Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with inspiration

Help me find a poem!

nataliecay — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:34:49 -0800

Help me find a good inspirational poem to frame as a Christmas gift for someone going through a hard time. With the economy in the tank, my dad is going through a hard time with his company and I wanted to find a classic uplifting poem to frame for a Christmas gift. Something inspirational that makes you think. Googling fails me as it only seems to bring up the cheesy poems that don't have any deep thought behind them.

Not being one who studies poetry, I am kind of at a loss. Does anyone have any favorites that they feel might fit the bill?

Thanks in advance!

The fear of not finding a quote...

frwagon — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:22:21 -0800

Trying to remember a specific quote about fear of success, and my google-fu is failing. The quote was longer than most quotes, and went something to the effect of "We are not afraid of failing, but we are afraid of succeeding and becoming everything we can be...." There were religious overtones to it, but I can't remember much more than that. Any ideas?

Improving my skills with a DSLR camera.

Political Funny Man — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:50:18 -0800

I recently purchased a Nikon D5000 DSLR, and while I'd like to think that I have a bit of a photographer's eye, I really haven't used anything beyond a point-and-shoot for the last few years. Any advice or resources that people have (beyond reading the manual) to improve my skills would be awesome. In a high school photography class (5 years ago) I learned how to develop film, frame a shot, the mechanics of it, that sort of thing. Since then I've barely used anything beyond a simple point-and-shoot. While I know a bit about what I'm doing, I really could use a refresher on F-stops and the like. Next semester I'll try and take a class, but until then...

- Any photography-related websites/books/magazines/etc that inspire you.
- Somewhere I can read or watch videos about the basics, like aperture, histograms, framing a great shot, that sort of thing.
- Other places that have more advanced stuff once I'm bored with the basics, and want to try something new.
- A forum or similar where I can get tips on how to improve my photos (e.g. "Hey this is what I photographed, what can I do better?")
- What are your favorite things to photograph, why?
- Your advice...?
- Something else I'm missing.

While I'd prefer not to spend any more money than I already have on the camera to learn how to use it, I'm open to all suggestions.

I've seen this post, and it's great. It's 4 years old though, so maybe MetaFilter has some new stuff?

Thanks!!

Perhaps a chair coated with glue?

BitterOldPunk — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:09:03 -0800

With NaNoWriMo looming ever nearer, I would like to hear your best tips, tricks, habits, and techniques for staying chained to the keyboard. Realizing that the point is to get 50,000 words written, I've jettisoned all illusions of producing quality, publishable prose. My only goal is to finish without having to copypaste "All work and no play makes BOP a dull boy" five thousand times. I have a (rather vague) outline, I have some preliminary character sketches, and I have every expectation that the first ten thousand words will flow fairly quickly. But. I suck at follow-through. I have the attention span of the common housefly. So, writers: how do I stick with it, fight through discouragment and ennui, and produce 50,000 reasonably coherent words?

Note: I'm not looking for tips like "prepare moar" or "work your plan". I'm looking for how to stay motivated when the fun stuff stops and the hard work begins.

What is this documentary called?

jeffmilner — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:10:03 -0800

I'm trying to track down a documentary I saw online years ago. Details are sketchy, but I remember either 8x8 or 16x16 pixel art animation - enlarged. I think they talked about Edison electrocuting an elephant, and many design and art related topics. Two people were narrating and I believe they worked for some kind of design firm. What is the name of, and for bonus points where can I find a copy of that film online?

need publisher, imagination will travel

gypseefire — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:49:06 -0800

I've recently begun work on a children's book. It is inspired by my granddaughter. I was wondering if anyone had any information on how to get a children's book published? Suggested Publishers? Also, any other information pertaining to this process, would be appreciated. ***I realize that children's books are a dime a dozen...but mine just might be spectacular ;)***

What web-app should I build on the domain "vimbro.com"?

farmersckn — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:54:46 -0800

What web-app should I build on the domain "vimbro.com"? What does vimbro sound like to you?

