My immediate life: My fiancee'. He's stood by me under circumstances most would find impossible. He's been there in circumstances of the kind that left even my own family members leaving me out in the cold. He's saved my life - many times over. Ours is a strange relationship, not like most couples, but I think it's the best a person like me could hope for. He's also funny as Hell and has been the direct inspiration for stories I've written and art I've done, as well as for bizarre inside jokes that appear everywhere in even my more serious writings.
Professionally/artistically: Various artists and writers. The Impressionists. Hironymous Bosch. Georgia O' Keefe. Edgar Allen Poe to name famous dead people. Ect. Ect. about any art I see. Yashuhiro Nightow (creator of Trigun). Peter S. Beagle (a fantasy writer of great calibre whose experiences show that just writing great books that get you known around the world won't exempt you from getting screwed over by people and having to spend a lot of your life struggling financially. I've met him. Sweet guy). Madaline L'Engle becuase of how her fantasy books were able to weave spiritual and scientific themes together in ways that make even people who dislike spiritual themes like them. (I've been told by an AIM friend that my own original writing reminds them of hers even though they've only read one of her books. I've only read two, myself, but I still find the style inspiring). I'm a little leery of saying Bono given what lot of people think about him, but I admire crazy wide-eyed idealism, even in highly egoed rock stars.
Religiously and Philosophically (Yes, I'm going there): Jesus Christ... although my beliefs aren't entirely "traditional" anymore. I'm not sure that time and translation has left all the words credited to him accurate, but I'm inspired by the parables, the love for the weak, and the general idea of the Logos of the universe experiencing the painful life of a human just to be with us. I'm not currently an atheist, but if I ever become one, I don't think I'll ever stop being inspired by certain things in the Christian mythos. Although I don't know much about Buddhism, I find myself inspired by the philosophy of impermenance and of non-attatchment. Re-reading some of my writing and analyzing my thoughts makes me wonder if I'm getting slightly Existential, too. I also admire people like a certain Mr. Fred Clark (you've probably never heard of him) who runs the blog "Slacktivist" because he has beliefs, but some of them put them at odds with his "category" and he's not at all afraid to stand up against people of his own "tribe," as it were.
Fictional Inspirations: Vash the Stampede of Trigun. I think upon him whenever I need a shot of Love and Peace. He seriously inspires me because he is a character who tries to foster peace wherever he goes, lives out loving even his enemies (when his eneimes are people who are actually trying to kill him all the time) and sticks by his morality even though it's not easy and it doesn't give him a happy life. His is a story (in either the anime or manga) of honor, of a painful life, but ultimately a good life. I wish I had the guts to put up with the **** he does. Link of Legend of Zelda, in a way, too. He's a very blank character and is your player-avatar, but that little touch of his own character (namely, the courage he respresents) has given me "What Would Link Do?" moments in life. I always feel the inspiration to live my everyday life with a little more courage after completing a Zelda game.
), and more.
) but at least the specches are really great to listen and to show you what you can do and can't. "What's the fun of being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes?"
