1.the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
Inspire:
—verb (used with object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.
a to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing (usually followed by into ).
b to breathe into or upon
Origin: 1300–50; Middle English inspiren < Latin inspīrāre to breathe upon or into, equivalent to in- in-2+ spīrāre to breathe
INSPIRATION
The word inspiration has early roots in Latin, meaning to breath upon and breath life into. I personally love the idea of this extra life force breathing even more life into us, making us better humans if not just for a moment. We push humanity forward every time inspiration shows itself to someone; A cure, a scientific breakthrough, a beautiful poem or a visual feast of a painting to name a few. These are the astonishing parts of humanity - how we create and share our wonder, that makes life meaningful and makes you want to wake up in the morning at the chance you just might be inspired that day.
I was never really insane
except upon occasions
when my heart was touched.
Edgar Allan Poe
Inspiration can feel like a fevered Intentional and unintentional dive into madness at times. That driving force that moves us to action, It can seem almost supernatural.
Inspiration can feel like allowing yourself to have just the right amount of delusional belief in ones powers bordering on delusions of grandeur at times. It shows up out of the blue ready to get to work dragging you along and when you go for it you come out the other side stunned and perhaps a bit confused as to what the heck just happened. Then you look at what you have made and it knocks the wind out of you almost as if that’s the extra life breath of inspiration leaving you after the journey is complete. I know it Sounds fantastical doesn’t it!? But it can really feel like this!
This inspiration that feeds us, that nourishes us and helps us grow, it sustains our creative lives giving us deeper meaning to our existence and fuels the forward search in hopes to once again grasp it after it leaves us. It fills our hearts with such vibrancy and wonder, but why is it often times so elusive? Why does it feel like it chooses us. What is the secret code to unlock this super power? Can we conjure it at will? Can we cultivate it? Hack the system? I have no solid answers but maybe I have some tricks up my sleeve to lure it out but nothing concrete or official. But it is surely a driving force for my art life all of these years. Just when I think oh I guess that’s it I have nothing else to give something else emerges, an idea and I get to work.
David Lynch speaks about diving deeper into the self to catch the big fish in his book, Catching the Big Fish, a book I recommend as hearing his story is inspiring on how he faces his creative process. These complex ideas that are stirring inside us but just need time dedicated to stillness with ones self in order to bring forth these bigger ideas. He spoke of needing 4 hours in order to get 1 good hour of painting done. I feel this very much to be true when approaching my work on a daily basis. I always need a warm up period to even just be in my special creative space. It feels like a stew cooking simmering letting all the flavors mix together before coming on to that final taste.
Inspiration and ideas are my personal wealth. I hoard them and plant them as much as I am able to. To feel inspired fills us with so much vibrancy and just love of life. It really is a wonder and gift when we are filled with inspiration. Much like an apparition an idea shows itself vague and mysterious lingering inside your head trying to capture your attention and sometimes it hooks us and we catch the big fish so to speak if we choose to reel it in we could have a feast or if we let it go like so often ideas that show themselves and disappear just like that gone often times never to be seen again at least not to us. But the truly special moments of deep connection and wonder occur and we grab inspiration and act on it letting it take the wheel driving us over the edge into often times unknown territory and it’s marvelous and at the same time terrifying.
Can we find the power to cultivate this feeling of inspiration? Can we figure out ways to summon it or is it more mysterious unable to pin point the moment of light. But maybe if we keep our head down working toward a dream eventually a big idea shows up like it’s noticed you’re hard work and wants to give you a raise and help level up your game.
When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Is inspiration that high we spend our whole lives chasing just to get a taste? Is it really that elusive or can we simply choose to live an inspired life. Some how wrangling the power of this sometimes supernatural feeling. Is it really possible or are we living fooled lives believing in something that is not there until it is? Is it the idea of being delusional in order to move forward with your dreams? A balancing act, walking the fine line of a clear minded grounded individual to a delusional lunatic mad man .
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night
Looking at my past episodes how does creative hibernation, environment, chaos births and nostalgia feed inspiration? I believe they are all part of the puzzle of creativity and are essential in understanding and allowing the process toward finding inspiration.
Nostalgia, memories and our past experiences certainly play a role in positive and negative triggers which can open us up to exploration of new ideas. Also dreams or reverie hold this inspiration life breath that can also lead us on paths of exploration to bigger ideas. They are like guides that help us go to that deep place within our selves they allow us a greater scope seeing a vast landscape of real and not yet real possibilities.
Our environments affect us on so many levels. Having an awareness of this can certainly help, by creating a space where you spend a bulk of your time that is optimized for your brain and body to be its most content, open, honest and free allowing ideas to flow as smoothly as they can. I believe the right environment can open us up and allow us to unfold so inspiration can find you easier.
Another part of the process discussed here was Creative hibernation. This in regards to inspiration is a time we face where the mind has a period to rest and heal. This may be a prime time to have inspiration visit as we are quiet and still not distracted and pulled in too many directions missing it’s signal.
