writers corner
what inspires you? // nina grossfurthner
What inspires you? A simple question really, something most of us think we could answer easily were we to be asked. And why not? We have all felt that inner stirring of emotions, that sudden inflation of happiness that seems to come from the very core of our being and if only for a short time, lifts up our spirits. But what exactly is inspiration? Where does it come from? And how does it affect our lives? These were the questions I asked myself when I first started my personal project. Eagerly pursuing my goal to broaden my understanding of what inspiration was, I set out to find 10 people whom I could interview about what inspired them. Intending, through the information I collected, to turn their individual account into a short film about inspiration and what it meant to those in my school community. I knew that for a project to hold my attention for several months I would have to set myself a challenge, explore and discover things not only from extensive research on the internet and in books but from a more personal point of view. I figured conducting interviews would be a great way to allow me to find out a more about the people with whom I spent everyday life. The first thing I noticed when I started interviewing people was how broad the subject of inspiration was. I realized that I would have to increase my knowledge on the different types of inspiration, as “Wait, what exactly do you mean what inspires me?” became a dreaded question that was frequently asked and that I only seemed to be able to
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answer through enunciating the question. Another observation which was made during the first few weeks of filming was that, those who I perceived as pragmatic thinkers often had more trouble grasping the concept of inspiration than those who were either, creative thinkers or generally more in tune with their emotions. This struck me as particularly intriguing and I decided to look into it, consulting with my faithful friend the internet as well as extracting articles for psychological magazines. I discovered that whereas those who are more creatively inclined, relate more easily to the idea of being moved on a metaphorical level, those who are more prone to thinking in logical terms are more likely to think of inspiration as motivation rather than something inexplicable and mysterious. The idea that inspiration could be seen as not only motivation but also perceived differently for different people, fascinated me. To find out whether these statements applied to the people I was interviewing, I constructed a survey which I sent to those in my video. To my surprise the data showed that although 9 out of 10 people said that they did understand the concept of inspiration, the two that I considered more pragmatic thinkers actually related the idea of inspiration with that of motivation, one of which summed it up perfectly by saying, “Yes, though I think that there is a fine line between inspiration and motivation, and that the two are not to be confused, despite their similarity.”
As I continued to interview people, the project became more than something I was doing to meet some criteria. These people were letting me in on something that was personal. It was no secret that they had each experienced being inspired, but this was more than that. There was something about listening to what they had to say, listening to how their voices became more passionate the more they talked, how those who at first had been self conscience about being filmed seemed to shred their fears, revealing a radiance that illuminated their faces and gave them renewed confidence. I don’t know whether they noticed and I am not sure whether I was able to capture that emotion, but slowly I began to see this film not just as a medium by which I would be able to fulfil the requirements of the personal project , but as something from which I could truly learn.
So what did I learn from this project? I don’t know. In many ways I was able to understand what inspired people and why to them, certain aspects of life were empowering and inspirational. But if I were to be asked to pin point and explain what exactly inspiration is, what it feels like when you see students and teachers with such a ambition, and a passion to experience everything that life has to offer, looking to the things that lift their spirits and fills them with the aspiration and the hope that one day they will live up to their potential, I don’t think I could. If there is anything I have taken away from this project, it’s that sometimes it is enough to simply be fascinated, whether by a person in your life, A song with an unmistakable melody, a piece of art or nature. Sometimes it is enough to just be.