“The very secret of life for me, I believed, was to maintain in the midst of rushing events an inner tranquility.”

Inspiration Rx : This series is a remedy for blank walls, sparse reading lists, & creative ruts.

This week’s prompt: TRANQUILITY

 The hectic pace of September can be jarring after the ease of summer, so for this week, we’d like you to take us to your quiet place. Create something that represents or pays homage to a peaceful, calm, & serene moment. How do you recharge, rejuvenate & take respite from the busyness of everyday life?  Make it personal (yes, we are shameless snoops!), it could be as simple as your morning cup of tea, a favorite hiking spot, or maybe you are like my husband & prefer to decompress by whipping up something delicious in the kitchen. Whatever it is, take a second to savor it a bit more than usual & consider the smallest details before you dive into your project for this week.

 By all means, your creation doesn’t have to be literal, you are welcome to dream up a restful place – as long as it makes you feel tranquil, it’s fine with us. Take the image above for instance; she seems so serene, & looking at the image makes me feel serene… but would the artist really don a white frock & stand in a lake to find serenity? Maybe in real life, the artist finds her quiet place near water, or in soft filtered sunlight, or in the muted sounds you can only experience when you duck your head under the water (I’m willing to bet it’s all three).

 Many of you found your muses last week! Torrie is moved by small wonders, Jaime by the power of books, Carmen is charmed by flowers, Geannine by her charismatic kiddo, & Kirsty was moved to create a Pinterest board for Lulu!

Feeling Inspired?

 The door is open if you’d like to participate. Everyone is perfectly lovely & welcoming so you should fit right in! You have until next Tuesday to share your creations.

Options for Sharing

Instagram / Twitter : use hashtag #INSPIRATIONRX

Your Blog / Flickr / Pinterest :  please share a link in the comment section of this post.

 For an invitation to our group Pinterest board, please leave a link to your Pinterest account in the comments, or email for an invite. *Mystery solved (thank you Moira), we need to follow each other on Pinterest in order to get you an invite to the board (we have to follow at least 1 of your boards & you need to follow at least 1 of ours). It isn’t our intention to pad Pinterest followers, remember you can still participate by using the hashtag on Instagram & Twitter or posting a link in the comments of this post. **Remember, the group Pinterest board is for your creations only.  We want your work to be the star!

photo: © Maja Topcagic

passage: Margaret Bourke-White, Portrait of Myself

Piqued your interest?

 Margaret Bourke-White, the author of the passage this week was a famous documentary photographer (a male-dominated field even today). She was front & center during WWII, shot the very first cover of Life Magazine, was the first foreign photographer allowed into the Soviet Union, & certainly knew a thing or two about trying to find inner calm in the middle of tense situations. It sure puts my daily stresses in perspective, can you imagine having “take Stalin’s portrait,” on your to do list?

 Maja Topcagic, our featured photographer this week has a chance to win a grant for a show in NYC! If you’d like to give a talented young photographer a boost, just visit her page, & share the link to her portfolio on Twitter or Facebook. There’s also a spot to donate funds if you are so inclined.

 Books can transport you to a tranquil place without having to leave your sofa, & since few things are more soothing than nature, why not take a virtual trip? I was surprised to learn that there are a couple of nature-related classics available to download to your Kindle for free! For reflections on life from a cabin in the woods, Walden by Henry David Thoreau is worth visiting (or revisiting),  or you could opt for a trek through the mountains with My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir.