I try not to get too introspective at this time of year, as I think that it can reinforce the notion that the turn of the year is an ending/beginning, and that can become an excuse to postpone ideas and projects. I prefer to just eat some turkey and power through as if the calendar doesn’t exist. Yesterday, however, I caught up with some friends I’ve not seen for a year, and they were asking what I’d been up to, which triggered an involuntary look back. So rather than spend time reminiscing and berating myself for time that could have been more profitably spent, I thought I’d identify, and share, some things from 2009 that served as inspiration, both in writing, in business and in general.

In no particular order…

• Adventureland – Greg Mottola’s film about a summer spent working in a theme park to earn money for college is a perfect example of someone pouring their soul into a creative endeavour. Film-making is a team discipline, but this is one of those films with such a clear voice, you know that just one person is calling the shots and the studio is leaving them to it. It didn’t do too well on theatrical release, but I know this is going to live on as a cult DVD.
• Grandville – Bryan Talbot’s latest graphic novel is a beautiful book, and another example of a creator in complete control of their vision.
• Jousting – I don’t know if it was the experience of hammering along a tilt, lance in hand, on a horse that was trying its best to unseat me, or just the act of fulfilling an ambition, but something changed in me that day. It was soon afterwards that I decided to publish Make a Move; I think my risk framework was re-calibrated.
• Backspacer – Pearl Jam’s latest album came out a month after I saw them live for the first time, and it’s such a good record. Aside from the quality they’re still achieving so far into their career, they included a couple of live album downloads into the package, offsetting any quibbles people might have with the short runtime and demonstrating a commitment to value and fairness I can appreciate. It was also the soundtrack to:
• Paris – I’ve already written about my muse city, but the inspiration this time came from travelling alone for the first time. When I travel with business, there’s always a contact or pickup in the target country, but this time it was just me, my camera, and a vague plan. The plan went out of the window about an hour after I landed, and that sense of complete disconnection, coupled with three days of speaking nothing but French, just reset my brain in a very creative way.
• Wing Chun – I’ve always lacked the discipline to see projects through to the end, and I figured some kung fu training would help me focus. It’s worked so far: training is hard, and you have to clear your mind and focus on what you’re doing to get through it, and the exercise is good for my creative mind. Wing Chun is a form of kung fu in which you inflict maximum damage with minimum effort, and it’s a principle I’m working into the rest of my life – how to achieve goals efficiently, without wasting time, money or effort. I left it late to start learning a martial art, but I don’t regret it, although I do get punched in the throat more than I was expecting…
• Social Media – between Facebook and Twitter, I’ve reconnected with old friends and made some new ones. It’s hard to pin down why social media inspires me, but I do feel as though there are fewer barriers to the communication of ideas than ever before.

Of course there are more, but those are the ones on my mind right now – the ones that are inspiring my work at this moment, and will continue to do so in the future.