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    Don’t Let Fear Take the Steering Wheel

    The Case for Shared Leadership (Part 5)

    The Case for Shared Leadership (Part 4)

    The Case for Shared Leadership (Part 3)

    The Case for Shared Leadership (Part 2)

    The Case for Shared Leadership (Part 1)

    More of Him, Less of Me

    You’ve Got a Friend

    3 Important Things You Should Know About Discipleship

    Discipleship Lessons from Star Wars

    Home

    Episode 26: Election, Free Will, and Flowers

    God Is Calling YOU to Rest (Part 2)

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Should we still listen to Hillsong?

    Easter Origin: Bunnies & Eggs?

    Before Christ Rose

    Our Misconception of the Body

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Can Christians go to multiple churches?

    The Relationship Between Frugalism and Stewardship

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Rejoice (Part 3)

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    • Mental Health
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    Home Is Where Your Heart Is

    Interview: Transformation from Pole Dancing

    The Power of Names

    In a Difficult Season in My Life, I Joined the Production Team

    Wisdom from a Baby

    LET THERE BE LOVE — on Christian Veganism (Part 5)

    There’s Nothing Wrong With You

    LET THERE BE LOVE — on Christian Veganism (Part 4)

    LET THERE BE LOVE — on Christian Veganism (Part 3)

    LET THERE BE LOVE — on Christian Veganism (Part 2)

    The Addiction You Didn’t Know You Had (Part 2)

    The Addiction You Didn’t Know You Had (Part 1)

    LET THERE BE LOVE — on Christian Veganism (Part 1)

    Home

    Episode 25: What’s up with the education system?

    Our Misconception of the Body

    The Relationship Between Frugalism and Stewardship

    Home

    Episode 23: Why I changed my career

    What Consumes Us (Part 2)

    What Consumes Us (Part 1)

    Jesus and Minimalism

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    • Dating
    • Family
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    Home Is Where Your Heart Is

    In a Difficult Season in My Life, I Joined the Production Team

    Wisdom from a Baby

    Dating for Jesus**

    A Short Letter to the Tired Single

    3 Important Things You Should Know About Discipleship

    Home

    Episode 27: How do you find the right person? Questions on singleness, boundaries and friend zones

    The Addiction You Didn’t Know You Had (Part 2)

    The Addiction You Didn’t Know You Had (Part 1)

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Can a Christian date a non-Christian, then convert him/her?

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Should we still listen to Hillsong?

    Home

    Episode 25: What’s up with the education system?

    Get Used to Different (Part 2)

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Is cohabitation a sin?

    Before Saying “I Will”

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Need for Companionship

    Local Man Discovers Gift of Singleness, Calls Off Marriage*

    Get Used to Different (Part 1)

    Talking with Family Members About Mental Health (Part 3)

  • CULTURE
    • All
    • Evangelism
    • Justice
    • Social issues
    Our Christmas Collection

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    You’ve Got a Friend

    Discipleship Lessons from Star Wars

    Ethical Consumerism

    Easter Origin: Bunnies & Eggs?

    Get Used to Different (Part 2)

    Home

    Episode 24: All about Crypto, NFTs, and the Church

    What Consumes Us (Part 2)

    Is metaverse or VR church a real church?

    Should Christians go to war?

    Home

    Episode 22: Enneagram Part Two

    What Consumes Us (Part 1)

    Jesus and Minimalism

    Home

    Episode 21: Enneagram Part One

    Get Used to Different (Part 1)

    Christian Cancel Culture: A Gospel for the Oppressors

    Christian Cancel Culture: A Gospel for the Oppressors

    Your Calling to Bring Shalom into a Deprived World

    Your Calling to Bring Shalom into a Deprived World

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    Episode 16: Cage homes and subdivided apartments, is this the reality of HK? // Ask Martin: Why does God elect some not to believe?

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    Dating for Jesus**

    Local Man Discovers Gift of Singleness, Calls Off Marriage*

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    In The Whisper, pt2

    How Do I Get Inspired?

