Whatever your field, you’re likely to need creative inspiration from time to time. I certainly do. And lately, battered by a bout of my own verbal vapidity, I wondered what might crank up my creativity and land me back in the land of productive imagination. My usual tricks for refilling the well — walking, contemplating a work of art, immersing myself in an exquisite passage in a favorite novel — just weren’t cutting it.
So… Now what?
Aspirational Affirmation?
I adore verbs for their power, their precision, their finesse. They serve as the impetus for a proverbial kick in the derrière when inspiration is lagging behind desire, or when fatigue trumps will.
I thought of a few of my favorite verbs, not necessarily the fanciest or most esoteric among them, but those that motor me forward through tough times or sluggish periods — my steadiest, sturdiest cohorts in creative companionship — dream, believe, dare.
I asked myself, “Do I still dream? Do I still have the desire and capacity to dream?”
I asked myself, “Can I believe in my dreams? Can I believe in my ability to continue pursuing them? And if the answer to these questions is no, what does life look like? Is that really the life I want to lead?”
I asked myself, “Do I dare to fail? And if I fail, do I dare to pick myself up again and keep trying?”
Ordering Up Inspiration
I also sought insights and inspiration courtesy of quotes on creativity. I may consider them a temporary “fix,” yet using Brainy Quotes as my quick-and-easy source, I found food for thought.
This, from performance artist Marina Abramovic, essentially tells us that “ego” poses an obstacle to actually doing the work. In other words, “if you start believing in your greatness,” she tells us, that is “the death of your creativity.”
Hmmm. Ego? Thinking too much of myself? That isn’t and never has been an issue for me, but I have observed it in others, though honestly, most of the artists I have known personally have suffered from an excess of the opposite tendency — never feeling quite good enough or deserving of the accolades they receive.
Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma has these words that I find very compelling:
Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate then you’re more willing to take risks.
Survival in a Noisy, Distracting, Difficult World
Note that Yo-Yo Ma cites passion as one great force that unleashes creativity. It is certainly not the only force, and I am reminded of an adage I learned long ago:
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Pressing needs encourage us to push beyond our usual boundaries, to ask new and often painful questions, and to pursue solutions others may not consider — however far-fetched they may seem to naysayers. This is frequently a matter of survival.
Might I add: Those who are willing to pursue the unknown require a high tolerance for both risk-taking and failure.
And what about the pure love of discovery? Seeking and creating as their own purpose and reward? Whether reaching for the stars, literally, or staring through a microscope, or living out a love of travel — doesn’t the drive for new experiences expand our understanding, engender additional questions, and thus ignite innovation and positive change?
Change as Instigator
Speaking of innovation, enjoy this quote on change, innovation, and creativity from someone I hadn’t heard of, 19th-century clergyman William Pollard.
Without change, there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.
There’s no question that all change is not for the better. However, can’t we reasonably assume that change, wanted or unwanted, forces some of us to be more creative than we might otherwise be? That change is both instigator and outcome of creative problem-solving?
However much we chafe at the challenges inherent in change, aren’t they vital to learning and advancement?
Ah… Aphorisms
Can aphorisms and perspectives like some of above truly help refill the creative well?
At the moment, mixing my Monday morning metaphors, any spark in a storm will serve…
For me, I have always preferred to take a step back, and ask why. I believe in asking why, in getting to core issues that are causing specific behaviors. So why does my enthusiasm feel weak? Why am I in such need of creative inspiration?
Tedium, which is not the same as boredom, comes to mind. I recognize tedious aspects of my current lifestyle. I also note that overwhelming change is not something I want these days, having embarked on exactly that a little over a year ago. And to be honest, I’m still dealing with it, and know that more significant changes lie ahead.
I am also aware that my little world is insufficiently populated, a factor in my “creative spirit” feeling undernourished. But the only person who can change this situation is me.
How I manage it? TBD.
So where do you turn when you are feeling creatively flat?
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Creativity isn’t the problem. Time is!
Indeed!
When I require inspiration I turn to books…on all subjects, especially those that pull me out of my comfort zone, and introduce me to different disciplines. Depending on what my inspirational goals are, I consider areas of “need”; where are the voids, what new approaches/changes would make things better…are worth exploring.
Your comments regarding “ego” are insightful. After creating “Thriller”, Michael Jackson disappeared, creatively, for a couple of years, admitting that he didn’t believe he could create anything better. The same can be said of Harper Lee, following her success of “To Kill A Mocking Bird”, or Robert James Waller, after writing his well received novel, “Bridges of Madison County”. And, personally, I look back at some of the things I’ve written and often wonder how I was able to write them, and would I be able to do it now.
Inspiration…creativity, complex mental exercises. Great post!
Lovely mentions, Angela.
When I was still teaching we used to start off timed writing activities with the words “I remember….” I learned this trick from Natalie Goldberg’s book Writing Down the Bones. And it always works for me. Mostly because I love to write about the past. And memoir is a genre in which I’ve always been fascinated.
For blog ideas, I love to listen to CBC radio, especially the arts programs, but not only. It’s funny how listening to something while you do something else works in mysterious ways with the brain. At least for me.
But then again… my brain…it’s always been a bit of a mystery to me:)
Writing Down the Bones is always a great source of prompts and nudges, yes!
MOVIES!!!!!
XX
Oddly enough, I start moving furniture! And the deep cleaning begins. It’s within this movement creativity sparks once again. I know: It sounds weird. Yet, I have done this all through my life. It works for me!
I notice that most of the early comments refer to obtaining inspiration indirectly, by doing other things. That is consistent with what the brain science field says, creativity isn’t something that can be produced on demand. Creativity comes over time from letting the mind roam free across a wide range of subjects. I empathize with those who are expected to produce to a schedule.
Einstein has a quote about not being a genius, but simply sticking with the questions longer. But you can still assume that the sticking is more abstract and diverse than pure focused concentration. I’ve often read of scientists who say that they didn’t find an answer, or have much to do with it, rather the answer found them.
The Yo-Yo Ma quote on passion and risk taking, and your thoughts on risk taking at this stage in life, are particularly relevant to me these days. My quotations file has one about not looking for your passion but for what makes you come alive, because that is what the world needs. The cautious part of me says “Yes, but what will it pay for?”. Management guru Peter Drucker has more recently echoed the Pollard quote with “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” But again, would that put you on the leading edge, or the bleeding edge? I’ve done my share of the latter already.
Circling back to the idea of creating by not trying to – You often read about people who ended up in wonderful circumstances by random chance, usually by not having a plan and simply taking advantage of situations which presented themselves. One of the problems I’m having with change and the road less traveled is that I want it to be wonderful, unexpected and life changing, while not challenging any preconceived ideas or moving me out of my comfort zone. How do you tell when you’re standing in your own way?