A habit of mine as an observer and documentor(-er?), is to catch combinations of syllables and symbols from the world that I find myself attached to and transfer them into some readily accessible apparatus, from which I can draw from. 

More simply, I write down words, sayings and images that stand out to me into my phone. 

I wrote in such a wide and abstract sense originally, because there are more ways to copy from the world around you then my way. You can have a notebook and write words down that inspire, motivate, move or come to you. The words don’t even have to be real. They can be nonsense and you can still use them. You just have to own it.

Because pro tip: all words are made up. We just decided that some mean something. Why can’t we decide that other’s mean something, too? (Such as, ambianxijunct, which can refer to the idea or concept that joins [-junct] two [ambi-] people by worry or concern [-anxi-]. Example, coronavirus is an ambianxijunct for me and you. We share the same worry.)

Returning to the purpose of this writing. No matter how grounded or past reality they are, documenting your inspirations is an integral part of writing. As long as you are able to understand and apply the inspiration you’ve documented, you’re golden. 

You can even draw or take a picture. I love taking pictures, and wholly recommend it. Just try not to get too drawn into the idea of capturing the moment, because when you try to do that, you end up letting the moment slip through your fingers and then you’ll have no base, as your fixation can taint the integrity of the inspiration. 

Something else that I do, which does feel somewhat lazy sometimes but has been comforted by those I respect (when done tastefully), is simply take lyrics from songs and use that as a strong base in order to build the rest of my idea off of. For example, the following is from Conjugal Burns by The Mars  Volta. 

All of this time

Bedsore contaimnet

Where am I now that the music has faded

These lyrics spoke so heavily to me and my relationship with someone very close to me, that I felt no other option than to grab onto those words, place them in a blank space and allow myself to continue the rest of the story in my own words. Doing this is very helpful and supposedly accepted, and perhaps even recommended. One of my favorite quotes that I first heard from one of my favorite people is 

Good poets borrow, great poets steal

And I like to believe this to be true and it certainly applies to all writers and artists. Because, when you find something great, you don’t necessarily want to disfigure it in order to use it. Because it can be perfect just the way it is. 

So, these are some ways that I allow myself to stay inspired. I keep myself receptive to the world around me and stay humble. Because undoubtedly, there are sayings out there that mean so much more than what I could conjure in the specific moment of syllabic alchemy. And when I find the perfect ingredient that I know will drive my concoction to the place I want it to be, there can be no substitute.