We love asking the folks that inspire and excite us about what inspires and excites them. Check out their responses below.

Alexis Camille | Graphic Designer and Illustrator

I feel so lucky in the ways I find inspiration as an artist; my creativity allows me to find it in ways not everyone can. Whether it be daily interactions with people in my life, trendy Instagram posts, or being out and about in town, I am constantly inspired. There are times where I have creative blocks, as I’m sure many other artists can attest to, and I find myself unable to relate to much of anything. However, in those moments I really enjoy being able to get out of my head and travel to seek inspiration. Sometimes, getting outside for a minute is all it takes, whether it be going to the beach, visiting new restaurants or exploring murals and street art in Southern California. My fun, bold and sassy style is based off of growing up in California and getting to experience all of the beauty it holds. Read more>>

Kato DeStefan | Prosthetic Make-up Artist

I’m inspired by many of the make-up artists that came before me- Dick Smith, John Chambers, Michael Westmore, Rick Baker and Stan Winston. All I need to do is go into my library and start looking through my books and I will be inspired by the art work of H.R. Giger, Wayne Barlowe, Zdzislaw Beksinski. Read more>>

Maya Rosalia | Singer-Songwriter, Actress

I am inspired by females in the etertainment industry. Growing up on sets and studios, there were mostly men leading the projects. Recently I’ve been seeing so many women being the forefront of successful projects which is very refreshing and inspiring. My struggle of being a young female in the industry and society in general has inspired me to share my stories and make my voice heard. Many times I’ve been underestimated. However to successfully finish a song I wrote or play a character that resonates with people, always proves to myself and others that you should never underestimate someone. Read more>>

Syd Leilani | Entreprenuer & Author

Throughout my adolescent years, I clung to different circles. One would say the diversity of age was unbelievable. Throughout my high school years to now, I became mentors to children transitioning into middle and high school. Seeing their smiles and the way life flowed through their lives was beautiful. I would always compare their growth to watching a sunset or a sunrise on a lovely sunny day. I believe my mentees have been my biggest inspiration in becoming the person I’m slowly becoming. As my work slowly became more public, I saw my achievements, such as having my poetry in the MOCA museum, publishing my first book, etc., have an influence on them. Every-time I completed one of my goals; it was like they were meeting one of theirs. I understood then that I was no longer succeeding it for me, but for them also. For their success, I needed to set a pathway for them, and every day I strive to continue. Read more>>

Rosie Satorius | Owner/Esthetician Rosie Glow Skincare

Everyday when I wake up, I’m inspired by the boundless ways I can bring a little more happiness into other people’s lives. Rosie Glow Skincare was inspired by the desire to create a safe and loving space for skincare treatments. The flow of inspiration can be felt when I establish genuine connections with my clients. As an esthetician, I view my business as more than just putting skincare products on faces. It’s about seeing the happiness, confidence, and bliss when clients look in the mirror. Nothing is more inspiring than changing the way my clients feel about themselves and their skin. It’s immensely satisfying to improve someone’s well being; even more so when that client’s well being returns the inspiration back to me. Read more>>

Talking Back Pictures | Production Company Founded By Emma Kreienberg and Nicole Palermo

We were first inspired to form our company Talking Back Pictures in 2015 due to the underrepresentation of women behind the camera, and lack of three-dimensional female characters seen on screen. This underrepresentation inspired us to mandate 50% of our key crew are women or gender non-confirming on every project, in an effort to see content creation outside the male gaze in our industry. Over time, we’ve been inspired to explore mental health from a woman’s perspective after continuously seeing a lack of this exploration in popular culture. We’re committed to using the stories we tell to raise awareness around issues and subject matters that women live with on a daily basis– from unconscious social media pressure to learning about your pelvic floor. Read more>>

Laela White | Artist, Maker of Things, Joke Teller Glitter Connoisseur, Food Enthusiast

