Inspired by…

Brett Michaels is an inspiration. 

Well, not exactly. I couldn’t tell you anything about his personality, I can’t name a Poison song, and I don’t know whether or not that bandana is structurally integral to the shape of his head. What I can tell you is that on February 23, 2026, Brett Michaels posted this to Instagram.

It’s funny to think about Bret Michaels looking at this low-res, wintery photo, thinking ‘Perfect’, and posting this to Instagram to promote his future dates in sunny Arizona. But how the hell could this ever be inspirational?

We see inspiration as a reflection of what we believe to be true—that’s what Simon Sinek says, anyway. Although I can’t be sure that this example is exactly what he was getting at.

Inspiration lives deep inside me. It's a collection of all of my experiences—the good, the bad, and the oftentimes benign. Motivation comes and goes, but inspiration is always there. This photo of Bret Michaels may not motivate me to do anything, but I do believe that it is a reflection of my own inspirations. 

I’m inspired when people get to be themselves and tell their stories. I look at all of the 50 pixels that make up this photo, and I see pure, free expression. I’m sure there were other pictures he had available to post, or he could even have staged one, but no, he chose this one. I’m inspired.

I’m inspired to be free—to make a zine filled with nude-laden collages or write a blog that may never be read by anyone other than my wife and a few supportive friends. These people are far more inspirational to me, but until they start posting gold to Instagram like Brett Michael, they’ll continue to be the secondary subjects of my writing.

They will, however, be the people who inspire me every day to be a better person and make better art. Brett Michaels doesn’t hold a candle to them in that respect.