Creative Inspiration from a Sentence

This past week, I spent some time reading Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May. It’s a lovely book and I do recommend reading it. It’s kind of nice reading a book about seasonal tendencies as spring is beginning to emerge and make its presence felt. It’s good to say good bye to the short, dark days and grey, cold, wet weather of winter.

I was in a section of the book where there was a lot of talk about life in Finland with its sauna culture. I came across a sentence that struck and diverted me:

“And yet hard-core users of the global hammam seem to admire the sauna over all else, as the mother of all hot rooms.”

The words of the sentence were not deep nor was it something that solved something for me. The choice of one word, however, hammam (a type steam bath or a place of public bathing) made all the difference. It’s a word I haven’t heard or used in over 25 years, but which sparked so many memories and connections. I stopped reading the story while my mind went in a variety of different directions.

I thought about a hammam I went to in Morocco, a sauna in Finland, hot springs in Japan. How public baths and bathing are so not part of American culture. How the new-to-Japan teachers and I were really puzzled that there would be a company-wide event at a bath house in Japan. How is this fun or even considered a thing? (I was younger and new to life in Japan).

I thought about traveling again, post-Covid-19 vaccine. Where do I want to go? And I thought about travel journals and wanting to keep more of them.

I though about the fun and exploration in traveling. It reminded me of cultural differences and new things to learn about. All from one sentence that held one particular word.

This is the second time in a few weeks that I ever remember being inspired and fully entranced by a random sentence in a book. I’ve decided to keep a small notebook and write down when I come across other sentences like this.

Where’s a place you’ve had unexpected inspiration from?

An artist's date at a grocery store

I went to the store last week to buy groceries and had the most delightful time. I know, my life is exciting, right? Well, this wasn’t just any store. It was Uwajimaya, an Asian specialty grocery store. If you like food places, it’s a WOW! one. There is so much there to appreciate and enjoy on so many levels.

My daughter had asked me if I would make mabo-dofu (a spicy tofu dish) sometime soon. “Sure,” I said, “but I need to go shopping first” and so put together my Uwajimaya shopping list. It’s been months since I’d been last. I was amused to see that over half of my list was in Japanese even though I don’t practice it much any more. Clearly not when it comes to food though!

a recent shopping list

My trip to Uwajimaya was a bit like an artist’s date with myself as recommended by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. I enjoy the memories from living and traveling in Asia as well as soaking up the ambiance and inspiration that comes from being in that market.

The variety and quality of fresh fruits and vegetables on display is remarkable. I often take pictures in the produce section so I can draw from them later. I usually plan to get some of the Asian greens because they are so fresh as well as being my favorite kind of vegetable. This week I’ll be making mu shu pork with my Chinese cabbage, regular cabbage, bok choy, gai lan, you choy sum and daikon that I was tempted by.

Past the produce section and the artful displays, further in, the next aisle has prepared fresh and frozen meals to grab and go, mostly Japanese-style. This area brings memories and associations with people I’ve had meals with in the past. I always look for onigiri (rice balls wrapped in seaweed) which bring back memories of Japan where I had homemade ones on picnics. Some what strangely, but happily, paõ de queijo (Brazilian small cheese bread rolls) are found here too. I was introduced to them by a Brazilian friend and grab them whenever I can find them and think of her each time I make them.

Then it’s onward through the bakery section which is small. This is another memory area for me. I remember all the Japanese bakeries I’ve been by and the tempting goodies on their shelves. Here at the store I occasionally get the shoku-pan (thickly sliced bread) but pass up it most of the time.

The frozen section is full of Japanese, Chinese and Korean dumplings of various sorts. Never go here hungry. There are too many varieties to tempt with. One of my wish list items of things to draw are gyoza.

The next aisle over is where I find miso (soybean paste) for miso soup. Again, there are so many varieties of miso to try. I visited so many food factories during my 3 years in Japan but don’t remember seeing how miso is made.

Next up are where the ramen and canned drinks are. So many choices of ramen and instant noodles. It’s hard not to be tempted. Facing the ramen are canned drinks: coffees, teas, milky drinks, juices and soda. It’s a bit of a game to see how unusual of a drink can be found and then have a tasting at home.

And then, and then, and then… So much yummy goodness in the store. It brings back memories of when I lived in Japan, provides me good food and ideas for meals to have, and offers so much material for artistic inspiration. I left Uwajimaya in such a happy mood. I had an outing and without going very far felt like I had traveled the world. I went home and cooked.

Do you have a local place that you go to and get inspired by?

At the end of this shopping trip, I did get the seasoning for the mabo-dofu that was the reason for my outing, but forgot to get the tofu. Oops!

Following Inspiration

A Giant Pacific Octopus

There’s a lot to be said for developing a creative habit and setting to work every day even when you don’t want to or what you’re doing doesn’t seem like much. There’s also a lot to be said for allowing time for your mind to wander and explore new things – going for a walk, exploring a new neighborhood, meeting people, reading, watching movies, listening to podcasts, etc. Seeing or hearing something new can spark curiosity and inspiration can come. 

This past week I started listening to a book that a friend recommended, The Soul of an Octopus, by Sy Montgomery. She said that the audio version was read by the author and was really good. I agree! The author is passionate and very curious about octopuses and how they live. With her enthusiasm, she has piqued my interest in the marine world.

While octopuses are the stars in The Soul of an Octopus, there are lots of other marine creatures mentioned that I don’t know much about. I now want to learn more of and draw some of the various marine life mentioned in the book. It seems like a great place to start learning from. I seem to tend towards lists and collections, so I’ll be making a list of animals to draw.

This is now the second book I’ve been inspired to do drawings from. Last year I read Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I loved all the animal references but realized that there were a fair number that I didn’t know what they looked like. So, I made a list and have been drawing my way through it.  

Writing this reminds me of Gerald Durrell, the British naturalist who wrote various stories of the animals in his childhood. Rosy is my Relative was one of my favorites. Rosy was an elephant. Another possible place for ideas.

Various octopus trivia to leave you with:

• The plural of octopus is octopuses not octopi. Latin endings aren't supposed to be added on to Greek words (even though we try!)

• An octopus has no bones. The only hard thing is its beak which means it can fit into tiny holes and cracks that the beak can get through. A giant Pacific Octopus can fit through a hole the size of a quarter.

• Octopuses can change the color and texture of their skin and do it repeatedly in fractions of seconds. While it’s good for a picture, when they’re red, they are not happy.

Where did you get your last bit of inspiration from and what are you doing with it?