* Project management?
* Social networking?
* The first 3rd party implementation of the Google Wave Standard?
* Dating site for robots?
* A custom linux build?

Help me out! If someone suggests a cool idea, especially one that is unique, and it is within my abilities, I will earnestly work on making it a reality!

Me Draw Pretty One Day

EatTheWeak — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:22:13 -0800

Hey artists and creative types! How do you get back at it when you've been out of the studio for a long time? This question relates directly to visual art, so that's my main interest in this, but I'd like to hear answers from writers and musicians and any other creative folks who might have some insight to share. Basically, I'm wondering how you get your muse to start returning your calls again.

My situation is that I'm heading into a quarter of school where I get to spend as much time as I please in the studio, working on my art (comics, in my case) - trouble is, I'm coming off a summer where I worked six nights most weeks and scarcely had a moment to draw, so I feel really rusty. When my comics matrix is firing on all cylinders, inspiration is never a problem - rather, keeping up with it is. But getting there takes awhile, and I'd like to jumpstart my return if at all possible.

So, that's the question, creative AskMe readers: when you've been away from your artistic practice for a long time, how do you get your head back in the game?

Lomo–tastic!

t0astie — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:23:18 -0800

I just got a Lomo Fisheye 2 for my birthday! I am super excitemented. Hive, hit me with your bestest Lomo / fisheye tips and tricks! Background: my experience level is medium, but I haven’t used a film camera for years. I’m located in the middle of nowhere for the next week (the South Australian outback) and then I’ll be in Brisbane, Australia mostly.

So far, I’ve been browsing the Lomography.com forums and looking at lots of pics on Flickr, as well as taking my new toy everywhere and shooting lots of different stuff – everything from concerts to landscapes to close-ups of my long-suffering boyfriend and camera-gifter. It’ll be a while before I can get the film developed though. In the meantime, I’m hoping AskMe has some Lomo-lovin’ experience to share.

So I’m wondering…

-Best film? (A couple of rolls of 100 and 100 redscale were part of my gift and I went and bought a few rolls of 400 print film, which is all that’s available here. I’ll be able to order over the net back in Brisbane, and camera stores there will have more variety, I’m sure.)
-Processing tips? (I won’t be doing it myself and I'm not really interested in prints, more in having the film developed and scanned to CD.)
-I’m especially up for fun and creative photo adventures and experiments. I have nearly a whole week of free time! Ideas?

All suggestions, ideas, inspiration welcome!

I Want To Know Who Has Inspired You (And Who Can Then Inspire Me)

Lipstick Thespian — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:51:35 -0800

Most-Inspiring Writers, Thinkers, Poems, Websites, People? I'm feeling like crap about my prolonged job search and my hardships in turning from a corporate white-collar cube hound into a non-profit crisis interventionist.

I'm hoping the hive mind can pour it on with your absolute favorite mentors, inspiring people, books, websites, what-have-you to keep me fighting the good fight.

Be as enthusiastic as possible and tell me why your choice changed your life or continues to inspire you to "be the change."

Hoping for at least 50 comments in this thread.

Inspired vs. Prompted Writing

pauldonato — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:29:47 -0800

I can only write well when I'm inspired, and even then it's only at blog-post length. Any time I set out do something larger, my brain shuts down. I've tried at least 100 different approaches to move beyond random, spur-of-the-moment blogging to something I could get published.

One Saturday morning, I followed the advice to just keep putting words on paper. What followed was a 10-page piece of short-story fiction written in about 2 hours. However, the rest of my weekend was shot. My eyesight was blurry, and I felt off when socializing. I had to spend the rest of the weekend playing video games and watching TV to recover.

I then showed the piece to some friends and they thought it was good but needed some corrections. I tried to revise my work, but then came this nagging sense in my mind like, "what's the point??" I hated my work. I felt no connection to it at all. I forced myself to keep revising though, and then I submitted it to a couple magazines. One replied back saying it needed some minor technical work. I could have made the fixes, but I hated the process so much I just gave up.