I draw inspiration from anything and everything. I’m hyper-aware of my existence and I’m particularly observant of things around me. The mundane and everyday specifically inspire my sculpture work, taking something that maybe gets overlooked or is so commonplace, and then spinning it into something worthy of having an art piece made of it. On a grander scale, outside of my art practice, I get inspired by my loved ones, nature, comedians, food, vintage fashion, thoughtful design, good packaging, and other artists. Read more>>

Connor Cook | Film Composer & Storyteller

Foremost, I am inspired by moments. I’m the type of person who goes through life living for those in between moments, the ones that seem small and inconsequential but are actually the ones that stick with you for the longest. I’m a really very feeling based person, and most all of my memories are attached to some sort of feeling. I’m almost always drawing from an experience when writing music, trying to use my own experiences to inform what is happening in a film or other project I’m working on. As a composer, I am always trying to sonically capture something, much like a photographer tries to capture an instant. I’m inspired conversation with people, interactions and events. I am inspired by other people’s music, be it film music or folk music or whatever else I’m currently stuck on. I’m inspired by others’ expression of self- dance, photography, art, poetry, books and stories. Lately I’ve been very inspired by my friends and friendships. Read more>>

Cortney Kammerer Thornton | Pictorialist

I like to say that I’m constantly curious. I like to devour poetry, art, facts, fiction, art history, plants, animals, architecture, classic hollywood films, foreign films, (any type of film for that matter) color, pattern (organic and inorganic), light, shadows, sounds, stillness, emotions, family, friends, strangers, the human experience, nature, inner space, outer space and everything in between. Read more>>

Maren Earn | Owner of a Women’s Cannabis and a Lifestyle Brand

I think what inspires me the most is women in my community. Ladies who are out there making their dreams a reality! I love my local girl boss girl gang!! They give me the strength to fight harder and to accomplish my goals. They also give me the support and love when it gets hard. Read more>>

Tess Olnick | Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor

The field I work in is incredibly unique and inspiring. Working with horses as a form of therapy is so unlike any typical clinic-like therapy setting, and brings out reactions in people that you might not see anywhere else. Horses seem to put people in a state of awe from simply just being around them, being such beautiful, big, powerful animals. When you put that together with a therapy service, the results are amazing to watch. When you see a rider who’s nonverbal say their first words, or someone who uses a wheelchair take their first steps, it’s beyond inspiring, and shows you how this unique therapy truly works. Read more>>

Sessann Orne | Leather Worker and Homesteader

I live in Northern New Mexico outside of Taos. We live off grid in a tiny cabin that my boyfriend and I are building. We are surrounded by mountains and and an endless sea of sage brush. The landscape and the creatures we live along side are huge influences. I have also always been inspired by vintage clothing and books. Living close to the land and natural elements are on my mind constantly when I am creating a piece. Read more>>

BennytheGhost | Recording Artist, Songwriter

As someone who makes songs for a living, I think it is a commonly believed fallacy that every song that you make under a deadline will be truly inspired. Writing music consistently has definitely become a craft or a sort of artistic muscle to flex and build upon when the fuel of creative inspiration isn’t there. Inspiration is such an intangible, fleeting luxury of songwriting that can be difficult to come upon reliably or sustainably but if one can manage to capture that brief moment, In my experience, those songs can be the ones that get written in 20 minutes, end up being the most successful, and end up connecting with an audience on a deeper level. So, out of the many duties that come with being a songwriter, I feel that one of my most important responsibilities is to try to find ways to cultivate Inspiration within my daily life in order to make the best music possible. There are a few consistent things I do to try to steer my day in such a way to attempt to bring moments of inspiration into my life and work. Read more>>

Danilo Lazo | Actor & Mountaineer

Nature and people inspire me. If you take time to watch people and try to understand where people come from, it can truly be inspiring as people are just trying to live a happy life. I like looking out off my balcony to see people playing tennis in the court across the way, I like seeing people hold doors for others, go on picnics, walks, laugh, even when people take smoke breaks. People can be wonderful if you pay attention. Nature on the other hand is where I disconnect with society and reconnect with all that’s beautiful and created around me. I like to push myself in nature to see what I can really do, pull energy and inspiration from the world its self. its strange that nature feels like a different wold but its not, that’s inspiring to me. Read more>>

