Be Inspired
Who or what inspires you? I think I’ve asked that question hundreds of times over my many years interviewing celebrities, designers, and other such luminous types. But until now, I’ve honestly never taken the time to answer my own question. It’s one of the dangers of making a living interpreting the lives of others. It’s very easy to get lost in the achievements, accomplishments and dreams of shiny, fancy people when you spend your days seeking that information.
Oh don’t get me wrong. There’s almost nothing I love more than to hear about another person’s life journey. I love to listen. I love to hear stories. I consider it a privilege to glimpse into the private lives of, well, anyone, whether it be Kim Kardashian whose home I had the pleasure of visiting some years ago, or my octogenarian neighbors Harriet and Bernie. Getting a look at the way people live and how they operate is endlessly fascinating to me. But it’s also easy to hide behind the stories of others and forget to write my own. I’m not a baby anymore, alas, and it’s time I owned my stuff. So, what inspires me? Here’s a short list.
1. People who laugh, a lot. I mean, life ‘ain’t easy folks, so if your heart’s still filled with laughter you’re a gift to the world and you inspire me.
2. Artists. If you can open your heart, and bleed your truth onto a canvas, a piece of paper, a swath of cloth, a stanza of music, in front of a camera. I salute you.
3. Mountains, oceans, sweeping vistas, and other miraculous works of Mother Nature, like Acacia trees.
4. My children.
5. Beyoncé. I mean…
6. My husband, Tom. A blond white male, aka almost a minority now, and a from-the-bootstraps Hollywood success story. Not to mention a great dad.
7. Really good food. There is almost nothing more pleasureful, evocative, transporting… almost…
8. Love. The real, feel it to your core, can’t put words to it, die without you kind of love.
So, what inspires you?
