" ... the world 's mine oyster" -- William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor

It's a dismal day in Normal, with the rain and grayness leaving a heavy cloud over the city...and me. I was having one of those miserable mornings where just pulling out of bed is the biggest chore of the day, and walking out the door is my mission impossible. I stepped into a 2 star outfit because I didn't even have the energy to create a 5. After stubbing a toe and recalling a composition I'd procrastinated, I grumbled about feeling uninspired, hating mornings, and wanting to stay in bed instead of practice. But 2 coffees and 2 pounds of hair spray later, I managed to stumble, a frazzled hamster on the perpetual wheel, into a little spot on campus called the "Airport Lounge."

The lounge is an unassuming coffee shop in the heart of the "artsy" section of campus, home to lively vocalists belting "Glitter and Be Gay," introverted artists sketching their latest impression, wildly dressed actors vying for attention, and overworked musicians gossiping about the latest tiff in orchestra.

I grabbed a coffee, a pastry and dumped a pile of repertoire and notebooks onto an empty table. But then I looked up. And for a second, my eyes left the hamster wheel. Here in the laughter over a nerdy instrument joke, the pains of a dedicated artist in the corner, and the conversation of students over a libretto, I soaked up inspiration.


Webster defines inspiration as the act of drawing in, specifically air. When we become inspired it's as if we've breathed in life-giving air. The clouds clear and we are far better able to connect with our creativity. Most of us think of inspiring events as those that are monumental, like the hero warrior sacrificing for his country or the birth of a tiny new baby into this huge world. Certainly these events have done their part to embolden, influence, and impress the generations. But often in the mundane day-to-day I grapple with lack of inspiration. Stress, depression, exhaustion, others' expectation - only the start of the long list that wilts the flower of my creativity. But as I sit in the coffee shop observing the quirky behavior of artists, wild theatrics of singers, and "savoir-faire" of the wandering professors, I discover that having daily inspiration is really just a matter of viewing the smallest details of life as extraordinary, and being nourished by the ordinary life. Somewhere there is an artist inspired to create a paper-clip sculpture. He found inspiration in the small, seemingly insignificant and created from it. (http://www.paperclipart.com) He stepped out of the apathy that so often I wake up with, and looked up and saw the world.