from the Muse, speaking of the courage necessary to follow one's own creative inspiration:

"Next time you have a brilliant idea, a shining truth, or even a half-cracked oyster, use that intuitive nose of yours to sniff out the situation. You can only smell the swine if you have identified them in your own psyche and comes to terms with them. When you notice you're near a trough or trucking through the mud, it's a good indicator to keep those sweet pearls to yourself. Enjoy them. Celebrate them. And soon a prince, a pauper, a jeweler or a pink poodle with an affinity for oysters is bound to happen by. You'll know who they are when they show up, if you use your friend Discernment. Then it's time to take out the pearls, share them, spend them, thread them on a vein of gold and string them 'round your throat. It's there they shine."

One of the things that keeps my own inspiration flowing is seeing the efforts of others, their inspiring photography, reading their poetry, considering the passion with which they live their lives. Along this vein I particularly love etsy (an arts/crafts website) because of the beauty and sparkle of the handmade goods therein. I may not always have the money to buy the pretty things on display, but I am energized by the colors, textures, and enthusiasm of those who create. A few of my recent favorites:

-a funky frenchy shoulder bag
-these beautiful bowls and bright mug
-a print of this collage, because it's just lovely
-more handmade jewelry, from sara and other favorite sellers
-this groovy tee or this one, because they remind me of my garden