So much in life, that actually ends with tangible, worthwhile, output, is made up of all three of the things in the title of this post. Not necessarily in that order, or in equal parts, but in the end, all three are important.

The world is full of inspiration. I find it the most readily available of the three for me. There is beauty and inspiration in the sky from sunrise, through sunset, and into the starry night sky. Plants, animals, mountains, and plains have inspired songs, stories, paintings, and photography. And for me, the most powerful inspiration is always people. The way they look, live, interact, love, conspire, lie, and die. Again, not necessarily in that order, or with equal importance.

I had a lot of inspiration for the SMUGGLERS IN PARADISE series, most of it from southeast Asia and primarily from the Philippines. I actually started this inspiration series on my other website karthlake.com but I want to continue it here, on my new site dedicated solely to writing.

When I think of the Philippines, it’s hard not to think first of history, faith, and beaches.

There is for sure a lot of natural beauty among 7100+ islands created by volcanic activity.

But there are so many interesting people as well. Some searching, some working, some begging and so many simply living, having fun and being kind.

I hope you enjoyed this inspiration post. Let me know what you think of this or what you do, where you go for inspiration.