Inspiration

I am a great believer in hard work over inspiration.  Sitting all day waiting for divine intervention won't get anything done, no matter how worthy and artistic the notion may seem.  I want to be like Nick Cave, who gets up every morning, puts on his suit, goes to his office and puts in a full day at his desk.

I dream of the day when I can work at home.  I will have a beautiful office and be very productive, writing all day with a small dog beside me, after a nice morning run.

Until I have an office that looks like this, and so am inspired all day long:

* Emily Schuman's office, whose amazine style can be seen at http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/ - I'm obsessed; picture nicked from http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

In the meantime, I have to find my inspiration elsewhere.

Here's where I go for an instant hit:

• Watch PJ Harvey's 'Please Leave Quietly' on DVD - especially the interview segment, although the live performances are obviously extraordinary.  Hearing her talk about her work wants me to do things that are truly great.  As Courtney Love said: 'PJ Harvey is the one person who makes me realise I'm shit'.  It's true - in a good way.
• Read 'Bonjour Tristesse' by Francoise Sagan - the 'charming little monster' published this gorgeous book when she was 19.  If that doesn't make you want to get a move on, nothing will.
• Dip into Sylvia Plath's Journals.  I generally keep this out and can just flip it open to any page to feel inspired - for a little while, she got the balance just right.