First, poetry. As a writer I find poetry to be completely brilliant. I admire people that can take a simple thing like a river, or a bird, and twist words around so it has some great deeper meaning. What I really admire about poetry is that even if you can't understand what the underlying layers of the poem are, you can still feel it. Subconsciously you understand what the poet is trying to say and you have a very real emotional reaction to it. The heart understands poetry in a way that the mind doesn't. The mind needs to be trained to find the meaning in poetry, to understand all it's symbols and beauty, but the heart doesn't. The heart just knows. This concepts of the heart knows what the mind can't comprehend applies to many things (Like V for Vendetta which I watched with The Brother's Orton, their sister and brother-in-law, and Nancy Waldren last night.) like paintings, music and Love.
Here are a list of a few of my favorite poems. Some are short enough to write all of it here, some are very long and only excerpts are given. (All colored lines are things I would get tattooed on my body) I suggest everyone reads the poems in their entirety.
Invictus by William Ernest Henley: "In the fell clutch of circumstance/ I have not winced nor cried aloud/ Under the bludgenings of chance/ My head is bloody but unbowed."
Suicide's Note by Langston Hughes: "The calm,/ Cool face of the river/ Asked me for a kiss." (yes, that's the entire poem.)
Emily Dickinson in general, but a few specifically: "If I can stop one heart from breaking I shall not live in vain"
Stopping By a Wood on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost (Emily's favorite as well): "And miles to go before I sleep/And miles to go before I sleep"
The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe; "Quoth the Raven, Nevermore."
So that's the poetry that Inspires me.
Writers often inspire me. These people have done what I hope to do. Every time I read a good book I think "I'm going to do that someday. I'm going to make someone feel what I'm feeling right now." They have mastered the art of emotion and imagery using only words. Here are a few writers that I want to emulate.
Jay Asher: "Everything ...affects everything."
Charles Dickens: "It is a far far better thing that I do now than I have ever done." Robert Jordan: "Let the lord of chaos rule!"
Melina Marchetta: "Be prepared for the worst my love, for it lives next door to the best."
Fyodor Dostoevsky: Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.
Markus Zusak: "I am the Message."
William Shakespeare: "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come?"
Victor Frankl: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
To name a few. It's really an endless list.
Music often inspires me as well, although not being a very musical person I don't know why. My mind has been trained to understand the beauty in words, but my heart is still the only part of me that knows why Music is so beautiful. I can say that music says things that no words never can. It has a way of wrapping around your soul and pulling out the most pure pieces of you. Some music I like:
Paramore
Mumford and Sons
Goo Goo Dolls
Lord of the Ring's composer Howard Shore
The Fray
And an eclectic mix of many others.
I could mention many other things that inspire me, like Movies and Art (again), but since this post is already filled with many things I will just skip over those things, because if you read my blog faithfully those things should be obvious. So let's move on to people. There are people who inspire me to be myself, to love, to defy society, to be better. All these people, I love though I only know a few personally.
My Mother: raised four kids, often on her own, and still standing strong.
My Angel Grandmother: Raised four wonderful women and never let the world knock her down.
Natalie Portman: she shaved her head for art. Anyone that can pull that off is awesome.
P!nk: never afraid to be her own person without going to the extremes for attention like Lady Gaga
Emily Juchau: I've read her book and was privileged to be part of the creation process. She's going to do great things.
Van Gogh: beautiful painter, beautiful man
Girls with short hair: cause we're awesome. (including this chick)
Doug Neilson: He never gives up on anyone, even if he'd like to.
J.P. Lilly: He founded B.A.C.A. If you don't know what that is, look it up. He's amazing. He blessed my life.
(Seaman doesn't make the list. He was a weird therapist other than my others)
Everyone in Group Therapy: Joseph, Angela, Chandler, Drew, Brian, Abby, Krissy, and everyone else who I won't name. You guys are the reason I am happy again. You inspire me to write.
That's what I've got for now. Stay Excellent my friends.
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