What inspires me? This was always the hardest question for me to answer when I was growing up, because, truth be told… nothing inspired me! There I would be, merrily going my own way without a care in the world or thought for the future. But thankfully I can say that is no longer the case. Now I can finally answer this question you are all dying to know… what inspires me?

Ultimate Inspiration

First and foremost, and the reason I NOW have inspiration, is that it comes from knowing Christ. Before I was a Christian, I never saw myself as accountable to anyone but myself, therefore I lived purely for me, now I live for God. The salvation Christ has given me has set me free from my old life of meaningless sin and self-service and allowed me to serve Him with a renewed heart. I desire now to do all things in excellence, and by that I don’t mean that I am excellent or that even what I produce is excellent. I do however aim for excellence and to do all to the very best of my own capabilities. Continually pushing myself further to better what can be bettered. That is the standard God expects from His people and that’s the standard I aim for.

Now, if I wanted to, I could end this blog post right here. As God alone is enough inspiration for me to do all things in excellence. Whether it be woodcarving, loving my wife Elisabeth, or even eating my dinner. But I will give a few other (lesser) examples of what inspires me.

…but also

When I’m not working or carving, I very much enjoy browsing the Web for ideas (or motivation for a Saturday morning)! I tend to float between YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest. Not only to find inspiration or ideas, but also to support others with similar interests as mine. There are so many great woodcarvers out there and all of them have inspired me at some point or another to make better use of my time and get busy!

Alluding to what I said earlier in regards to excellence, the last on my list of what inspires me, is my own personal drive and desire to better my previous designs or attempts. Every time I carve something, whether it be a spoon or a pendant, I notice what I’ve done wrong and know how to make the next one even better (in theory at least). I tend to come away after each project with a deeper desire to make something else.

These are just a few things which inspire me in anything I do, especially my wood carving. If you are looking for a new hobby or know somebody who is, I hope I can inspire you to try something new! Pick up a piece of wood. Even with just an old pocket knife you can make something really special and unique.