"Pay attention to what you pay attention to." This was the advice that was given to me in my very first (and last) graphic design class. This came from a professor who you could spend hours listening to; where every thing that came out of his mouth was inspiring and motivating. But when he said this particular sentence, I don't think he was trying to start a motto that everyone abide by, he just said it in a matter of fact way to enhance some other point. And yet, it's stuck with me ever since.
Pay attention to what you pay attention to. How simple and perfectly true is that? Is it the way the light hits your bedroom wall at dusk? Is it the way the stranger on the bus's red coat seems to stand out even more against the dull grey rainfall outside? Is it the way the oranges look so perfectly stacked at a farmers market? What are those little things that make you look twice? Start to notice what you notice. And write them down. Snap a picture. Collect them in a little journal. Maybe they are things that make you happy. Maybe they are things that make you feel a bit uncomfortable or scared. Whatever these moments, objects, lyrics, images are...notice them. And from there, use them to create.
