Where do you find inspiration? Up in the sky. Down by your feet? On Pinterest? In a strange city, at a strange coffee shop! staring at a man that reminds you of Clark Kent, remembering how the feel of a newspaper is both romantic and informative?
I wanted to share some inspiration with you this morning. It’s Monday. We we need it… just like we need sunshine, creamy coffee, and frisky red wine…. or maybe that’s just me.
I love you. No biggie.
Inspiration from my bedroom dresser. Big blue nail polish from Butter London. A domino with my favorite number on it. Dangle earrings from Soledad. A pink fashion clutch from ooooold times Banana Republic.
Inspiration from characters. A man taking tickets on a train from St. Louis to Chicago at 4:30 in the morning. He had a lot of things in his pockets, and his mustache makes me want to make beer… so he could drink it and I could giggle at his beer mustache.
Inspiration in a middle America sunrise. I want coffee… and I want it dirty. What does that even mean? … that there needs to be a tractor around? Yea.
Inspiration in colors happening.
There really is so much for us to see… we just have to stop and see it.
Inspiration in the greats.
T.S. Eliot is one of my favorite poets.
I stood in front of his teenage home in St. Louis… and I cocked my foot to the side juuust so…. so my feet would look like those cool fashion bloggers. They always have their toes turned in.
… clearly I need to read more Eliot.
Inspiration in old shapes.
This heater makes me crave Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread. Right?
Inspiration in friendship. Even in our thirties, we take the time to do each other’s hair. It’s in us. We also speak our hearts, and laugh like monsters… that’s in us too.
There’s color and beauty in most everything. Let’s remember to see it… to really see it, let in sink in, let it help us create.
Find more inspiration in these special places on the internet. Take a few minutes… you’re important.
Baked Bree big.beautiful.bright.food.
A Sweet Spoonful food.words.tenderness.
Design Love Fest girl.you.so.crazy.talented. ..dang..
Hungry Girl Por Vida real.pretty.life.
Dapper Paper man and wife.paper and such.
Lauryl Lane flowers.greens. weddings so nice.
Bonnie Tsang oh.what.you.capture.
94 Responses
Oh, the Wormhole. What a lovely place. And how appropriate that it make an appearance on your lovely blog. I’m secretly hoping (well, not secretly, anymore) that you tried a Honey Bear Latte…such a wonderful and luxurious experience in a cup. If you didn’t, well, now you have a reason to come back to Chicago!
And, speaking of lovely, you should also (if you didn’t) visit Lovely Bake Shop, conveniently just up the street from the Wormhole. And what about Ipsento (another coffee shop, because I might be an addict)?! Their signature drink marries coconut milk, honey and cayenne. *Sigh*
So many delightful things here in the Second City. Including you, apparently, which I missed, sadly. Cheers!
Loved this post!! It was a great read!
Does Clark Kent know he´s picture is in hundreds (thousands, millions!) of screens now?
Inspiring post!
So beautiful!
oh how you inspire me joy!
Every time I glance at my “Joy The Baker Cookbook”, I totally get inspired!
This morning I made the spinach kale banana smoothie, which I desperately needed, seeing as how I ate approximately 10 of the brown butter chocolate chip cookies yesterday…
But also, I love love love going out for a run- run as far as you need to until you’re in wide open space, with nothing but hills and trees and clouds- that’s where inspiration strikes!
Joy
Your book has just arrived in my letter box in the UK. Absolutely loving it – I want to take some time off and bake so much of it for my family. Baking is so healing when things are tough going ….
I’m inspired by taco dinners and burger lunches. Beers in the backyard and freckled shoulders. Breakfasts that keep you full until dinner and walks with my pup.
Joy you are my inspiration….Thank you! Homework!!
this post inspired me, beautiful!
