This is a talk I gave recently. It’s been an exercise of courage and standing in my light. I thought I would share it here as this site is the perfect place. I hope this finds you in a place of comfort and peace. But if not, hopefully this will inspire you to something greater and better for yourself.
Good morning.
Today I want to talk about sparks. About inspiration. And how, by co-creating with the universe, we ignite inspiration in others, who then go on to create, and inspire others, and so on. A living chain of light.
Have you ever had a moment when someone said something, created something, or simply was something, and it stayed with you? It didn’t demand your attention, but it changed you. That was a spark. That was inspiration.
As an artist, I’ve learned that sparks don’t come from trying to impress.
They come from something much simpler, and much braver: creating from truth.
Authenticity: being genuine, real, and true to your own personality, values, and beliefs, rather than being a copy or imitation
Inspiration isn’t something we force into others. It’s something we awaken.
A spark doesn’t push. It invites. It reminds someone of something already inside them.
Think about a time you felt inspired. Chances are, it wasn’t because someone told you who to be. It was because they showed you what was possible.
Inspiration is recognition. It’s the soul saying, “Yes. That. I remember that.”
When we create, we are not working alone.
Creation is co-creation.
As artists, builders, parents, healers, teachers, and simply as humans, we receive an impulse and give it form. The universe provides the spark, and we provide the willingness.
This is why creating can feel sacred.
It’s not just self-expression.
It’s participation.
When we create from a place of openness rather than control, we allow something greater than us to move through us.
Inspiration naturally lifts us toward something better, toward a higher vibration. It’s often deeply personal. Sometimes the meaning of a moment, or a creation, is enormous to us and invisible to everyone else.
I’d like to share a moment that left a lasting spark in me.
When I was about fifteen, my family went four years in a row to New River Gorge in West Virginia for whitewater rafting and camping trips. My brother, myself, and a group of over twenty of his older friends would completely take over the campsite every year. It was unforgettable.
The rafting always happened on the last day, Sunday. So Friday and Saturday were open. One year, the guys decided to go mountain biking, and the girls were talking about going horseback riding. I walked over to them and said, “We’re going to the horses.”
I had never been near a horse before, let alone climbed onto one and ridden it through the wilderness. I grew up in Parma, for crying out loud.
The power of this animal was inconceivable. The heat from its neck felt like it would burn my hand if I held it there too long. Its breath was deep and heavy, filling massive lungs, and I could feel it between my knees.
It’s hard to fully describe the experience.
It was gratitude for my brother making this trip possible. Spark.
It was humility, realizing this magnificent being was allowing me to share its energy as it carried my weight through dense forest. Spark. And it was inspiration, knowing I was fully present, living my best life in that exact moment. Spark.
That moment changed me.
I had always loved the outdoors, but something shifted. I felt free. I felt loved. I felt renewed. That was my spark.
Over the next thirty-five years, I expressed myself and co-created with the universe in ways I never could have imagined. I worked for companies like The Franklin Mint for my still-life drawings, collaborated with Sony on a level for Little Big Planet on PlayStation 3, had a number-one song on SoundClick pop charts for two consecutive weeks, and built a successful career in graphic design while continuing to freelance as an artist and photographer.
I share this for two reasons.
First, to show how a single spark can alter the trajectory of your reality. How inspiration can guide you toward a more authentic version of yourself.
And second, as a personal exercise in acknowledging my accomplishments and allowing myself to be proud of my work. Something I’ve struggled with. And I know I’m not alone in that.
Inspiration is contagious, but not in obvious ways.
When you create, it cultivates presence, courage, trust, and confidence. When you create from your truth, you give others permission to find theirs.
And believe me, it comes through in your work.
You don’t need to explain the meaning of what you create. For years, I downplayed my work because I didn’t have a story or method behind it. I just created organically.
If I begin a painting, I might picture a scene, but more often I choose a single element and start there. I don’t sketch rigid plans. I let the art become what it wants to be. The scene unfolds.
After many years of self-doubt, I finally recognized that I am co-creating with my angel team, with God, with the universe, and with my ancestors. That realization taught me trust, confidence, patience, and healing.
And knowing this changed my art. It changed my perspective. It changed me.
You don’t need to justify your path. You only need to be honest.
That honesty is felt. And feeling is where inspiration lives.
There’s an analogy I love that applies to creation and to life.
Imagine a river. The river represents God, or the universe. You are in it whether you like it or not. It is always moving, always changing, never in the same place twice, just like us.
You can fight the current. You can grab onto rocks and branches, trying to stop change. But often, that’s when we get pulled under, stuck, overwhelmed, and afraid.
Instead, release the tension. Loosen your grip. Relax your body and your mind and allow the water to carry you.
The river knows where it’s going.
A limp body survives. A rigid one breaks.
You don’t have to be an artist to create sparks in others. Your life is the canvas.
We are changing our reality every second of every day. Every choice, from the mundane to the monumental, shifts our trajectory. We are creators of our realities, our families, our environments, our food, and the energy in a room.
We create war. We create peace. A mother is the ultimate creator on this planet, across all species. Creation is constant. Inevitable.
So why not float the river with an inner tube and snorkel?
The way you listen. The way you speak. The way you choose kindness when no one is watching.
Every moment is an opportunity to co-create with the universe by asking, “What wants to come through me right now?”
Even something as simple as taking a shower can become an act of creation. A watery world of intention, rather than a task you rush through.
Claim the title: Creator. Co-Creator.
Create with intention, knowing you are not alone. When you do, you become the spark. And others will notice.
It’s about spreading the high vibration.
My hope is that we remember this: We are not here to convince. We are here to illuminate.
When we create from alignment, the universe meets us halfway.
And when we live inspired, we quietly light the way for others.
May we all leave today carrying sparks. And may we trust that even the smallest light can warm a heart, and sometimes even change a life.