Inspiration Overload

It’s November 1. Suddenly, we are launched into this crazy, swirly season of multiple holidays and it feels like everything is a bit more intense – including sources of inspiration. We have (finally!) gorgeous leaves on the trees. The holiday art/craft events start this weekend. Political ads are sucking the life out of tv (thank god for fast forward!). And we’re racing at break-neck speed towards the end of the year! Instead of having trouble finding inspiration, what do you do when there’s too much?

I like my yarn to look like this! Not so much the ideas swimming in my head.

I’ve begun writing this week’s blog post on about 3 different occasions and even though I’ve come close to completing one, it just didn’t gel. Do you know that feeling? The post just felt restless and meandering, like it was trying to focus but kept getting distracted by bright, shiny objects. So this morning it occurred to me that my trouble is actually having too much inspiration. And ultimately, how do I sort through it and settle on one topic, one color scheme, one holiday? How do I sift through all the ideas popping up in my head to find one that’s meaty enough to work with, but not so big that I won’t finish?

How do you select one idea?

Clearly my answer (at least for today) is to ruminate on the actual problem, not worry about solutions! The truth is I’m a linear thinker. One foot in front of the other. Very helpful when weaving. Not so much when life piles on and the lists/ideas/challenges become multi-layered. This time of year? Especially tricky to navigate. And when faced with too much of everything, I tend to hole up in my room and read a book, not facing anything. (It’s a fiction book, of course, with a happy ending!)

How do you filter out the “now” ideas from the “later” ideas, or the “never” ideas?

So here’s my question for you. How do you take it all in and then filter out what you don’t currently need? How do you organize your ideas enough to focus on one and do it justice? I’m up for suggestions! (I’m just a walking contradiction, aren’t I? Too many ideas, yet I ask for more?)

I’ll pull myself together for next week, I promise. But in the meantime, look for me behind the cover of a J.D. Robb book. Happy everything, everyone!!