Where Do You Go for Inspiration?

When I’m looking for inspiration, I go to…. Art. My first go-to is always literature. I’m always down for a good page-turner. The characters and the settings described so lyrically. It lets your mind create and fill in the blanks for itself. You get to know the characters. You feel what they feel. Authors like Toni Morrison and Zora Neal Hurston paint such a vivid picture of a life that’s so familiar to the Black body; and celebrate the complexities of being a woman with no apology. Or Nonfiction writers, like Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou, have often been the breath beneath my own wings, affirming me and encouraging me to trust and use my own voice. Music also inspires so much of what I do. The right music just makes you FEEL down to your bones. Whether it’s the lyrics or the pure instrumentation… music just has a way of evoking a story deep in your spirit. If you’re blessed enough, you’ll have the means and the courage to do something with it. And other times, I’ll find inspiration in visual arts: installations, photographs, paintings… a favorite is Frieda Kahlo. The integrity of her work and the life that she lived is a true depiction of art reflecting life. I only hope to be as transparent, intrinsic, and true to self in my work as well.