Inspiration

Inspiration the act of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something (e.g. something creative!)@katskii

1. Let me introduce you to the most inspirational people I know.My parents.Yes, Im a clich.

I remember being dressed in a sweater covered solely in 100s of buttons and in the process being taught the beauty in crafting skills

I remember how hard working my dad was he had accomplishments and achievements and I wanted that as a result.

1. Inspired by their patience

Some people dont get technologyEver catch yourself shouting inside your head at someoneJUST SCROLL DOWN, ITS NOT DIFFICULT!

Then I remember the tireless hours my parents spent teaching me things as I grew up their patience at my need for help

We all need more patience for clients, for colleagues, for bosses - and for bloody Internet Explorer!

1. The old follow your dreams routine

My parents let me find my own path I wanted to move to a giant city where I knew nobody, they gave me unconditional support.

They sneakily instilled humility and tolerance upon me like inspiring ninjas!

I see them get involved in things related to my job (Facebook!) and it excites me two-foldFacebook demographicsMy parents caring about the work I do Ive learned to care about what others do

1. Good bits and bad bits of people

Make your own familyYes, another clich.

Remember the people around you are there to support you and take those people for their good bits and bad bits

Mostly though, my dad writes a really great complaints letter thatll get me far.

2. Do jobs you hate

Its okay to hate the job youre doingbut only if you do something to fix it.

So Im standing there getting yelled at by some guy about not having a 14.99 Wiimote in stock

but wouldnt it be awesome to be a web designer?

2. And then the novelty wore off

Really though, it was an awesome job.

But yeah, the novelty wore off, thanks to a meany pants developer.

Instead of sitting around hating my life and the world around me, I was inspired to change something, to improve my circumstances.

2. So whats better than the bad stuff?

I found a new agency.Its awesome. Were hiring. Talk to me later.

Take notice of the people you work with

I work with such a range of people with opinions that differ wildly from mine. Its good though.

2. Liberated, illuminated

Accept the bad stuff even in your private lifeUse it as a driving mechanism to become better you might not feel it at the time, but the stuff you hate can liberate you.

Ive started to realise how good things can be if you take control

Maybe the bad stuff is the illumination you need to move on.

3. Stuff I dont understand

Why did the London riots happen? People described it as fun? What kind of fun is this?!

It makes me start thinking about what people see as fun from a UX point of view, its a weird eye-opener.

3. Why do you like that?

The riots got me thinking about behaviour and what drives people

Some people were driven by pure greed but others through what they considered necessity

A corny reminder to be grateful for what Ive got

3. I like knitting and kittens and CSS.. Thats fun, right?The whole situation made me think about what I respect

I became more aware of my own behaviour and attitudes

I want to act the opposite way, and make a positive impact

3. People like different stuff. That is fun.

As a UX designer, it reminds of how varied people are

I use the bad times to help me create user personas and understand a wider range of peopleWhat do people want and need from your product what drives them

Ultimately, the London riots increased my understanding of people (well, thats how I see it)

4. So like, the interwebz, thats cool yeah?The internet is pretty big but as a result, theres probably something on there to suit everyone.

Its exciting to think of how ingrained the internet is in our daily lives even more so for babies being born now.

So what is my favourite part of the internet? What is the one failsafe way of bragging about some awesome work you did, or the megafail you had?

4. Memes!

Zomg lolcats! My face when! Gifs of dogs dancing! Geeks fistpumping!

This is a whole new way of communicating and conveying emotions

When Im having a bad day, I often tweet send help and kittens!

I did that awesome work, you know the stuff, so Im gonna show you a dancing bear!

4. But I am (procrasti)working!

Jessica Hische introduced me to the term procrastiworking

Side projects that you do to postpone the regular work but actually, theyre pretty cool (and dont involve Farmville)

Maybe your boss wont care about the 2 hours you spent making CSS3 animations or the typography poster, but you inspired yourself!

4. Oh its not IRL, its just on the internet!

Except, the internet is real life now!

Im excited and inspired to try more and more because of the possibilities online

You guys, lets stop bitching about the internet we wouldnt be here if it wasnt for the internet!

5. So what inspires other people?

This inspires me too!

People threw their suggestions at me designs in nature, trees, leaves, waves, patterns and shapes.

What others see as ugly, you might love, and vice versa. But doesnt this just encourage you to find more of what inspires you?

5. Sometimes it just comes naturally

Can I throw another clich at you?

Stop and smell the roses! (sorry!)

As designers and developers, maybe sometimes we just need a reminder to pay attention to the small details.

Stop overthinking everything! (my mantra to myself sometimes)

5. Recognise the learning cycle

See the links between your emotions and inspiration, and the work you ultimately do

Give and receive constructive feedback dont bitch, but help; dont get butthurt but see it as a chance to improve

Look back at what youve done and be proud of your accomplishments

5. Accept the changes

My view of inspiration probably changes daily or hourly.

Its quite hard to pinpoint what is inspiring really and its so subjective

Tonight is pretty inspiring even the concept of letting a bunch of people talk at you for 5 mins on something theyre passionate about.

Find me online Im all over the Twitterz @katskii and lets have a drink!