The literal meaning of “inspire” is “to infuse (as life) by breathing”.
The act of inspiration fills the body with the air it needs to exist. This resonates with me because when I am inspired, I am filled with life. Experiencing inspiration is like a spark that motivates you to act on what you’re passionate about.
Inspiration comes in all forms, and can lead you in many directions. Whether it moves you creatively, spiritually or in a way that leads you to help yourself or others, I believe that to experience inspiration, you need to be engaged in life and your surroundings.
Here are some discoveries I’ve made in the inspiration process to help you:

1. Find A Role Model- When you find someone who is passionate about a cause, an art form, a sport, or ANYTHING, it can motivate you to take action in your own life. Reading great books, discovering beautiful photography and graphic design and witnessing people making changes great and small in the world all inspire me as a writer, designer, photographer and volunteer. You can be fueled by their passion.

2. Participate- Seek out challenges, group projects, or calls for submissions. Here at GBD, you have the chance to participate every day. Even just by commenting on a blog post or offering your voice in the forum you are engaging with a group of people doing something exciting in the world. That energy is contagious! Submit your ideas to info@girlsbydesign.com to have your voice heard.

3. Observe- Everything in your environment. Be present in your daily life and notice what’s happening around you. It’s amazing what you will discover when you start to pay attention to the little things.

4. Have Genuine Experiences- Write a letter by hand. Ask your parents what they went through growing up. Cook a delicious meal and savor it. Disconnect from technology and reconnect with the world around you. Create an authentic life.

5. Practice Gratitude- Be thankful for what you have. Focusing on the positive when you’re faced with adversity takes strength. That strength will empower you.

About Jen

Jen Pimm is the Editor for Girls By Design, a freelance graphic designer and writer who feels blessed to have found a way to turn her love for all things creative into a grown-up career. She wants to encourage self-expression and confidence in young women because, once upon a time, she was not so sure of herself. When she’s not working like a fool, she’s probably taking artsy pictures of stuff, watching Jeopardy, or snuggling with her pug Stella. She appreciates a quick wit and is currently planning her next travel adventure. And she’s on Twitter! At http://www.twitter.com/JenniferPimm

Right now, life is inspiring me. That’s right, life!
P.S. I don’t mean a prison sentence
~Sarah G
Music is the key to my inspiration. Whether it’s to inspire ideas in my writing, or to make me have an awesome time with my friends, or to even help me concentrate while I’m studying. Music is everything to me because it helps me do everything. It even helps me unwind when stressed and pumps me up when I’m working out.
~Jenny H
I’m inspired by the giant blank canvas that is the grass in my backyard. This year I’m going to rip it all up and plant a vegetable garden. I’m drawing inspiration by browsing the internet, reading books, and walking through back alleys checking out my neighbours’ yards. And, if all goes well this year, next year I’ll get chickens (Vancouver has just allowed them)!
~Kristen Yarker-Edgar
The color of my nail polish is inspiring- it reminds me of the sea, which makes me want to write about it. Hmmm, maybe a seaside romance?
~Krista K
A very inspiring woman to me is Kate Voegele. If you watch One Tree Hill then you would recognize her as Mia! Kate Voegele is a young singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist and actress form Ohio. She’s a very low-key singer-songwriter, and that’s what I love most about her. She doesn’t like having her name in lights or having swarms of cameras around her; instead she lives and breathes music, writing everything she feels into a song. People like this really inspire me and I look up to her so much. All of her songs are amazing, whether it’s the lyrics or the music, and all of them have some deeper meaning. Kate Voegele is a highly talented young woman who has a really bright future and is a true inspiration to me.
~Tracey F
Getting hand-written letters in the mail from my best friend. We started pen-and-paper communication a couple months ago. She lives in Toronto and I’m in Ohio, so I don’t get to see her much, but holding her letters in my hand after a long day at work and then sitting down to reply is one of my favorite things in the world right now. It’s better than the immediacy of email or text or a phone call. Her words inspire me and remind me how deep our friendship goes and how much we have in common. There is something about the tangible act of writing my dreams and fears on a piece of paper and knowing that someone else will hold that paper in her hand and bear witness to my experiences.
~Catherine S
Lately everything has been inspiring me. Why? Because of Vacation. Booyah! I’ve gone bike riding, read books, gone ice skating, played video games, had adventures, seen a meteor shower, chilled with friends and family and it’s been pretty dang sweet so far. I thing it’s because I can now take the time to do the things I want and actually think about how and why I’m doing it, as opposed to my robotic self that targets everything towards school and TV. So THANKS VACATION! For inspiring me to be myself again
~Binks
Living in the Moment is my inspiration for the New Year. Appreciating every conversation and noticing the details of life that could easily be overlooked when I allow myself to become distracted. I’m loving the beauty I’m noticing in the every day, and I’m laughing more, stressing less and feeling more free.
~Jen P


