My Inspiration by Pippa Chorley

My Inspiration

By Pippa Chorley

I truly believe that inspiration is all around us, we just have to understand how to tap into it. 

Whilst growing up, my parents would point out a tiny ladybird in flight or the delicate sound of wind whispering through the trees. They would encourage me to help prepare Sunday dinners and enjoy the heady fragrance of herbs being torn apart, or savour the image of roast potatoes turning crispy and golden. We would dig in the garden, finding wriggling worms and teasing soil from roots, and marvel when plants finally bloomed.

I was encouraged to talk about my thoughts and feelings too, helping to develop my self-awareness and understand others in return. 

I will always be grateful to my parents for these experiences. They taught me how to find beauty in the simplest of things, be ever curious and eager to learn and look at the minute detail in everything. It is in great part because of them that I find inspiration for my stories today. They helped me realize that inspiration isn’t something you have to go out and seek, it is all around you, in everything you do and see, in every day.

I have recently come to realize that in many ways it links back to gratitude. I think when we are grateful for the world around us and the animals, plants, and people in it too, we can find inspiration in them. I encourage you to start every day with two simple words – thank you. It is something I have been doing for a few years now. By doing so, it opens our hearts and minds and allows us to feel inspired. I promise you that it works!

With an open-mind and open-heart, ideas constantly appear. Sometimes, inspiration comes to me on a nature walk. Sometimes it’s something I overhear my children saying on a playdate, or sometimes it’s something I read about or watch that sparks an idea. There is no right or wrong place to find an idea, if you remain ever open, then the possibilities are endless.  

When something inspires me, I jot it quickly down on the notes page of my mobile phone. For as quickly as it comes, it can also disappear! Then, on days when I feel tired or I need a new challenge, I look back at my inspiration bank and choose an idea to work on. Having this collection of ideas ready to go is so helpful as a writer. It also means I often have multiple projects on the go at once. This ensures I never get bored with my work and always keep my writing fresh.

When I began writing my latest picture book, OUT OF THE BOX, it started as a dedication to my parents and my children’s grandparents. A way of honoring the life lessons they had taught me and were teaching my children. In our modern world where everything moves at lightning pace and children are bombarded with gadgets, technology and fancy gizmos, it feels even more important to stop and reflect on what is truly important in life. I wanted to write a story that focused on the theme of loving the simple things, using your imagination, and feeling gratitude for our elders who taught us those important life lessons. It is because of that reason that the very first draft of the story was called ‘Granny Saves the Day’! 

Of course, the first draft of the story wasn’t perfect, as first drafts rarely are. It needed work, molding and shaping, building up and cutting back. It took many months and even a few years. But, whilst I made many changes along the way, including the title, the heart of the story stayed strong throughout – in the simplest things we can find the greatest inspiration!

I do recognize that not everyone had the same upbringing as me. I was lucky. But that doesn’t mean that inspiration isn’t out there for you too. Stories can heal, so, don’t be afraid to use your personal experiences to help children build empathy and understanding. YOUR voice is important and so is what matters to YOU. So, if you can, share it. Or why not start an idea bank like me, when you see something that interests you or makes you smile, jot it down. Nothing is too weird or too silly to go on the list, I promise! Children love to laugh, so if you think they would enjoy a joke or a pun, pop that on the list too! 

I would always encourage you to do new things too. Step out of your comfort zones. Because children do this every day as they face new experience after new experience in life. If we do it too, then we never lose sight of the feelings that accompany trying and failing and finally succeeding. It might be scary, but it also might be fun! I recently starting my diving PADI course alongside my son. I was excited and nervous, daunted, and proud but by accomplishing something new I feel closer to the experiences of being a child again and have banked a whole load of inspiration too!

I find I am most inspired when I am alone, in nature, and my mind is quiet. Every morning I take our springer spaniel, Jasper, for a walk. This morning ritual is crucial to my writing process. It’s when I allow my mind to ‘play’ with ideas, uninhibited by the confines of a computer screen, time constraints or word count limits. When editing OUT OF THE BOX I needed lots of ‘thinking time’. It was often on a dog walk that I fixed a rhyming problem or found the perfect word to use. In nature I feel free to explore. So, if your mind is ever feeling blank while sitting at your writing desk, or cluttered while looking at your busy calendar, my advice would be to step outside. Breath fresh air and look as wide and far as you can. With your mind free to wander, writers’ block will be a thing of the past! 

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About the Author: Pippa Chorley is an award-winning children’s author. She hopes to share her childhood’s magical experiences with children today, by encouraging them to dream, go on adventures and save the day, in their own imaginations through her writing.

Danny Deeptown’s artistic talent led him to study Illustration in South Wales, UK. It was here that he found a love for classic book illustration and the use of pen and ink.

OUT OF THE BOX

When Sam receives a curious gift from her grandma, she launches into an out-of-this-world adventure to save her new friends.

Join Sam on a rocketing ride into space where she learns that with a little imagination, anything is possible.

When Sam is given the gift of little more than sticks and string for her birthday, she is shocked. But Sam soon discovers that great fun and adventures can be had with very little if you have a big imagination!

BUY HERE 

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