Nance’s 2023 Top 5 Creative Inspirations
For my fellow artists out there
Elizabeth Gilbert says, in her book Big Magic, that “defending yourself as a creative person begins by defining yourself. It begins when you declare your intent. Stand up tall and say what you are.”
I’m a writer. It took me a long time to say it with confidence but I’ve been standing up tall and saying what I am for a decade now. Doesn’t it sound dreamy? So Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex &the City, smoking at her open window overlooking the West Village and tapping away with all her witty angst and clever insights?
Yeah, it’s not really like that. Or it’s not like that for me. There are dreamy moments. It rains a lot in Seattle so I’ve got the moody vibe going for me. But there’s a lot of failure in writing. There’s a lot of failure for me, anyway. This year, in my attempt to get a novel published, I’ve been rejected 61 times outright. I’ve also been passively rejected (meaning I received no response at all) 103 times. If math’s not your thing, that’s a lot. More than 3 per week. And that’s just counting this year!
Don’t worry, it’s fine, I’m fine, no big deal.
What this means, though, is that it’s becoming increasingly important for me to connect with the things that inspire me to keep going. Things that remind me why I care about words and art and creativity. I’ve been reaching for and relying more and more on outside inspiration to keep the embers warm. Here are the top 5 places I turned to this year to reenergize when I was feeling low or found myself floundering.
- American Symphony
This released on Netflix a couple weeks ago and we watched it the night it came out. It’s lovely. If you want more, check out Jaouad’s memoir, Between Two Kingdoms or listen to John Batiste on Armchair Expert.
2. Tick, Tick… Boom!
Released in 2021, I first watched this movie last year and rewatched twice this year. It buoys me every time and gets better with every viewing. Bonus that it was directed by Lin Manuel Miranda who has long been a meaningful source of inspiration for me.
3. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
This book. Wow. I read it a few months ago and keep returning to it to study how well she renders Demon’s voice. I’ve read a few other books by Kingsolver and she gets progressively better as both writer and storyteller.
She was also interviewed on Armchair Expert.
4. I started painting this year and I’ve particularly enjoyed these two artists on Instagram —
Novi Lim (abstracts) — @artbynovi
Brooke Ring (abstract florals, landscapes, etc) — @cbrookering
5. Proximity
I attended a brief weekend reunion with some of the folks from my MFA program in October and I meet monthly with a small cohort from my graduating class to share, celebrate and critique each other’s work. I can’t say enough about how much the time spent with other writers and creatives means to me. Being with them continues to be deeply meaningful for me and generative for my work.
I’d love to hear how other people bolster their depleted spirits when it’s difficult to know if the work is important or the effort matters. What excites you and keeps you going?
