#MotivationMonday: Front and Center

Today is Monday; Also known as #MotivationMonday on social media. No matter how tacky this hashtag may sound, it makes you question what are we without motivation? I realize we're often chained to the demands of life. It's easy to fly through each day. You can end up like a speeding car on the freeway. All of the scenery becomes a blur. I see motivation as a love letter that can fall on deaf ears (or sometimes blind eyes) when we don't slow down. I've made a point of unplugging. I leave the house without my phone and skip the need to walk around with headphones firmly in my ears. What I see and hear when I do this is motivation to last me the week. Here is some motivation I captured to carry with you this week:

Reflections and Lighting. Watching someone's focus. 

The San Francisco landscape from the De Young Museum's Hamon Tower Observation.

San Francisco's architecture in my neighborhood.

Seeing someone being driven by their passion. Seeing someone sharing their talent.

Shards of broken glass. The many shapes of each piece of glass and the reflection of light beaming it.

The colors and shapes found at the De Young Museum's Hamon Tower Observation

#MotivationMonday: Don't Judge a Hashtag Until You Try It

I often hear artists say "I can't find inspiration". This statement got me thinking about where exactly inspiration can be found and what form it takes. Is it a physical object like a bright hue or pattern found on a vase? It is a feeling evoked by a relationship or interaction? Does inspiration find YOU or do you find IT? It's easy to fly through daily life as we race to meet the demands of everyday life. Everything in the background (including inspiration waiting in the wings) can take a backseat. It's merely a blur.

Today is Monday; Also known as #MotivationMonday on social media. No matter how tacky this hashtag may sound, it makes you question, what are we without motivation? For me, without inspiration there is no motivation. It goes hand-in-hand.

I've begun to slow down. I try to take in everything around me. The sound of traffic. The colors of a neighbor's garden. The excitement that takes over my dog when he is off leash at the park. Suddenly I have found myself floating in an ocean of inspiration. It's practically made me giddy. How did I overlook all of this before? And so, my fellow artists, I'm embracing #MotivationMonday and sharing the inspiration that has popped out at me during the past week. Rather than wait for inspiration, let's meet it head on.

(PS Want to share images of your motivation? Send us an email submissions@artcrasher.com. If your inspiration is featured during a #MotivationMonday, we'll hyperlink your social media.)

A pattern in plain sight at the Academy of Art in San Francisco

The unconditional love of an animal. This guy wakes me up each morning to cuddle and greets a new day with excitement.

Seeing kids create art without hesitation or doubt.

Calm after the rain. Reflections in Golden Gate Park. 

The hues of a New York Winter sunset in Chelsea.

One person's junk is another's inspiration. The reflection, cracks, lines and shapes of a broken mirror. 

The bright colors of San Francisco architecture in my neighborhood.

The shape and texture of these dancing trees in The Haight.