How can we use words to paint pictures?

(The following post is taken from my lesson in my study group Write Better English with Jimmy Tan.)

I have come to realise that words can serve many functions.

Perhaps at the basic level, words help to label or define things.

For example, we use words to say “This is A”, “That is B”, and so on.

At another level, we also use words to give instructions, like “Do this”, “Come here”, “Go there” and so on.

In this case, words are like directional signs we see on roads – stop, look, go, turn left, turn right, and so on.

These are the kinds of words we use on an everyday basis, which may reflect the mundaneness of life.

Hence, it is a refreshing change to encounter something inspiring, something that stirs our soul.

But it’s not so much the kind of adrenaline-pumping Red Bull that some seek to be energised by;

Rather it’s more of the kind of senses-awakening green tea that we sip on a dreary day.

Yes, we can endeavour to use words not only to name or instruct, but also to inspire.

In his video The power of positivity, Jason Silva said:

“The optimist ends up as a kind of sorcerer, as a kind of dreamweaver, as a kind of alchemist that concocts and creates.”

What kind of imagery did he paint with those words?

What words can you use to paint a picture that inspires both yourself and others?

PS If you like to read an inspirational book, may I invite you to check out my poetry book Nature Sketch: A Poem about the Twelve Apostles in Victoria, Australia?