The creative life is all about taking time. Time out, time for ideas and thoughts, time to be inspired. And sometimes that inspiration can be had by a simple stroll around the garden, a ramble along a sandy beach, or a meander by a small stream.
Text and photo copyright Michele Gierck
To find out what else inspires Michele, and her creative projects, check out her other blog: www.michelemuses.wordpress.com
Creativity is a fascinating process. Critical to it, and I'm speaking from a writer's perspective, is the capacity and determination to pursue an idea - be it fashionable or not.
And to believe in it. Relentlessly.
It was like that with my first book, published in 2006. And so it is with the current two!
Image: Baby and Mother Tern, Lord Howe Island, Australia
Text and Image copyright Michele Gierck
www.michelegierck.com.au
Paradise for me is naturally spectacular, ringed by coral reef teeming with hundreds of fish species, with mountains at its southern tip. It's Lord Howe Island.
What an inspiring place. In fact, I was so impressed that I've just penned a travel piece about it. Not sure when it will appear in Australian newspapers.
Photo: Lord Howe Island from Malabar Hill
Text and image copyright Michele Gierck 
Inspiration must be one of the most precious, unpurchasable gifts of life. And I've been lapping it up as I work on my children's book about two beautiful fish who embark on a wild adventure. These days , it seems as if much of my inspiration is drawn from nature.
Photo: Maguk Walk, Kakadu National Park, Australia
Text and Image Copyright Michele Gierck
www.michelegierck.com.au
Wildlife photography and getting your book published have their commonalities. Both require patience. Waiting and hoping. Wondering. What will happen? Waiting some more. Then finally, finally, often when you've almost given up, that magical moment arrives-- like this honeyeaster pecking at the eucaplyptus silver princess. Or an equally delightful agent's call. As always, I wait in hope.
Text and image copyright Michele Gierck
www.michelegierck.com.au