Source Of Inspiration - Part Two

In Part One of the post, Source Of Inspiration, Albie Mulcahy pointed us to our spiritual dimension and to God as a source of inspiration that can uplift us and have us discover sights never encountered before. I explained how my relationship with Albie exposed to me to interacting with my environment so that my experiences in one domain could creatively influence another.

It is likely that we all have come to know a larger than life character such as Albie, those one-of-a-kind people that work their magic on us whenever we come in contact with them. It is just as likely that our life is full of individuals who are in touch with their creative and artistic natures, individuals that can serve us as inspirational guideposts. It isn’t necessary to know any of them personally. Artists, and the legacies and artworks they leave behind are accessible to all of us who wish to imbue more of our daily lives with self expression. With a visit to Monet’s Giverny, one is completely surrounded with the source of the great Impressionist’s visions for painting blooming water lilies and wisteria canopied green bridges.

I am fortunate to have a variety of creative individuals of Albie's caliber to serve as my examples. Part of my happiness practice is to spend time in the company of them as much as I can. By Grace, I find I have an acquaintance with Carla Veliz, one of San Antonio's fabulous contemporary artists, and Jeness Cortez, an unparallel composer of the depictions of the great master painters. My daughter, Jessica, excels at creating political productions. A friend, Kimberly Bean creates magnificent parties. Another friend, Melissa Rice, creates financial opportunities for investors. My employers, Glen Fargo and Aida Zorrilla, create environments where one can pursue physical skill and strength. Our reverend, Karen Tudor, creates a moving, holy experience. I enjoy friendships with authors Alexandra Stoddard and Victoria Moran born out of my enthusiasm to design a lifestyle inspired by the pages they write. Many others serve as examples to me about how to seek inspiration to further my progress in actualizing all that I was intended to be. These creators assure us that we have an authentic voice and they hint at how we might cultivate it.

Albie once spoke about how the structures and environments he was surrounded by infiltrated his artistic process. The Impressionists' family and friends at table and in the garden encouraged them to put paint to canvass. Carla Veliz says motherhood has had a profound impact on her art. For Jeness Cortez, it seems to be the great masters. Alexandra Stoddard speaks of nature elevating her moods and Victoria Moran's quest for a healthy body and spirit makes her life more charming. Syd Banks names the wisdom of the God Mind as a foundational principle as he teaches about healthy psychological functioning. The common thread for these artists is their yearning for and the application of the sparks of insight they receive as they create.

We have to find our inspiration. We have to dismiss the notion that only the highly artistic and creative have access to their inspiration. We are in God and God in us; the ability for us to create in the physical realm is as real as God's ability to create the heavens and earth. Albie's power to reconstruct what he sees on cutting edge runways into products and styles the ultra fashionable adopt morphs into my power to develop a healthy menu for Doug's and my dinner. Leonardo da Vinci's belief that the essence of God exists in all of nature makes me mindful as I model the simplicity of movement for clients in our study of Pilates and the techniques of Ron Fletcher. Alexandra Stoddard, Victoria Moran and Sydney Banks are available to us so we may ponder and explore how we might lift our thoughts and feelings so that we may creatively draft a richer and fuller life. We have to become inspired, so that as many moments as possible are shifted to a higher personal quality so that we can achieve a happier experience in our day to day existence.

My hope for us all is that, when someone like Albie calls us "sweetheart", even after a few romances, an engagement and a husband or partner materializes, we still feel our skin tingling and our hearts beating faster. Let us delight in those who can awaken our creative and sensual energies within. Let these artistic and innovative beings receive in direct proportion all that they give to us, often in ways we cannot innumerate economically. Let the purveyors of new thoughts and feelings in our worlds recover whatever they may have to sacrifice so that we may be motivated, stimulated and inspired in our lives to do and be more. Let them continue to be our guiding lights and sayers of truth. Let us be grateful when we find those willing to face their dark nights of the soul and emerge into the daylight awash with what they have learned so that they may illuminate our path when we are ready.

Albie and the others teach us to gain a fresh perspective. Incorporate what you observe into whatever craft it is you practice, even when it doesn't classify as "art" to you. Adhere to a philosophy that your life is art, as Robert Fritz suggests. Make what was once old new. Invigorate yourself. Realize every creative act contains an element of yourself, every creative act is an opportunity to develop your unity with others and God. Know the truth that a happy life requires bouts of being inspired. Find inspiration in both the everyday and the extraordinary. Discover what Albie has: that our connectedness to God can uplift us and enable us to look in places we have never considered before. We cannot know what will find there. Surely we will know the pleasure that comes from work and play that is energized and electrified by the fuel of our passions.

“The creative individual makes connections others don’t see.” - Michael Gelb