More specifically, old people doing what they love makes me feel inspired. This probably sounds weird, but I promise it will all make sense by the end of this brain dump.
It wasn’t easy for me to answer the “what inspires you” question. In fact, it took me a while to come to any conclusion at all. Being a digital strategist at a creative agency, I’m perpetually drowning in a sea of so called “inspiration”. Wading through the clutter is an uphill battle on a good day. It’s now to the point where the word inspiration is becoming meaningless to me. I suppose it’s just another victim the buzzword serial killer. The same bastard that murdered collaborative, epic, and innovation. I needed to separate myself from the word, so I decided to focus less on the definition and more on the feeling - because feeling inspired never gets old.
It’s not often I’m truly inspired by things I find online. It took some probing into the depths of my brain (and my bookmarks folder) to remember the last time I experienced that undeniable boost of nervous energy - what we like to call inspiration. Nested deep within a video bookmark folder I found what I was looking for - two short films, both of which featured old guys doing what they love, perfecting their craft and living life to the fullest.
People say age is just a number, but getting old is scary. To be perfectly honest, it terrifies me. Before you scoff at me for being young, let me explain. It’s not a matter of wrinkles, or losing my hair, or even death for that matter. It’s the fear of having your dreams ripped from you. The fear of having to give up before you’re ready. It’s the realization that time is as fleeting as it is precious.
People like Hal Lasko (the pixel painting guy) and Frank Catalfumo (the shoe making guy) give me hope. Their positivity and unrelenting commitment to keep doing what they love is incredible. They inspire the shit out of me.
Time is precious. Don’t just look for inspiration, feel inspired.
- R