I’ve been sitting around trying to figure out what inspiration is, and how a person can find it, consistently. I’m discovering that we all experience inspiration in countless ways. So what is the secret?
And while we’re on the subject, is inspiration the same as motivation?
I don’t think so. Because, I can certainly motivate myself to do things I don’t want to do. Like...cleaning the kitchen or folding the laundry. You know, those mundane chores that seem to be endlessly waiting for my attention. What’s the trick? All I have to do is imagine that the task gets ten times as worse. For example, I visualize the kitchen getting exponentially dirty or the laundry pile growing to an enormous mound. As soon as I do that, it seems easier to do it, now…rather than later when it has become even worse. This is what we call ‘negative motivation’ in NLP. But it is not the same as inspiration.
And inspiration is what I’m looking for. Artists seem to find it in the simplest things; like a drop of dew or a flower petal. Parents find it when looking into the eyes of their newborn children. I admit I have found inspiration sporadically throughout my life. However, what I’m seeking is something different, something reliable. Is there a steady source of inspiration out there?
So tell me; do you find inspiration in your life? If you do, how? And, is it consistent?
Some folks believe that inspiration is something that just happens, a wild and unexpected gift from above. On the other hand, Jack London once said that "you can't wait for inspiration; you have to go after it with a club."
ReplyDeleteI am of the mind that inspiration is a matter of awareness and depends on our ability to be truly present in the world. Whether we allow ourselves to be inspired by what we see and experience is the real issue.
That poets can "see a world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower," (thank you Blake) just proves that there are many ways of experiencing the world, and thus many ways to find inspiration.
That being said, if you happen to stumble upon the motherload of inspiration, please give me a call. I'll grab my pickaxe and mining helmet and join you.
Mmmm...I've never really asked myself this question. I feel like there's always a source of inspiration around me and I've never had to look for it. In fact, most of the times I feel overwhelmed by inspiring things and don't know where to start sometimes. I can't really explain it. Perhaps getting in touch with the source inside yourself that's always there, waiting for you to tap into it????
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jennifer, though know that sometimes my senses are so clouded that I can't find the inspiration, even if it is right there.
ReplyDeleteI have thought quite a lot about this this past month and I think there is something to be said for "the muse". I guess the dew drop can be it, or a person. In my case it is often people because that is usually my easiest path to feeling great love well up inside me, to the point that it spills out and must take some other form. And with the right musical accompaniment I can sustain those feelings or let them evolve, and in the end I usually fall in love with myself again.
Kind of like being inside the song, when I want to be creative can also I make a conscious decision to be inside of a certain feeling.
I am now thinking about how it can come to me or from me. And I am not always certain which is which.