I was in my car this morning driving to work. A mundane route that generally aggravates me; the traffic, the car fumes.. The reminder that we’re killing the planet – all very “positive” thoughts. I put on a podcast and immediately I was transported from my negative outlook into a sense of complete inspiration and wonder. I was listening to the story of a woman who inherited thousands of designer vintage dresses from her godmother. Each dress was given to her by someone, making them 3 dimensional. Literally being the embodiment of its owner when they wore the clothing. Whether it was during heart ache, love, loss or opportunity.

This got me thinking.. These dresses are works of art, styled individually by whoever chooses to wear them. Communicating something about the person. They are the story of the people who wore them. It got my mind imagining what they were like and who they were. Wondering all of these things made me feel so much better, I was filled with hope, possibility and inspiration. This was because my imagination took off, I was outside of my own head. Instead I was inquisitive and curious. And so it got me thinking… I realised that the act of this storyteller -sharing their words with me changed my day. It effected me deeply, it moved me. And so I realised what had just taken place was a generous act from the storyteller – and I was thankful.

Creativity is a generous act. It takes the appreciation of what’s around you, in the details and in having intense curiosity to create something new. You have to be in tune enough to question what’s around you. And these muscles of appreciation take generosity and love. To truely listen, to really look, to intensely appreciate. A sunset, an outfit, a shade of blue, a beautiful song, the emotion of a chord. To truly appreciate these things takes love, care, slowing down, really looking. And to take what you’ve collected, the details and inspirations all around you and create something from that is a beautiful act. To create a song out of someone’s story. To make an artwork to reflect a political opinion, to challenge what you see that is not right in the world. This is a generous act. An act of love. And it can change someone’s day, year or even life. So the challenge is for you today – step outside of your mundane and really look around, and maybe you’ll be able to use what you’ve gathered to share with someone else. Thanks for reading!