Inspiration—a topic each student approached with a unique blend of creativity and emotion. QUINN transports us to LA’s Skid Row to find it.
What is inspiration, and where can you find it? Most people are inspired by their parents or other role models. Others are inspired by others’ failures in a desire to be better than they were. Inspiration is defined as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially something creative.” If you think about it, you can find inspiration anywhere. You can find your inspiration through art or music or speeches. You can also find inspiration through drugs or alcohol or hurting others. So now you understand how important it is to find the right kind of inspiration.
I saw a short documentary from a guy who does this series. The series includes interviews of random people he finds on the streets, I guess. Most of them have similar issues. The channel on youtube is called Soft White Underbelly. The one that stuck out to me most was about a woman named Rebecca… a transgender woman struggling with addiction living on Skid Row in Los Angeles, California. I can’t exactly remember how this interview came to be. It seemed like the interviewer had seen Rebecca on the streets often. Anyways, Rebecca spoke about how she grew up in New York. Her parents died when she was young, so she was in and out of foster care. She said nobody really wanted her because she was trans. Eventually, at only sixteen years old, she became homeless on the streets of New York. After trying to go to school and dropping out shortly after, she started working at parties and raves, did some modeling, and talked about her travels. At only twenty-two years old, she ended up in California.
In California, on Skid Row specifically, she spoke about her current life. She was very open about her drug use. It’s important to note that during the interview, she seemed incredibly happy. She spoke about all the things she loved and how she spent her days. She spoke about her use of different drugs, like meth, LSD, molly, and so much more. The interviewer asked her where she slept at night. Rebecca said she slept on the side of the road with only a single blanket, so you can imagine she doesn’t get much sleep. During the entire interview, Rebecca was shaking and seemed very energized. I’m sure you can understand why. Her desire to have fun and mess around, obviously with the addition of drug use, took over her entire life. For money, she does sex work, modeling, and pan handling.
Anyways, there are over forty-five videos of Rebecca over the course of four years, with each episode getting longer and longer. In each episode, you can see the stark difference in her mood. In some videos, she’s happy and excited. In others she’s in a bad mood or can barely function because she’s on drugs. In what was supposed to be the last video of Rebecca, the interviewer is trying to set up a place for Rebecca in society. A life where she wouldn’t have to stay on the streets and would be able to have a job. This didn’t go too well, though. Rebecca was upset. For a while, Rebecca didn’t appear back on the channel. She’s back now, somewhat better. I guess you could say she’s progressed some.
The point of me talking about Rebecca was to show proof of negative inspiration. Drugs ruined her life. She loved fashion and wanted to pursue a career in fashion. What was already a rough start for a life, was multiplied by the use of drugs. From the outside, I can see and most others can see that drug addiction will only ever ruin lives. But what we don’t see is the perspective of the drug addicts. The only glimmer of hope they can find is drugs. Drugs shelter them from the pain they feel. Drugs make them feel invincible. But, of course, all of those things are temporary.
Inspiration is a necessity in life, so you can’t blame people for seeking it in whatever they can. The world has made it so that drugs are easily accessible, but then you have people who are disgusted by drug users. Anyone that really wanted drugs, could easily get them. It doesn’t matter how young they are. Those people who become addicted to drugs will be cast away from society, despite once being young and full of hope.
In a way, Rebecca and others like her, are a form of inspiration. You can see the effects of drugs blatantly. I’m sure everyone here doesn’t want a life like that. But the question still stands, where do you find good inspiration? The answer is everywhere, as long as you look at things in the right way. Everything surrounding you is proof. Look around the room at your classmates, look at the floor, the ceiling, the computers, the books, all of it. Walk down the street and see different people and talk to them if you can. Each person and each object has a story behind it and that story is to be understood and used. Observe the successes, and failures, of others and see that you can do better. Perceive others as storybooks, waiting to be opened and read. Have conversations that lead to you being inspired. Inspiration is all around you.
Quinn Guilfoyle
February 14, 2025
