Immediately after lunch at work today I completely zoned out – no doubt a side effect of the joyous over-caffeination I experienced in the morning. I've been in a funk lately anyway, so I asked myself, what would make me feel better? What would enable me to put my best effort into my work?

Rather than lay my sorry little head on my desk (I like to remain positive in the office whenever possible), I broke out my MP3 player and put on one of my favorite songs. Whenever I feel down, all I need to do to make everything right in the world is listen to a fabulous a cappella arrangement of Coldplay's Fix You by James Madison University's Exit 245. It's on BOCA 2007, but I'm sure you can look it up elsewhere, too.

After then listening to The Last Five Years, my afternoon had improved drastically – clearly a result of these cathartic music listening experiences. Sometimes I wonder if anyone else daydreams about their everyday life as if it were a music video or Broadway show. I have done this since childhood, and these daydreams are what made me think I wanted to write music someday.

Any silliness aside, music is my lifeblood, and it's what I turn to whenever I am feeling depressed or uninspired. This evening I feel so inspired to make plans with friends, get together a group of people to play music at my house, and set up the darkroom for goodness' sake.

Whenever I listen to music and start feeling like it's opening a gateway to inspiration for every corner of my life, I hope everyone else in the world has something that makes them feel the same way. I always draw on it for energy and use it to build a foundation for happiness and balance. Despite a seeming lack of connection, I know I would not be inspired to keep producing visual art without music in my life, both performed and heard.

Creative expressions feed one another. What feeds your inspiration, even in the darkest times? What puts a spark into your everyday life and keeps you creative/productive?

And if you also have wondered what life would be like if every minute were a musical, please feel free to let me know.

Next post: darkroom pictures, progress, and tips!