The Inspiration Box

If you are like me, you keep everything. You have been called a "pack rat." The specials on the discovery channel about "compulsive hoarders" makes you slightly uncomfortable because of how close to home it hits. I've recently come to understand why I keep so many seemingly useless things - for inspiration.

Inspiration from nostalgia
Memories seem to give me inspiration. For instance, take a receipt for a bag of chips from a gas station on the way to the destination of a road trip. Mitch Hedberg would wonder "why do you need to bring ink and paper into this?" Here's why. I was in a "state of mind" that is not achievable any other way, besides being in the middle of a road trip. By looking at this receipt, I might feel more relaxed, more in anticipation of good things to come in life, just like I felt on the trip. Usually, though, I get this weird feeling that I don't know what to do with, then I shove the receipt back from whence it came. Upon realizing my 99% useless tendency, I found a solution to the problem. If I have a little something that I'm reluctant to throw away, I write down what I'd like to remember in a journal. That way, I develop the feeling, have a record of it, then I can get rid of the thing.

Lists, drawings, writings, fortune cookie fortunes, programs, and cards - I can not seem to throw these things away. My solution was to make a concentrated area for stuff that doesn't need to be in my immediate vicinity of productivity at my desk. I found this nice, blue fabric box to put little trinkets and pieces of paper in. I also put in a beat-up old folder for full 8+1/2 X 11 pages that I didn't want to get crinkled up. The programs and cards are in separate magazine holders. Now, whenever I want to feel nostalgic or need some sort of venture out of the ordinary, I go to this area.

So far, it's a seedling of a thing. I haven't been instantly inspired to go write a symphony or something from this collection of sheets - partially from leftover guilt and ambivalences. One thing that has happened though, has been to add things to the box that truly inspire me. I recently added a drawing of the sun, I realized how much I love it. Spring had sprung, and I've always had a fascination with the star that makes life on this planet possible. I've been adding little drawings and inspirational quotes here and there. I think it's getting better.

See my music theory blog for more on inspiration:
Joe Diorio and John McLaughlin
http://scraggo.blogspot.com/