Life's Little Inspirations

The inspirations we find along life's journey, big and little, are invaluable.

Have you heard Eva Cassidy's cover version of the song "Fields of Gold"? I thought about it as I created this alcohol ink piece recently, and it stirred up all kinds of memories and thoughts.

Sting's original version of the song is undoubtedly lovely, but it doesn't move me the same way Ms. Cassidy's bluesy, soulful rendition does. Even though she was a fantastic vocalist and guitarist, her music isn't nearly as well known as it could've been. Melanoma took her life at only 33 years old before her music career could take off. The album Songbird wasn't released until after her death, so she never saw it become successful or even knew it would exist. This sad tale adds a more in-depth, poignant dimension to the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVjjcOUJLE

Eva Cassidy has had an impact on me. Besides the fact that I'm blown away by her beautiful, pure voice, I also know some of her story, and it has inspired me. Her story has become a small part of my own story, and now, my daughter's.

To elaborate, I need to rewind to when I was getting ready to leave my hometown in Idaho to go on a summer travel study program along the East Coast for my first semester of college. In preparation for the American Literature class that would be a part of the course, I read Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe for the first time. In the book, there's a sweet character named Evangeline St. Clare (who, ironically, also sadly dies young). Despite her demise, I fell in love with the name and determined that if I ever had a daughter, her name would be Evangeline. It's a mouthful, so I knew I'd also adopt the character's nickname: Eva. Although, in my mind, Eva was always pronounced with a "short e" sound (as in Emily).

When I discovered Eva Cassidy's music years later, I was back on the East Coast again from Idaho, only this time I was a newlywed and out of college less than a year. My husband had accepted a job in the D.C. area, and we moved there without knowing anyone or even having a place to live. It was a tough time with so many transitions all at once since I was trying to adjust to being far from everything and everyone familiar to me, while also trying to figure out the whole adulting and marriage thing. Eva's music was soothing, her story heart-wrenching, and since she was a D.C. native, it gave me some connection to the area. Of course, I already loved her name, but when I realized the pronunciation had the "long e" instead of the short I had envisioned for my future little girl, I decided my Eva would have the "long e" pronunciation, too.

My daughter Eva is now eight years old. She only vaguely knows the story about why she has her name, but I know someday it will be meaningful to her. I'm glad that we pronounce it the way we do, even though it is frequently mispronounced as "Ava" -- no "e" sounds at all -- which I hadn't foreseen. Oh well.

I share this story to illustrate how a few creative souls -- an author and a musician -- helped inspire me -- without me knowing them personally, and with them having no way of knowing the effect they'd have on me. Obviously both these women have had a more significant impact on the world than merely helping me choose a name, but without them, my Eva's story would be different. (Both of my sons have inspiring people behind their names, too, but that's another blog post.)

Recently I had a conversation with a friend about people who devalue or even stick their nose up at the arts -- either as professions or hobbies. This friend commented that many of the jobs that are highly valued by society transform the masses in positive ways, but that art (in all its forms) is about the individual. It's about hearts touching hearts, one by one. And that's important, too.

I am grateful for this perspective. I'm a creative person who instinctively wants to share my creations, but who also privately wonders whether they are good enough, appreciated, or if I'm just wasting my time. Growing up I knew my natural talents were in visual art and writing, but I chose to believe the notion that those skills weren't worth pursuing seriously. I got a degree in Health Science, which was great, but there's a part of me that always regrets the decision. Over the past few years I've been trying to make time to be creative in my favorite ways, and I've found that I'm happier! I'm happier simply because I'm being who I am and doing what I enjoy doing. Hearts are touching me along the way, and the hope is that I'm inspiring others, too.

Something that my degree in Health Science did teach me is that taking care of ourselves emotionally, spiritually, and mentally is just as important as taking care of ourselves physically. Finding inspiration in everyday life and being creative is good for you! Everyone can benefit from self-expression, and absolutely everyone can be creative in their unique way: whether it be building something new, engineering a process, organizing a project, etc. There are endless amounts of ways to be creative! So make time to do it. The impact could literally change the world as we know it, as was the case with Stowe's Uncle's Tom's Cabin's role in the abolition of slavery, or it can be something much simpler: like helping someone pick out a name for a child.

When we create and share, we are in a real way giving a piece of ourselves and inspiring others to do the same. And that, I believe, is a contribution to the world that's not only worthwhile, it's also invaluable.