Welcome to the 13th edition of Smartspaces!

Friday, the 13th edition 🐈‍⬛ 

## tl;dr: 

- some ramblings on inspiration :)
- polls
- the most exciting events this week & why they matter

Inspiration

Inspiration is a topic that been occupying our minds this week. What is it? Where does it come from? How can we tap into it more effectively? (or at least more often)

What is inspiration?

Inspiration is one of those interesting words because everyone knows what it means but it’s 1) surprisingly hard to put into words (so bear with me 😅) and 2) everyone has a different definition. Maybe ‘Art’ or ‘Happiness’ are similar.

The word ‘inspiration’ originally comes from the Latin ‘inspirare,’ which means ‘to breathe into.’ This feels quite grand (or, a little pretentious) but I like it.

This definition has been expanded over time to include things like sparking creativity, igniting a desire to pursue new ideas or paths, the process of being mentally stimulated to do something, especially in an artistic or creative way, and the act of influencing or motivating someone to act or create.

But, we don’t need to agree on a definition because being inspired is (usually) a deeply personal feeling. And, you’ll know when it happens to you.

Where do you ‘find’ it?

All over, though probably not everywhere.

(but since I tend to be long-winded) You can (and should) be inspired in diverse places. Nature, art, conversations, people and travel are commonly cited as sources of inspiration. Inspiration can arrive in the form of an explosion of action or creativity, an ‘aha moment’, or often (usually) more subtly. Maybe you don’t notice until later when you think back and reflect.

Some find inspiration in routine. The compounding effect of doing something everyday is well noted. In Steven Pressfield’s great book The War of Art he quotes the author and playwright W. Somerset Maugham:

The most foolproof way I’ve found to be inspired is to find people smarter than you who are working on interesting things. Just ask them what they’re doing and why. Or just observe them. Simply seeing talented people ‘produce’ and ‘create’ can become that all-important spark.

The Ripple Effect of Inspiration

So what’s the point?

Inspiration is often the spark behind innovation, creativity, and personal growth. It's the catalyst to great achievements. But beyond that, ‘getting inspired’ and being around inspiring people can change you (positively). And maybe (probably) put you in a place to inspire others.

Maybe you can find inspiration this week in a talk or lecture on smrtspace.xyz. Let us know who or what inspired you recently. 🙂 

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Thanks to those that inspire us every day.

We are full of ideas for the future of Smartspaces and strive to deliver better and more helpful content each week. We’re grateful for your help in shaping our journey 👇️ 

Stay tuned & share with a friend ahead of our upcoming Smartspaces ‘year in review’ newsletter! (oh, and give our new twitter/X account a follow for more sources of inspiration :) )

What’s up next week? 🌟 
_{The best events and why they matter!}