Hi Joy,
Love to hear all the things that inspire you. YOU are one of the things that inspire me. Love your blog and your recipes. I love it that you journal some before the recipes so that we get to know you and that your blog is not only about sharing great food but also about sharing a bit of yourself. YOU make me want to bake more….and that is inspiring! I am very sad that I did not get to meet you in Seattle. My Aunt Ruth passed away suddenly from a fall. (She was 82 and the last of my Mom’s siblings….last of her family actually….because my mom was the youngest of 8 and she passed in 2008.) I flew to Florida from Seattle to be with family which was important at a sad time in our lives. However, I had so hoped to meet you, give you a big hug and make a photo with you to share on my own blog. I was going to bring my book for you to sign. With the success of your book, which I love by the way, I am sure you will, at some point, write another cookbook and do a another future book tour in Seattle. For me….my inspirations are my parents….who are both now gone but inspire me to be a good parent myself to my two sons; collecting beautiful English Paragon teacups which inspire me to take time to relax and enjoy tea; a beautiful knitting store in Bainbridge Island called Churchmouse Yarns and Tea….an English styled knitting and tea shop which has to die for samples of projects and beautiful yarns which inspires me to continue my knitting journey; flowers around me which inspire me to appreciate beauty in the world and attempt to grow my own beautiful flowers; decorating magazines which inspire me to continue to try to create a warm and welcoming home; little children who inspire me to never forget there is wonder and hope in the world; and blogs like your’s….where I am inspired to create, connect, and meet new friends…..and bake! Love ya, Kim
thank you so much for this post :)
you just inspired me!
xo, cheyenne
Thatz a beautiful write-up! I get these occasional bursts of inspiration too looking at everyday stuff during the commute to work :)
Inspired by YOU :)
Hey Joy,
I picked up issue 22 of the Masterchef Magazine on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and found an article featuring you! https://awes.me/HewbWv Having just moved from South Africa to Australia and finding that they love you here too makes me feel much more at home.
So happy to see the midwest through a visitors eyes…sometimes it gets very same/same to me. I’m inspired by a new grocery store I’ve been going to…
You are so sweet, you inspire me very day too. :)
Just found your blog – in L-O-V-E
Clark Kent was cute – did he know you snapped a photo? LOL :)
loved this post! Inspiration is all around. Eventhough, sometimes life seems uninspirational or we need new, fresh ideas. it is clearly in the most simplest of things. xx
adahliavolk.com
Love how inspiration is all around us!
What a beautiful post, Joy! I loved reading it. Inspiration really is everywhere : )
You know what’s an inspiration?
Your brown butter blueberry muffins. made them last night! :)
best.blueberry.muffins…. or so my mouth and tummy say.
love love love your blog!
Just made your banana cranberry bread (because I had bananas I needed to cook and I had everything for that recipe at home) and since it took an hour to bake I sat at home and enjoyed how it made the house smell. Sometimes inspiration is spontaneous, which is SO fun!
Hope you decided to meet Mr. Romantic and Informative! Great post…and, yes, I couldn’t agree more – it’s in the everyday.
inspiration in…joy the baker’s blog? sorry that was sappy! but i really do get good ideas from you (in the inspired way, not the steal-y way).
Just made your chocolate brownie cookies with white chocolate for work tomorrow. Unreal.
is that first photo taken at Metropolis Coffee shop in Chicago?? it’s one of my favorite coffeeshops in the city!! u found a good one on ur stop here
Yep! I ink that’s the coffee shop! Cool place.
Glad to see someone else thinks about inspiration too.
Joy, what a great topic. :) I was just thinking about this last week. I do a weekly podcast with a buddy on our website and I wanted to do the podcast on inspiration – and where to find it when you need it. But then we got invited out on a boat ride, which ended up being its own inspiration. Instead, we put the boat captain – Capt. Joe – on the podcast instead.
But still! Inspiration. What a topic.
I will totally admit to using you for inspiration though.
No kidding!
It’s in how you see the world: full of pleasant possibility. Everybody should have somebody like you in their lives. The luckiest get to see things as you do.
