Nostalgic Inspiration / Editorial

Thursday, May 24, 2018

I believe that as creators we’re always looking for inspiration, we’re always looking for new ideas and even when we have the ideas, we struggle to shape them into something that actually makes sense, regardless of the idea being a character or a story. Many of us look backwards to find ideas, to make sure we haven’t missed something good. But maybe it is more than that, we look backward to the past, to see if someone has ever felt like us, if our soulmate already lived and died, if our favourite song has already been forgotten, or if the book that’ll change our life has already been written. And right there, is when we realize that it’s too much for which we were late to… it’s actually easier than you may think to feel melancholy for an age of which we weren’t a part of, and when you are young, this appears to be one of our great pleasures, the not being able to be part of a legendary concert or that meeting your favourite celebrity simply cannot be because it already died.

I remember when I was 15 years old, I was listening to a Frank Sinatra record (yes, I was that weird, but growing up he was one of my main role models) and while I savored the lyrics and swayed to the melody, a tragic thought took over my head and I had this sudden rush of sadness. I thought, what it would be like if I were to meet this man, this intimidating yet charming man, this singer with a voice so romantic and adventurous, what it would be like to share a cup of whiskey or watch him perform in one of those classic clubs... and then it hit me. That was never going to happen, he was gone, he left early or simply I arrived late.

So now, in the aftermath of that thought, I wrote... Maybe in a rather melancholic note, or maybe in a more romantic tone, but inspired nevertheless.

And in a way that’s how inspiration manifests itself, as a projection of the past and also a vision of the future... as a ghost sitting in the corner, while you’re sipping a night cab while the music of your idol booms throughout the house... So at times, there’s only me and Sinatra, making love to our Whisky, both of us consoling each other while we sing of the women we love.