Inspired

I'm often surprised where I find inspiration. It's in the little and unexpected things that I find myself having an "Ah ha!" moment, and soon thereafter my fingers itch to click the shutter button on my camera or click away on the computer. I've definitely had a case of writer's (and photographer's) block recently. Ideas are slow moving in my brain, and words aren't coming together like they have in the past. I've been in this slump before, and through time and experience I've learned a couple of things: 1. Keep writing and keep creating. Even if it's artistic crap, keep doing it. The juices will flow again. 2. Inspiration can come at any moment, so welcome it when it arrives, no matter the form. So, today I opened the front door, and let it walk through, in the form of two toddlers playing and a beautiful children's book.

First off, the girls. I've talked about them before. They are only 1 month apart, and their dads grew up together. Karis and I get the privilege of hosting E every few weeks for a play date, and watching them play side-by-side is a lot of fun. Put them in front of a well-lit window and you have some lovely photo inspiration. It's cheap and satisfying fun.

Second, the book. Karis and I go to the library every few weeks and pick out about a half a dozen books. In this last rotation we picked up Kidogo by Anik McGregory. Kidogo, which means "little" in Kiswahili, is the story of a young elephant in Africa who goes on a search to find an animal smaller than himself. McGregory authored and illustrated the book, and I'm enthralled with the gorgeous watercolor illustrations. McGregory drew inspiration for the book from her time spent in East Africa, and the illustrations are ripe with details of the terrain and animal kingdom in that region. I love children's books and would love to author my own one day. For now, this little unassuming story has inspired me and helped to unlock that nasty monster known as writer's block.