hard week ... google got me this morning ... This would have to be the inspiration for the day ... Later Ferdie
Very interesting thread! Linking back to your first post about Maslow and human motivation, for me (in no particular order): Self actualization - The creative process of researching & assembling a planted tank and stocking it gives me great satisfaction but also makes me want to do one after the other #MTS - Surprising amount of intellectual stimulation; part science part art. So much to learn and tweak. Paticularly like the challenge of trying to establish a balanced ecosystem in as much as it is possible within a glass box. Hence it has become a bit all consuming and I may or may not be neglecting my work and mate (ie possible negative influence on mate retention but he humours me and likes the tanks on an impersonal level - observing, studying and marvelling in all the critters is amazing. Have always loved nature, loved scuba diving, but never expected to keep aquatic life. Such diversity! Hours of entertainment! Interactive! - calming and meditative when things go well. Stressful and frustrating when things go south though Status / esteem - I am heavily playing the ‘it’s living art, baby’ card to justify the tanks in the living room so suppose it falls within this category. I really like what a planted tank can do for a space. But it must first and foremost be visually pleasing for oneself and your loved ones, not a source of external validation Love & belonging - love how my toddler is fascinated by the tanks, he knows the names of the species, has his favourites (consistently the platys). He touches the glass too much for my liking (and sometimes presses his face against it) but doesn’t bang or tap it. Has become part of the morning routine to sit in front of the fish tank. Has even fallen asleep on my lap watching the tank, sweet. - a virtual community like TASA is also great for me, as no-one I know in person keep fish. Part support/problem solving and part creative exchange
Thank @A new day for reviving this thread. Insperation, shouldn't that be changed to satisfaction? Having scaled down to just 3 aquariums, about a month ago, due to lack of insperation unfortunately. Insperation is all around us every single day, not always connected to our aquariums. Sometimes you need to search for it, but it's there. Other times you need to hit rock bottom before you see it again. Being inspired by other people has always been there for me. On TASA there are a lot of people I admire and draw insperation from, for various reasons. The three I can think of at the moment are surely the following people, and why. @f-fish for always trying the unconventional aproach to fish/plant keeping. Never giving up on a project. Teaching me how to use google as I need to search most of his projects just to make sence of it. @MariaS for her unselfishness regarding ray keeping and sharing her knowledge, without expecting something in return. @BoelderBeesty for his dedication to discus keeping. Spending hours/days to perfect another system to keep his fish happy. Getting wild caught fish, and keeping them alive, and preparing them for breeding. Getting knocked down but standing up to rectivy the mistake. To all three of you, and the ones I didn't mention, thanks for being an insperation for most of us. Being passionate about the hobby and helping to grow it on various fields. Sent from my SM-A720F using Tapatalk
Main inspiration is what I see around me in nature. I love beautiful grassy landscapes with rocks sticking out and the odd occasional tree that goes with it. Hence my accidental bump into wabi-kusa setups the other day and posting a thread on it.
Than you for the kind words @pierreschoonraad .. Eish.. ou want to make me cry now!! On that note... I would like to say that you certainly were one of the awesome people we have on this forum who always made me feel welcome when i first joined this forum.... hehhe even though you probably thought i was crazy sometimes!!.. I am certainly glad we still have you with us as, you have also always shared your knowledge and experiences freely with us all When Im down (and i have had my share of down times in the last two years) when i get home and the little eyes look at you so innocently and they just pounce around so happy to see you... life just get a lift and our heart melts away.... Logging onto the Forum and sharing what we each know with the awesome bunch of crazy people we have... just puts all the worries away and gives you the uplift you need to carry on
Eish @MariaS now you have me reaching for a handkerchief. Life happens, and sometimes life throws curveballs at us that we think we can't play. The members on this forum have proven however, that they are the other players on the field, and when you stumble or fumble, they are there to encourage and get you back into the game.
