Do you tear pages out of magazines or newspapers? With articles, pictures, quotes and project ideas piled everywhere, I wondered why I bothered. Would I ever look at them again? I mean, really. They pile up in every room. Mixed in with my writing inspiration were clippings for craft projects, information on travel destinations I hope to see some day, pictures of rooms that inspire me to redecorate, and so on. It was a jumbled mess. And I’m certainly not going to sift through piles of this stuff when I need inspiration.
Then I got the idea for my writing inspiration box. First 
I bought a small pack of pretty folders. I labeled the obvious topics on them: Décor, Travel, Recipes, etc. I gathered up all my piles and began sorting. Some things went directly to the trash. I’d already tried it, it was outdated, or my tastes had simply changed. I set the writing inspirational clippings together in a different pile since I noticed most of these were small. I had a different idea for them.
To save time, I filled the folders right as I picked up each clipping. That way I only had to look at them once. With the clutter tamed and the folders filled, I put them in my office filing cabinet. The fancy folders are easy to spot next to the boring manila ones. Although I can’t stop making new piles around the house, I find it so much easier to file them on a regular basis. Now when I’m planning a trip, I know exactly where my travel clippings are. I may not take time to try all my recipes, but when I’m bored with meals, I know where to look for something new. If it turns out great, I add it to my on-line recipe box. A real recipe box would work great too. This way I’m not overwhelmed with recipes. I’m only saving one at a time.
So back to the clippings for writing inspiration. I had an old wooden recipe box I wanted to use to make a writing inspiration box. I took the time to trim the clippings and glue them to index cards. They include quotes about writing, things to do when I have writer’s block, reminders of things to do in editing, writing exercises to get the creativity flowing, encouragement when I get stuck in the middle of a story, different approaches to keep my writing fresh, advice from other writers, and ideas for new settings, characters, and plot lines. I didn’t stop at clipping out of magazines. Some things I printed from Writer’s Digest.com, Pinterest or other websites. I put them on the cards, too. Why bother when I could find it on the computer again later? Because sometimes it’s nice to hold something in my hand. When I need a sensory break from the computer screen, my box sits out on my writing desk ready to inspire me. Perhaps I’ll share something from my inspiration box in blogs down the road.
Maybe you aren’t a writer, but I bet you are inspired by things you tear out of magazines. Maybe they won’t fit in a recipe box, but you can get organized! I hope this inspires you to cut the paper clutter around the house and put it where you can be inspired by it. It isn’t very inspiring sitting under that mound of mail. Find what works for you. A folder perhaps. A cork board. Clear sleeves in a notebook. I hope seeing it all again re-energizes your creativity. Let me know what works for you!