What Inspires Me in Life: 10 Unexpected Sources of Creativity and Joy

A personal letter about what inspires me in life — and why the most genuine sources of inspiration are almost never the obvious ones.

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I’ll be honest — when I first thought about writing on what inspires me in life, it sounded like a generic topic. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized my sources of inspiration are anything but generic. What inspires me in life mirrors everything else about me: my taste in friends, food, music, television, and even who I find attractive — it’s all over the place, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Here are the ten things that genuinely light me up.

Originally wrote May 30, 2012

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1. Television and Film That Actually Makes You Think

Even as a devoted Bravo fan — and I will not apologize for that — what truly inspires me in life is content that challenges you. 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning do this consistently and brilliantly. But the work that has stayed with me most deeply is Spike Lee’s documentary series on Hurricane Katrina for HBO. I’ve watched it multiple times, cried every single time, and felt the same righteous anger every single time at the failures of leadership that compounded that disaster. I also miss Andy Rooney deeply — a man who had the rare gift of making you nod along to every word even when you didn’t want to agree. People and stories that make you genuinely think are among the most powerful forces in my life.

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2. The Outdoors — One of My Greatest Sources of Inspiration

The outdoors has a completely special place in my heart, and it is absolutely part of what inspires me in life every single day. I would live in a tent and travel continuously if circumstances allowed. The idea of waking up each morning to a completely new environment and stepping outside to look up — at trees, mountains, sky, ocean — is something I find endlessly renewing. The beach, the woods, the mountains, the open sea: each one offers something different, and all of it feeds the soul. Nature’s impact on creativity and wellbeing is well-documented, and I’ve felt it my entire life.

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3. Shopping as Creative Fuel

This one surprises people, but shopping genuinely makes the list of what inspires me in life. Every time I find a great new top or dress, something clicks creatively — I start envisioning a new project, a new event, a new context where I can bring energy and style to something. Shopping isn’t just retail therapy for me; it’s a creative trigger. I would absolutely have an unlimited account if such a thing existed, because it fills the soul in ways that are completely real and not at all frivolous.

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4. Music Is the Key to Everything

Music is non-negotiable on any list of what inspires me in life. I could dance through an entire day and listen to a wide range of good music from morning to night. But nothing — absolutely nothing — compares to a live show. I can go see almost anyone perform and completely lose myself in it. The dedication it takes to spend a life making music, to stand on a stage and give everything you have to a room full of people — that kind of commitment to craft is deeply inspiring to me.

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5. Genuinely Good People

Good people are a massive part of what inspires me in life, and I mean truly good people — the ones with no hidden motives, who love generously and listen carefully. People who are interested in others, who give without keeping score, who show up consistently and care deeply. Research on the power of human connection consistently confirms what most of us already feel: that being surrounded by genuinely good people changes everything. The world needs more of them. Please keep making them.

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6. Bad Ass Women Who Lead

Bad ass women are a cornerstone of what inspires me in life, and I have been extraordinarily lucky in this department. Most of my professional mentors and bosses have been women — women who showed up with courage, determination, and a refusal to be anything less than their absolute best. They have shaped me, challenged me, and modeled what it looks like to lead with both strength and heart. Female mentorship in the workplace is something I believe in completely, and I owe so much of who I am professionally to the remarkable women who invested in me.

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7. People Who Love What They Do

Passion is contagious, and people who genuinely love their work are absolutely part of what inspires me in life. You know who you are — you give everything to what you do and then look for ways to give more, not because you have to but because it’s simply who you are. That kind of all-in commitment to a calling is one of the most energizing things I can be around.

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8. Writers and the Power of the Written Word

Writers inspire me endlessly. The ability to communicate a complete world, a full experience, an entire emotional journey through nothing but words on a page is something I find genuinely remarkable. I love to read — widely, voraciously — and every great book or essay I encounter reminds me why storytelling matters and why writing as a form of human connection is unlike anything else.

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9. My Kids — My Biggest Inspiration of All

When it comes to what inspires me in life, my children sit at the very top of the list. Watching them grow, seeing their unbridled excitement about new experiences, observing the completely fearless way they approach risk and possibility — it is extraordinary. Their innocence is contagious. Their spirit lives inside me every single day. The way children experience the world — with wonder, openness, and total presence — is something I actively try to carry with me into my own life.

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10. Johnny Depp

I’m not going to overthink this one. Johnny Depp inspires me. The creativity, the total commitment to every role, the refusal to be conventional — yes, absolutely, he makes the list of what inspires me in life. No further explanation needed or available.

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Here’s to a life full of things that light you up — whatever and whoever they happen to be.

With love and an ever-expanding list, Angel

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Learn more about Angel Holmes and everything she’s passionate about at sipindipity.com/angel-holmes.