Inspiration

I originally meant for this to be an audio post, and I apologize because I haven't been able to dedicate the time to that that I'd like.  Quality matters to me, and I will do it well when I do finally set up audio posts.  But here's a little bit about inspiration that I wanted to share, because creativity and inspiration are commonalities we have as artists, no matter the medium.  Obviously, I want to inspire you, but I also want to let you know that I have hard times too as an artist.  There are dry spells and times when I feel like I just can't be bothered, and overwhelming times when I get up in the middle of the night thinking of all the work I should have done.  None of that should stop any of us.

About inspiration - I want to talk a little about inspiration today, that elusive muse that feeds a creative heart.  I've heard before that it isn't a real thing, that you have to make your own inspiration out of motivation and determination.  It's like that saying by Thomas Edison, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."

While I believe that sometimes you have to keep going and ride it through the rough patches, I truly think there is a place in the organized, business mind for that moment of divine inspiration, granted by creativity itself.  It's not as important to wait around for it as it is to recognize it for what it is.  And sometimes, it just doesn't pop up at all when you're sorely missing it.  That's okay, you can work without it.

Inspiration can be that idea in the shower, and the one that makes itself known just before you about to sleep that wakes you right back up or any of the other ways it comes to us when we allow our minds to wander.  When you do find it, don't drown out your inner voice.  Listen to those whispers.

I'm guilty of this, as I imagine many people are - there have been so many ideas that have slipped through my fingers, or have gone half formed because I let go of those whispers instead of fighting to keep them.  Inspiration isn't necessarily the same as determination - the grit that can get an idea from being a mere specter of a thought to realization.  You need more than a muse for that, but inspiration is the light that shines at first and breaks the darkness, or illuminates that trail you've been on when it has been covered in shadow.

Inspiration is rarely convenient.  It's usually the product of a mind that it's busy and too full with thought, finally letting itself rest.  Life isn't always the most conducive to creativity.  Whether you are a caretaker, a parent, a friend or some of combination of the roles life gives us - it's more likely than not that your mind is occupied with people, work and the tiny bits of flotsam that we all have to remember each day.  Where did I put my keys?  Did I email myself that document?  It's hard for inspiration to break into such a busy day.  Rare is the case that it strikes when we are actively looking for it.

But such is life.  We carve out the moments of joy and creativity where we can get them.

The point of all this is to tell you to listen to yourself and be unafraid.  You have the balance those urges to get up and out of bed to create with the practicalities of your life, but don't douse out that flame.