To see that, is inspirational.
So while you’re busy looking at Clark, I’m busy looking at you. :p
-Ben
I just got back from a trip to Chicago and was introduced to the Wormhole for the first time! I found it very comfortable and inspiring, too, and ended up going back for a second visit (even though I don’t drink coffee :)).
That awesome moment when your favorite coffee shop is on your favorite blog! Wormhole is where I go to write. Everything there inspires me. It’s pretty much my 2nd home. I’m not sure what I would do if those guys weren’t around. Love you, Joy.
Wormhole!! Yes. That’s right!
Oh, Joy, you’re just beautiful! And yes, you should always be reading more Eliot!
Frisky red wine inspires me also!
yeah for red wine!!!
Just ordered your book–Can’t wait for it to arrive!
I think it is cool that your favorite number is 8. In the world of dream symbols, the number 8 stands for new beginnings. You can apply dream symbols to real life and notice when something is about to happen. It all intersects.
Love this post and love the photography. Much needed for a Monday.
PS, I heart pinterest.
I think I’m being honest by saying I’m still trying to find what inspires me. I’m pretty new at this and am inspired by what others are inspired by.
Love the inspirations – I’m inspired by trees lining a busy street – I don’t know why, but it’s just nice to find peace throughout the city hustle and bustle.
I, too, love Eliot. ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ is my favorite poem of all time.
xoxo,
mon amy
aw, thanks! you inspire me too! hope the travels are going well. xoxo
What a lovely pause to reflect on all meaningful inspirations in life…from little things to big! And three cheers for girlfriends who do your hair.
Your train inspiration looks like my Monday morning commute…that I didn’t make today because I took a sick day to bake.
And I think that moustaches are mandatory on midwest Amtrak trips. :)
Things that inspire me today:
My kitten sleeping on my pillow (I don’t care about the hair when she’s this cute).
Yellow owl blouse.
32 oz of madagascar vanilla.
and
Metallic purple eye shadow.
Live it. Love it. Have a great day, Joy!
What lovely words to start the week.
I love this post. And, I love Eliot. I had and etsy artist make me a bracelet that read “Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?” so that I could take him with me to my boring desk job.
What a lovely idea! Thanks for sharing it.
I find inspiration in your blog, pictures, and recipes every day! Thanks!
You’re so lovely, Joy. A stone-cold inspiration to me and to many on the daily. Enjoy your Monday!
My favorite T.S. Eliot poem The Waste Land begins with the line: “April is the cruelest month”. It also contains the line “I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” How appropriate that you posted this on April 1st.
Reading more Eliot is always a good idea. In fact, you could totally come to Washington D.C. for a book signing then read some T.S. Eliot! Yes, that is an excellent idea. You’re welcome. :)
Have a very lovely April, Joy!
What a great series of photos, Joy! There’s something about train travel that is so very good for musing and inspiration. I used to travel up and down the Hudson Valley, along the river, by train. It’s a lovely ride if you’re heading north from New York City. Here’s a little inspiration back for you – a site I discovered recently. Great for finding new music. https://pitchfork.com/
There is no better way to start Monday morning studying. Thanks Joy! Your parents named you well.
A beautiful reminder of how important it is to live in the moment and appreciate the little things that can be such a big, beautiful part of our lives if we just pay attention. Thanks!
Thank you for this. Needed it today. :)
Good lawd did I need that today! Monday mornings are rough, but this was a nice kick in the pants :) Thanks Joy!!
Thanks for the introduction to Dapper Paper! Beautiful things.
I get such a rush when I see someone being creative on Etsy. I think of Etsy as one the last true democratic bastions on the Internet.
Nicole
These pictures are breathtaking. You are so amazing and talented. Thank you for making my Monday morning special :)
Aww, you were in my home town of Joliet!
Lovely post, I’ve been in Joliet, Il. Have a great time in the Midwest. I love Chicago!
Beautiful words for a Monday morning. Thanks, Joy!