My senior year of university, I started a student organization called the Youth Empowerment Network– a group dedicated to raising awareness about issues that affect children around the world, and coming together to make a difference, too. One of our yearly events was bringing in two youth speakers to lead a workshop and do a keynote. I was really excited to meet Michel, who was a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but he was also coming with a young woman named Katie. All I knew about her was that she was from the United States and had some experience speaking with Michel at schools across the country.

What happened next is hard for me to put into words (which is saying something, since words are something of my forte). From the moment Katie stepped off the plane, introduced herself, and gave me a hug, she talked to me as though we’d been friends for a long time. She had this mesmorizing persona, and I felt so lucky to be in her presence, listening to her stories and sharing ideas with her.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe, but all it took was that one day. Katie changed my life. The way she moved in the world made me believe (not just hope) that we can achieve great things. And most importantly, she reflected back to me all the passion that I held in my heart for growth and peace and unity.

I cried that night when she had to leave to go speak at another school, but the next day I got up and decided that I was ready to be the kind of person that Katie believed I was. The kind of person that I wanted to be. Breaking out of your shell, standing up to the world, demanding better of everyone, those things are hard. But when I think of Katie and the love in her heart, I realize that fear is nothing in the face of our solidarity.

Today, Katie is hard at work with her own non-profit organization that secures scholarships for young children in Liberia who haven’t had the opportunity to go to school. She has brought together a melting pot of young people around the country who also believe in universal education. Katie has inspired us all to contribute our unique talents to the cause.

If you are interested in learning more about Katie’s dream, please visit http://www.morethanme.org

About Catherine Starr

Graduated with a degree in psychology from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Is a fan of music, everything from opera to hip-hop. Has a job, working to provide children and adolescents who are in need of mental health care with the services that they require. Believes that education is a powerful tool for changing the world. Knows that girls have the strength to be great in all ways, recognizes the struggles that young women go through in finding their place, but knows that success is possible. A big fan of living “me to we“.

by Jen
Feeling stuck? Not sure why you’re doing what you’re doing? Asking yourself these questions out loud while you’re all alone?
Well, say hellllllllooooo inspiration and goodbbyyyyyeeeee boring old routine. You can thank us later.
Check out these ways to get inspired:

Flickr One of the coolest photo-sharing sites on the planet of the internet. Search by anything you like. If you adore the color turquoise, type it in and see what pops up. Travel? Done. Fascinated by pictures of old barns? They’ve got that covered too. Okay, I think you get the point.

Read Magazines I have a *slight* obsession with magazines. Maybe it comes from having worked at one (though that could work the other way around, too..the obsession started early on for me), but I can’t get enough. I rip out pages, circle things, visit the links they recommend, and file everything away in the “inspiration folder in my head”. I love the feel of the glossy pages and I admire all of the work it takes to put one together. *happy sigh*

Learn Something New Taking a class or teaching yourself something new teaches your brain to think differently. And it gives you that “Look what I did!” sense of achievement. I learned to knit through Youtube videos people, it can be done.

deviantART One of my favorite sites for discovering artists and their art. They have crafts, too! And graphic design, photography, illustration. You will drool.

Do Something Nice It feels good to make a tiny difference in someone’s day. And when you stop focusing on yourself you can open yourself up to new experiences.

Create an Inspiration Board I collect things. Things that ignite that creative spark inside. I encourage you to create a board of items that do the same for you. Quotes, fabrics, photos, images that represent where you want to go in life, things that make you laugh and fill you with joy. A collection of inspiration that you can look at every day is a huge motivator.