On Saturday I went to see the dress rehearsal for a show being performed by students from a local community circus school. Quite simply, they were amazing. The show was made up of about fifteen kids, from about nine to seventeen years old, and they were fantastic. The range of skills was breath-taking – from aerials to juggling to acrobatics to hula hooping to trampolining to things that quite simply should not be possible – my friend and I were in awe of the students (and frankly felt a bit inadequate). To see kids so dedicated, so passionate, so creative, and so good at what they do made me feel inspired.
I’ve been feeling quite inspired for the last two weeks. Last Monday I started work again at my favourite place to work, the Adelaide Fringe, preparing for the Opening Night Parade. Just hearing all my producers ideas made me more excited that I have felt in a long time. I am already having dreams about the parade (which is a bit worrying, as the parade is about five months away… pace yourself Georgi!).
I have also started writing again. I haven’t written properly since about April, which is terrible, but I bought a notebook and am writing everyday (for the moment, anyway – hopefully it will last!). I’m hoping my inspired mood will push through to my writing, and keep me motivated.
How does this tie in with my reading? Well, apart from the fact that I have been reading a great deal, a lot more than I have in a while, and rereading some of my favourite, most motivating authors (who are not necessarily on the list of 1001 Children’s Books I Must Read Before I Grow Up), it has made me think of one of my favourite books on the list that I reread recently – Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield. I LOVED this book when I was younger, mostly, I thought, because I was obsessed with ballet, and was taking part in a pre-professional program where I was doing half a day of ballet six days a week. I was determined to become a choreographer.
Now, I still love ballet, but it’s not the focus of my being anymore. I still love Ballet Shoes, however – and I realise rereading it that of the three girls in the story, only one (Posy) is obsessed with ballet. Pauline loves to act, and Petrova loves all things mechanical. But the fantastic thing about these girls is their drive, their passion, their motivation – even though they are little girls, they have dreams, and work hard for their dreams. This, I think, is what made the book so attractive growing up – not just the ballet aspects, but achieving your dreams. And this is probably why I still love the book. I want to read books that inspire me to keep working hard for my creative pursuits, be it writing, or working on productions or festivals, or something else entirely different, as long as I’m working on something I’m passionate about.
Fire Twirlers at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Parade – Alex Kwong
Whenever I need a motivation boost, I wach Neil Gaiman’s commencement speech. It’s a good kick in the inspiration. If you haven’t seen it, you should definitely watch it. You can see it here.
1001 Children's Books 
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