May your travels be safe and memories be many!
Hugs!!
This is such a wonderful post – It makes me want to bust out my camera/camera on my phone all over the place. Thanks so much!
Loved your ode to inspiration. I’ll be sure to check out the links!
Ha- did you take the Metra? I live just outside of Joliet and never thought I’d see those pictures on your blog!
Well I certainly found inspiration in this post. I’m going to see what inspiration I can find around my house today in those everyday things I take for granted.
I just love it.
Wonderful pictures too.
Joy you are inspiring.
that’s a whole lot of pretty.
so.totally.humbled. thank you!
I was just about to comment about how awesome you are, Cindy! You are an inspiration, lady :)
I like your true life talk as much as I like your recipes! Thanks for sharing your journey with us…
And not only are Lau’s wedding flowers nice…she is nice. Ridiculously so. Until you don’t want her to be. Then she will gossip and giggle evilly with you. Which is even nicer. :-)
Nice to see all the sights of everyday life in a different country!ahh wanderlust pulling…
This is one of the most inspirational posts I’ve read in a long time!
What a lovely post, thank you for the sweet thoughts to start my Monday morning (:
xo Kayla
An inspiring post reminding me to take a minute to literally smell the roses…or hot chocolate…whichever is closer.
Mondays are hard….!
:D
Thanks for the inspirations, Joy.
Oh my, what a beautiful bevy of words and images to send me off into the world this morning – my eyes are wide open, and I can’t wait to see what I encounter.
Keeping all the senses open…. wherever we are. Out on the road say in NYC and at home with colored nails or a new flavor of macaroons. I love Butter’s cuticle cream. And I happen to be an 8 girl myself with a bday of 4-8-68… and a serious penchant for even numbers. Safe travels.
Taken that train route so many times – so many great characters! Enjoy your time in the midwest!
This is my first time on your blog. It is 4am here in jersey and I was looking for a great lemon meringue pie and I stumbled into your lemon curd meringue cookies.
Long story short, I was hooked subscribed, and now I am inspired. I still have more reading to do in your blog and I am so excited to start trying your recipes. Starting with the cookies tomorrow!
I love love the picture of friends doing each others hair. It reminds me that I have to call someone and tell her how much I miss the days of playing dress up!
Thanks for the inspiration
Tierra
Joliet train station inspired me. I’ve lived in Germany for the last 4 years and am waiting at the train station, starting my journey back home today. Home to a farming community very near to the obscure Midwest town of Joliet. Happy travels, Joy.
I love this. Also: that old clutch is totally hot and in style again now. Wish I could borrow it from you. Hehehe.
https://queenink.tumblr.com/ has amazing tattoos, art, music, books! its a blog that belogs to a tattoo artist in santa cruz name Kai Smart. inspiration central! joy where did you get your navy napkin with the poppies on it you showed it with the soy sauce cookies?? its my favorite flower
I’m always in a rush… to here, to there, to everywhere… always feel like I need to occupy my time with something… thinking of recipes while walking, always making a list of things to do, always too busy woryring about the things not checked off… always telling myself to take a break and just sit back… but still, it rarely happens. Thank you for the reminder that life is beautiful and everything around us is beautiful, we just need to take the time to look and see.
You’re so right, Joy. Inspiration IS everywhere. Sometimes we forget to look at it when we’re at home because we’re so used to it, but when we’re on the road – out there – some times it’s so clearl to us that it feels like we’re getting bopped on the head with it all. Divine. Travelicious.
I lived in Chicago for years and that train station picture brings back memories.
Looks like you’re having a fabulous time on the road, with plenty of adventures and inspiration ALL around you! Traveling is inspiring, period!
Pinterest is a lovely place to find inspiration if you live in the middle of nowhere, or browsing trough comments on blogs, discovering new blogs.
And I finally got the last enjoy it gift! And love it!
Love this – actually, quite inspirational to help me think about what I find to be inspiring! :)