Michael Bauer | Actor

I am inspired by one thing: watchability. It’s the standard by which I measure my own art and the art I consume. Have you ever asked yourself what makes a good actor? Meryl Streep and Jim Carrey would both be considered good actors by most accounts but if you cast Meryl Streep as Ace Ventura, how would she do? Would Jim Carrey be able to pull off Sophie’s Choice? Maybe, maybe not. But what matters is that when they get onscreen we want to watch them. For some reason, they are watchable. Our eyes are fixed on them no matter if they are surviving a holucaust, or puppeteering their butthole. In my opinion that is what makes a good actor; not whether we believe what they are doing, but whether we want to continue to watch them or not. Creatives today seem obsessed with what is real and what is believable. As for me, I am obsessed with what is watchable. Read more>>

Alana Mitnick | Freelance Producer & Founder of HER (Helping Each Other Rise)

People who dedicate their lives to helping others. Especially those who establish or work for non-profits, giving everything to the communities they serve. Women helping women. For so long it seemed like there was this unnecessary competition between women, this belief that there wasn’t room for all of us at the table. I’m inspired by the women who understand that we’re not in competition with each other, who value the community of building relationships with one another & helping each other so we can all rise together. Getting out of my bubble – traveling, exploring new places & experiencing other cultures. Meeting people I may never otherwise have interacted with. Learning from others. Trying new things. Viewing the world from a different lens. Read more>>

Natsumi Goldfish | Artist

It is difficult to say where my inspiration comes from because I think inspiration is part of a loop. I have always been curious and attached to the humans and the world we live, and I have been constantly thinking and asking questions to myself, to the society we belong to, and to the universe. I think that gives me inspiration in return. I am inspired by my imagination, my dreams while sleeping, and from the real society. Anything that happens around me that makes me feel “something important” becomes my inspiration. I get numerous inspirations just by living and by trying to live. If I feel I can express something meaningful about it out of many inspirations, then that will be the inspiration to my new work. It can be very small things in my private daily life at home, or something bigger like political, gender, or racial matters. My artwork is a puzzle made from those inspirations that requires the audience to get involved to keep the loop going, and someday it will come back to me again as a new inspiration. Read more>>

Harry Lopez | Latinx Transformation Coach

I’m genuinely inspired by kindness. I have fallen in love with humans that are deeply kind-hearted and intrinsically good. I’m inspired by the mystery of life and the depth of the human experience. I’ve spent the majority of my life seeking to understand why humans operate the way they do. My findings have further perplexed me as I realize we are such intricate and unconventional beings. What I know to be certain, however, is that we are all yearning for love. Read more>>

Holly Sidell | Writer, Head of Content, Performer + Creator of The Solo Show “Deconstructing Holly

I’m inspired by people. By their stories. By their will and spirit and goodness. By seeing people get through, and overcome, painful situations and tragedies and transform through them – and still be kind to others. Those inspirations then come to me as little seedlings of ideas about what to write about; stories of human connection, especially since COVID hit and it’s so much harder for humans to connect with each other. I’m inspired by how people’s hearts and bodies can be broken, but they heal that brokenness and re-build, and it becomes something new, even better than before, and beyond what they ever originally imagined. And, I’m inspired by whispers from the universe that are so blatant they can’t be coincidences. Read more>>

Jessica Levaton | Oil Painter, Digital Artist & Creative Director

I find inspiration in many places and spaces; mostly in the present, but sometimes in my memories. The colors in nature, untapped emotions, discipline,  passion, transformation, that feeling of euphoria that you get from the sun, roller coasters and pushing myself to the limits.  I crave new experiences,  rare opinions, odd folk, anything that makes me feel moments of exhilaration, even fear. This propels me into painting, drawing and designing and I get lost in my own art. Read more>>