The first rule of finding inspiration is that what inspires you is sacred. If I knew this growing up, I’d be much further along than I am.
What I mean by sacred is that when you are inspired, it doesn’t matter what other people say about that inspiration. Just because everyone else is inspired by athletes doesn’t mean your being inspired by art or tech or design or engineering is invalid.
I remember everyone talking about Wayne Gretzky or Nelly Furtado. Those people didn’t drive me anywhere. It was cool that an athlete could jump higher or run faster. It was exciting that a pop musician could make music that resonated with such a large number of people. But I didn’t know what to do with that.
I knew when I saw provocative architecture, I wanted to build things. I knew when something was designed in a novel way, I wanted to make something that caught someone else’s eye.
I wish I’d known to chase after that.