In the opposite mode of creative Hibernation is a chaos birth. This can be a catalyst that drives us into new places which if we allow our selves to unfold we can take in a new experience and have a moment of rapid growth due to the chaos of life pushing us along at a faster rate. That anxious frenzied heart can sometimes stumble on to inspiration out of desperation.
I recently became aware of a book called Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert who speaks of inspiration as magic. How it can visit us and if we don’t pay it attention it will find another more willing being to take on an idea. So it gives real life to the notion of ideas floating around us all the time like in an invisible field like wifi beams wrapping around us living with us and if we are lucky interacting with us. It is a truly delightful, inspiring read on creativity and deals with a lot of the issues I have talked about in this podcast. It was during my research for my podcast episodes that led me to discovering her book which I am grateful for. I definitely think it’s time well spent, nourishment for the heart and mind.
One of things she says in her book is
I believe that our planet is inhabited not only by animals and plants and bacteria and viruses, but also by ideas. Ideas are a disembodied, energetic life-form. They are completely separate from us, but capable of interacting with us—albeit strangely. Ideas have no material body, but they do have consciousness, and they most certainly have will. Ideas are driven by a single impulse: to be made manifest. And the only way an idea can be made manifest in our world is through collaboration with a human partner. It is only through a human’s efforts that an idea can be escorted out of the ether and into the realm of the actual.Elizabeth Gilbert,Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Now, thinking of nature, trees have rings inside them marking moments of key events - fire, drought,age etc etc. These memory rings that mark how they lived serve as life maps. Can we look at past lives lived and see their memory rings and find patterns in how inspiration flowed throughout history? Can we spot if moments repeat so we can say if a certain age of human existence is the prime time for inspiration to hit, where we may be more in tune and open as receptacles to inspiration. I am sure some where some studies like this have been done or are being done. Honestly I don’t care at the end of the day as long as inspiration keeps breathing extra life into me.
It’s neat to ponder at moments the bigger picture but sometimes we need to focus on the singular tree that is us and remember what makes a forest so beautiful are the trees and to nurture and grow us the individual tree in the forest of humanity. Being aware we are all connected yet singularly existing, our shared existence and unique paths mix together stirring human inspiration and if we choose to tap into that pool we can find it as long as we remain receptive and open to allowing it to overtake us and dedicate ourselves towards bringing inspirations ideas to life… it breathed life into us we now must follow the partnership and make the idea come to fruition. Honor this partnership, don’t be negligent when it comes to inspiration or else you may find you hit a dry spell. Let’s get inspired and help push humanity along just a bit further in our history’s progress by letting inspiration carry us further we help the whole.
“In the forest, there was a crooked tree and a straight tree. Every day, the straight tree would say to the crooked tree, "Look at me...I'm tall, and I'm straight, and I'm handsome. Look at you...you're all crooked and bent over. No one wants to look at you." And they grew up in that forest together. And then one day the loggers came, and they saw the crooked tree and the straight tree, and they said, "Just cut the straight trees and leave the rest." So the loggers turned all the straight trees into lumber and toothpicks and paper. And the crooked tree is still there, growing stronger and stranger every day.” ― Tom Waits
Ok Listen, sure Inspiration is a piece of the puzzle but even if you aren’t inspired 100% of the time because really who is? You can still be dedicated to your work whatever it is you do.And I actually believe this is the most important thing of all being dedicated to your craft. What ever it is, pay attention to it, nurture it everyday, a little goes a long way! I draw every day some days it may literally be scribbles in my book just to make marks and to activate my art muscles other days I get that clear mind moment and have more visions to draw out. But no matter if I am inspired or not I stay the course I keep working and keep pushing toward this thing I do even if at times I don’t know what the hell I’m doing I just keep at it and eventually it comes to me. I allow myself to be lost in order to be found. Having that moment of being found may just be when inspiration hits. Basically the elusiveness of inspiration is not a reason to stop working, don’t let capturing it frustrate you or your lack of feeling it. Just be and do and try. Everything worth anything takes time and a lot of work with patience and love.
Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.Neil Gaiman, Fables & Reflections (The Sandman, #6)
If you are feeling lost sometimes looking outward can help revive you. Maybe visit a gallery show or museum, see a concert or spend time in nature. Whatever jolts energy into your heart and makes you feel alive…do that. Like I always say in this podcast “Dream Yourself Awake” These energy jolts can build up into an inspired concept just remain open allow things to seep in and out. If you are in the nyc area the wonderful and discerning curator Samantha Levin puts together great art show guides which you can find in the show notes on the blog here: https://medium.com/@Binnorie Perhaps you can find some inspiration jolts on there! Where do you go to find inspiration? Tweet me @angiemasonart hashtag #claritycloudpodcast
Lastly, just stay the course don’t let the blues drown out your light. Breathe deep and slow take in the extra breath and visualize it as if you are drinking in inspirations life breath. Be infused by wonder, believe in it. Eventually it shows up.
I’m Angie til next time
DREAM YOUR SELF AWAKE!
*Art Show Alert See Show Flyer for info!
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