Without fail, any time I set out to write, rather than have it come to me, I hate it.

The bursts of steam I get only manifest into 1-5 paragraph length blog posts. I want to make articles and books that get published.

After 6 years of pinning my hopes on becoming a writer, I'm now at the point where I'm ready to give up.

Part of me is suspicious because I never saw any potential for me as a writer until I was 20 and started blogging. I feel like I should have at least evinced some early talent or interest. Also, I think there may just be something so categorically different between blogging and other writing mediums. My blogging feels very much like conversations with my friends. Often we'll just go off on some deep tangent or burst.

Inspirational Places to Travel From Hong Kong !

doogyrev — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:44:22 -0800

Holiday / Vacation Inspiration Needed ! A last minute opportunity for an Asian getaway has popped up ! I will be in Hong Kong, my travel destination will be ?????? >>>>> ???? I'm going to be in Hong Kong on the 28th of April and need to make a decision on where to head off to for a break of 8 days ( till 6th May )

Any tips on where to go , best prices etc. I can easily fly somewhere in the region

Vietnam , Thailand , Cambodia are off the list as I have travelled a fair bit in those countries..

I'm earning New Zealand Dollars so needs to be budget focussed.

Looking for new experiences along side some R & R and my inspirational travel juices have dried up.... can the collective help ?

Find me inspiring books!

actionpact — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:22:33 -0800

I'm trying to expand my reference library. What are your favorite inspiring books (the kinds with photos/artwork in them?) Basically, I'm looking for any books that have good reference material in them-- not so much the text (though I like reading), but ones that show interesting images to use to inspire me when I can't think of what to draw. (National Geographic came in handy for this as a kid) I don't get to travel a lot but I love to peruse books, so I thought why not find some good sources?

Books with old advertisements, design, patterns, motifs and artwork from indigenous worlds, sci-fi, photos of houses and environments, costume design, books about nature and animals, space, historical photos, underwater photography, the topic doesn't matter specifically, just whatever you have or would recommend I'm super-curious to find out about. Coffee-table books, old books, whatever!

As an example, I have books like these:
Manuel Manilla
The Golden Age of Advertising-the 60's

and am thinking about getting these:
Chasing Rickshaws (I found this in a library and it was great!)
Little House on a Small Planet

Thanks hivemind!

Please recommend graphically inspiring books and magazines

deern the headlice — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:02:12 -0800

I'm in a web design rut. Please recommend innovative non-web (magazine and book) layouts to help me get inspired! For the past year, too many web layouts I've designed have looked very similar, very boxy, very blog-like and uninspired. For the most part, the clients have been happy with the designs, but I know I'm in a rut. Studying the online CSS/design galleries isn't cutting it anymore; they're too much of a design echo chamber.

I didn't go to art school and have no real formal training, but I've been designing sites for years and getting better. Still, I kind of wish I had the benefit of schooling so I could fall back on fundamentals when I want to, and then push myself to color outside the lines a bit.

I would love to subscribe to any magazines, or purchase any particularly beautifully designed books, that I could meditate on during these moments of self-doubt. My hope is that getting away from computers and discovering more classic/organic/ or innovative layouts will give new energy to my web designs. Anything from Tufte to Raygun mag is fair game.

Thanks!

The best of genius at work, in their own words and pictures?

fire&wings — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:25:56 -0800

I'm looking for books featuring (first hand) the creative processes, influences, daily routines and preparatory works of creative people - visual artists, film makers, novelists, poets etc. It dawned on me recently that I often enjoy insight into the creative process of great minds even more than I do their completed, published works. The letters of Samuel Beckett, the manuscript facsimile of 1984 by Orwell, the theories of Robert Bresson, to name a few.

