by Jessika Hepburn, Editor & a guest appearance from Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl
This month is all about inspiration and exploring who, what, when, where and why our creative sparks are ignited. What is it that inspires us to pick up that pen, rush to the computer or cover the kitchen table with fabric or paint? One of the people who never fails to fuel my creative passion is Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl and The Creative Empire. I discovered her site when I first started editing OMHG, I quickly got hooked and couldn’t stay away! I now visit every day and often need to revisit posts throughout the week. Tara offers some of the best free resources and creative kick starts available on the internet. I am constantly inspired by how she encourages us all to create and engage in authentic, mindful and collaborative ways, to build community and start conversations.
So I did a wild happy dance when I responded to Tara’s shout out on Facebook looking for 10 bloggers to email her with three questions and was actually fast enough to get us a spot! I only asked one question but I think it’s a big one. I am honored to share Tara’s answer with you and bring OMHG a bit of the inspiration I find every day on Scoutie Girl.
I asked Tara what/who/where inspires you to create? Here is her insightful answer:
I’m inspired by – as we called it in school – “the other.”
Everything that is not like me, I find fascinating. I suppose I’m very curious, wanting to know how things work, why certain philosophies carry weight, who the change-makers are and why they do what they do.
In the kitchen, I’m inspired to understand flavors & ingredients that are foreign to me. While reading, I’m inspired to understand different world views, ways of doing business, or methods for interpreting words & feelings. When playing with my daughter, I’m inspired to see the world through her eyes and understand how her experience affects my experience.
After 28 years, I’m pretty comfortable with me. I suppose I’ve always been pretty comfortable with me. I’m not afraid to voice my opinions, hold out for what I want, and work towards realizing my goals.
What remains a constant enigma is the rest of the world!
So, since my “creating” is words & ideas, I’m always trying to look at things through other people’s eyes, to identify other people’s problems, to figure out how my point of view is different than their point of view.
As “artists,” I think we feel a lot of pressure to express our deepest thoughts and inner most feelings. That has value – but there is also great value in exploring how you relate to what is outside of you, even what is opposed to you. There is always art – and potential for creation – between what you know and what you don’t understand.
When I force my creative process, I tend to be more introspective. But the things that really resonate with people, the things that sing out when I let my creative process work in its own time and with its own inspiration, are the ideas that are extrospective.
Image above is mine-Lola is still the biggest inspiration and motivation for everything I do!
Tara Gentile strives to empower you to live more creatively and change the world with your money on her blog, Scoutie Girl. If you’re ready to act on your creative goals, register for her free program on creating more action in your life.
