Lastly

You can find inspiration in everything

Good-bye 2011, hello 2012.

We are almost there, again, at the end of one year and welcoming the next.

Have you set your new year’s resolution? What are you looking forward to next year? Have you decided what career goals you will accomplish, how much money you will make, where you will travel to, and what your year-end bonus will be?

Or, may I ask, what will be your new idea?

I believe in ideas. I believe that, in life, if you can truly find that idea within you, and do something about it, it will bring you as much satisfaction as life itself. I don’t mean that you have to be Einstein (though recently I read a piece where his speed of light theory may be wrong), but that ideas are what drive humankind forward and evolve through time.

I love ideas, big or small. I believe creativity is everywhere, from my aunt-in-law’s creation of baked sweets, the florist’s new bouquet design, my brother’s new film idea, to the myriad of new words my son makes up everyday.

This makes me remember the book, “You can find inspiration in everything” by Paul Smith. Back in my artsy-designer days, I thought it was such fluff, a gimmick by some highbrow designer from the UK. My brother has a copy of it in his home in Hong Kong, and I have browsed it a few times when I visited him. Every time I managed to take away a little something with me, and for some reason I think of it sometimes in my daily life, as I rush from one errand to the next.

Why? Because I believe it’s true. And the concept of it has become more attractive to me over time.

So, think about things that happened this year. Think about the Egyptian Revolution, think about Steve Jobs, think about even Sarah Burton’s dress for the royal wedding. Think about the best film you watched this year, think about that book that kept you awake. Think about the things that people around you did which moved you. Think about yourself. Have you done anything that is truly you?

Comparing to my husband, my Chinese upbringing, which excels at discipline, can render me, at times, somewhat unimaginative, to which I absolutely agree. This makes me all the more appreciative when I see creativity expressed, in any industry, any form, and from anywhere.

So, what has inspired you in 2011, and, come 2012, what will be your new idea?

Happy New Year ☺