This month I’m participating in the A to Z Challenge, blogging every day of the month of April, except Sundays, on a topic from A to Z. I’m posting short-form topics meant to get you talking and sharing! Join the discussion in the comments.

In a talk she did at a conference I attended, photographer and writer Nirrimi Firebrace asked this question. (You can read more about her talk in my post about it here.) She showed us a brainstormed list of things that inspired her and they ran the gamut; she does not censor herself, but accepts. This is good practice for creatives, who need to engage their subconscious minds in creating.

So for a moment, turn off your conscious mind. Relax into where you are. Breathe more deeply. Think about what lights your fire. What things in the world make you want to turn toward them rather than away? What gets your blood pumping and your heart beating faster?

Don’t judge. It’s hard; you’re going to do it automatically. But stop and notice that you just did it. Turn it off. Those things you thought of? Let them come out.

This is not a set-in-stone list. It might be different, to some extent, tomorrow. Let it be what it is. It’s nice to just turn off your conscious mind for a minute and let things come, and the better you can get at that, the easier it will be to set aside your fears and create.

Related: 6 Ways to Deal with Your Creative Anxiety So You Can Get to Work

My list today is:

girls in grassy fields at sunset

the wind

hats

red velvet couches

love

youth

contrast

solitude

new experiences

trusting my ideas, letting them grow and flow instead of squashing them down

Will you share your list with me?