I'm looking for the best books - diaries, letters, collected preliminary designs or sketches, written manifestos - by great creative minds. Preferably behind the scenes of their great works or their career, rather than especially notable works in their own right. They needn't be direct documentary insights into the creation of certain works, I'm also interested in reading diaries and letters relating generally to the formative experiences/periods of these lives. I am only interested in "primary evidence" - actual documents transcribed or reproduced, rather than biography or speculation.

Music that Taps your Creativity/Motivation?

roundrock — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:00:33 -0800

I need some recommendations for music to unleash the creative writer within. I get my best writing (indeed, my best work of any sort) done when I put on massive headphones and close out the rest of the world. That said, silence makes me sad, so I need a soundtrack to drive the creative process. I'm not looking to be inspired by the music's message, per se. In fact, I'd probably prefer something non-English (foreign language or instrumental). Carmina Burana and Axelle Red got me through late night college writing/studying ... but I want something new!

So tell me - what music breaks down the walls of writer's block and keeps your momentum going strong during the creative process?

I need help finding tragic and scary musical inspiration!

katillathehun — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:52:09 -0800

I'm looking for very sad and slightly spooky-sounding instrumental music. Nothing cheesy, though. What should I get? I'm working on some fictional writing for middle school children, and I find that I work best when I listen to music that makes me feel the mood of the story. This tale involves deep despair, loneliness, unbridled rage, and something quite terrifying on a playground. So, I need music that's very sad or a little creepy (especially in that spooky carnival or music box way). Some examples of music I've found inspirational so far: Danny Elfman's Serenada Schizophrana, "Magnolia," by Jon Brion from the Magnolia score, and lots of Grieg and Vivaldi. What else would you recommend?

Oh, and it doesn't absolutely have to be instrumental, but that's my preference. Firewater's "The Man on the Burning Tightrope" and all of Tom Waits' The Black Rider have been on repeat lately, too.

Layout Inspiration

b33j — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:27:47 -0800

Where do you go for page layout (for print materials) inspiration? Websites, books, anything? Extra difficulty - education material for children P-12 written by professionals.

Drink your school! Stay in milk!

explosion — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:51:01 -0800

How do inspirational/motivational/informational speakers get started? In a MeFi from last week someone linked this video of Alvin Law, and it got me thinking. How do speakers like Mr. Law get started on the speaking circuit?

I understand that once they're established, with a few shining references, it's easier to promote oneself, and depending on success, may even have the luxury of picking and choosing. But how does anyone get those first few gigs? It's not like bands, where they can play at a bar or venue for free and get exposure.

If you're not already wildly successful or famous ("Come See Donald Trump next week at..."), how do you get there? I'm not talking millions of dollars or hitting the talk shows, just enough traction to make it a job.

Please don't let me get a job

teraspawn — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:00:43 -0800

UnexpectedGapYearFilter: I've dropped out of my biochemistry course to go home and deal with my crippling depression. I've managed the going home bit... now what? Okay, appointment with a therapist - check. Doctor's appointment to discuss anti-depressants - pending. I've got a lot of sorting myself out to do, so I suppose I should do that first. But then what?

My plan is to start this year of my course again in September, hopefully by which point I will have stopped hating myself, threatening close friends with suicide and other behaviours that are not conducive to learning. Naturally I am looking forward to this.

I'm a bright lass and nine months is pretty much forever. Besides giving birth, what could I do to fill this time?

More specifically I'd like:

Recommendations for depression-recovery type things - books, strategies, biscuits, anything.
Any advice for how to find work experience in something biochemistry-related in England, for someone halfway through an undergraduate degree
Suggestions for useful or interesting things I could learn about (for example, I can't drive, I have no idea how Ubuntu works and I'm far too smart a person to not understand basic physics - what else am I missing out on?)
What do you wish you'd done before you graduated university?
(Bear in mind that these have to mesh with my occasional need to stay in bed all day and sob quietly into my pillow whilst listening to badly-worded angry teenage pop-punk).

What do you recommend?