    Rejoice (Part 3)

    Rejoice (Part 2)

    Rejoice (Part 1)

    Loss

    Celebrating Creativity

    Baptism Numbers Skyrocket After Installation of Waterslide in Local Church*

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How Do I Get Inspired?

Karen Koh by Karen Koh
2022/01/04
in Inspiration
0

As an artist, I get asked this question a lot. 

The word ‘inspiration’ essentially derives from the Greek for ‘God-breathed’ or ‘divinely breathed into’. Being inspired is exhilarating yet mysterious. Inspiration almost feels like it happens spontaneously, a burst of ideas in the spur of the moment. 

 

The word ‘inspiration’ essentially derives from the Greek for ‘God-breathed’ or ‘divinely breathed into’.

 

There are many things that can inspire me – books, stories, nature walks, music, culture, etc. They are sources of stimulation for my imagination, and it is especially easy when I am moved by them emotionally. However, there have still been times where I felt uninspired. No matter how much new music I listened to, or how many nature walks I took, the ‘aha’ moment seemed so elusive. 

Not limited to artistic professions, but also in every field of work and study, getting ‘stuck’ is one of the most common problems amongst creators. Sometimes, even countless hours of research and experimentation does not help us become more productive in generating exciting and interesting ideas. 

I remembered there was a time when I was working on a storyboard of a romantic moment. It started out really well, I had all the pictures in my head of how the first shot would look. A girl would discover a stable, and being curious, she went in and found that it was a stable of winged horses. Later on in the story, she would bump into her schoolmate by chance because they were both supposed to be at a ball, only to find out that they both had somehow escaped from the dance hall. 

Next day, I sat at the same desk working on the same storyboard, only to find myself staring at the same panel for an hour. The productivity was so different compared to my previous drawing sessions. I gave myself another week, but there was no improvement. A month passed by, and I began to get frustrated. I started turning to movies with romantic scenes, reading books written by experienced storyboarders, watched online tutorials and searched for resources that could help me with my design. 

In the end, I had to reference some works that other artists did to finish my own, but it didn’t feel like it was mine. Then I thought, I had spent too much time on this and it was not getting me anywhere, I should put it down for a while. 

A couple of months later, I went back to the storyboard. Immediately I saw the problem – the story was awkward because we didn’t know why the girl didn’t want to be at the ball, and why she was surprised and secretly thrilled to see the boy in the stable. The story here wasn’t the detailed description of things that happened during their encounter. What made the moment romantic was that the girl found her true love by letting go of the cultural norm by leaving the ball. So, I sat down with the panels, this time focusing more on the girl’s emotions. When I finished, I could see I was finally telling a story.  

I realised the biggest source of inspiration is not from books, music, or nature. These sources help, but they are limited by human ability and advancements in our skills and techniques. Nonetheless, there is something beyond all these things that can provide inspiration. The moments where I feel most at ease drawing or designing something full of inspiration are when I have experienced more of life. Every event in my life, be it joyful or devastating, they serve one purpose – they enrich my life. The more I experience and the broader spectrum of emotions I feel, the easier it is to access resources and details of things that move me, and the more I understand why and what moves us.

 

The moments where I feel most at ease drawing or designing something full of inspiration are when I have experienced more of life. Every event in my life, be it joyful or devastating, they serve one purpose – they enrich my life.

 

Now when I find myself getting ‘stuck’, and find no inspiration from this world, I will sit back and observe. I will be present in my surroundings, get to know the lives of the people around me, and not confine myself from experiencing things I love and hate. I used to only find inspiration in things I enjoy, but I have come to know that every part of life is a source of inspiration. 

 

Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

Karen Koh

Karen Koh

A story and visual development artist who is a bit too reliant on wake-me-up coffees. She loves stories - epic ones that speak truth with authentic characters, and cute ones that hug your heart. // Favorite author: JJR Tolkien

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September 14, 2021

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