Obama inspiration video clips?

Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:37:36 -0800

I am looking for videos online showing people's reactions to Obama's victory last Tuesday, especially those showing people weeping from joy, inspiration, or generally being overwhelmed by emotion. I have found a few such videos already (e.g. Sherri Shepherd on The View), but I would ideally like to have a dozen or so of them. If you have a link (to Youtube, etc.), could you post it? Or, similarly, if you know of a way of searching for these that would be efficient, or a website that contains a bunch of them, please let me know.

Still photographs would also be helpful, but it's the videos I'm most in search of.

Can You Think of Any Respected Losers

metahawk — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:09:07 -0800

Help me identify famous people who were respected for putting up a good fight but still lost the (figurative) war. I have a friend who is fighting a progressive disease. Eventually the disease will win but in the meanwhile she is doing everything she can to maintain her abilities. I tried to think of some famous people who fought the good fight but still died. She is Chinese so examples from Chinese history would be good, otherwise it should be someone famous enough that she would know the story. For example, Jews at Massada would work except that she wouldn't know the reference. Please help me inspire my friend.

films that celebrate life, liberty and the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity?

UbuRoivas — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:44:47 -0800

What are some films that celebrate life, liberty and the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity? In this thread about a remarkable guy who had himself sent to Auschwitz to report on what was going down there, nickyskye wrote "That article says, “Death of Captain Pilecki” joins the ranks of other small, independent films that celebrate life, liberty and the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity. Would love a whole list of those movies.

I wholeheartedly agree. Hope us with some great movies!

Looking for some inspiration about overcoming shame.

MiggySawdust — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:58:01 -0800

Looking for some inspiration about overcoming shame. Anybody have any suggestions for an inspiring book or movie about someone overcoming immense feelings of shame for who they are and then living a fulfilling life? Preferably from a straight 40ish masculine perspective. Thanks.

Can you recommend some Good Books for my dad?

Metroid Baby — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:02:56 -0800

My dad recently read The Shack and really liked it. Can you recommend other books with a spiritual leaning (not necessarily Christian) that he might also like? A bit of background: Metroid Dad lost both his father and his younger brother earlier in the year, and for the past several months he's been fighting an uphill battle with cancer. We're not sure how much time he's got left, but he's been in remarkably good spirits.

As might be expected in this situation, Dad's been waxing a bit ontological lately. Give him a free ear and he'll talk to you about his thoughts on God and the afterlife, on relationships and love and how we'll all meet again. He prefaces a lot of this with "I'm not sure how, but I believe…" or "Now, I don't go to church that much…" or "I know this might sound kinda flaky, but…" In other words, he's not dogmatic or judgmental, but appears to be approaching these questions with gentleness and an open mind. He was raised Protestant, but believes that all religions are really working towards the same thing and concedes that religion doesn't have to be a central part of anyone's life.

He read The Shack a month or two ago and, though he thought parts were kind of lame, on the whole it really spoke to him. Really, a whole lot. (I read it at his urging, and my reaction was more "hmm, okay.")

Given all of the above, I'd really like to find more reading material in a similar vein – stuff that might also speak to him, comfort him, or get him thinking. Fiction, nonfiction, religious texts, any or all of the above. Doesn't have to be Christian, doesn't necessarily have to have religion or God or spirituality as the main focus. I'd like stuff that’s intelligent but accessible (and readable while in the hospital and woozy), so nothing too dry or too schlocky. And I'd like to avoid proselytizing, Kool-Aid, and scary REPENT SINNERS!!!1! type stuff.

He loved the history books I got him for Christmas at your recommendations, and I'm hoping you guys will have some good ideas yet again.

(I doubt it'll be an issue, but just in case: please, no hurf durf Shack reader or hurf durf God believer here. Dad's not reading this thread, and I'm not going to engage him in any metaphysical arguments, so there's not really any point in it. He'd respect your beliefs, so please respect his.)

Thank you in advance, as always.