Disciplining Inspiration
Oct 1st, 2007 by Ann
How are we inspired? How do we channel inspiration into creativity or constructive use in our lives?
The image of the artists, be it writer, painter, of whichever talent you wish, is usually one of wild, free flowing individual with a vivid imagination, a mind full of ideas, struggling to get out in a coherent form. Of course, this often far from the reality of how creative people work. Most successful artists will tell you that discipline is paramount. Not only in terms of using your art to make a living but also in terms of how you create your work. But for many the notion of discipline is contradictory to their understanding of inspiration, which is usually a synonymous with freedom.
If you tend to see disciplining inspiration as sure-fire way of killing the creative process, how do you refine inspiration? Take the example of the ‘wild artist’: how is the creative impulse made clear, refined enough to be communicated to the rest of the world?
While I am slightly suspicious of self-help books targeted at honing the creative process, they tend to contain a common theme: rhythm and habit, which I agree are both essential to maintaining an active creative process. The Artists Way, one of the most well-know creative self-help books around, contains daily task for those trying to establish a functional way of life in terms of creativity. One of them is the Morning Pages, three pages, written first thing in the morning before your day begins, hand-written, not typed.
Daily routines tend to work for most people who are trying to harness inspiration but routine can also be a source of inspiration. It should not be discarded as way restricting daily life. Routine is too often associated with the 9 to 5, nose -to-the-grind-stone mentality. But think of the daily routines you have that bring you pleasure and are a source of distraction from the less enjoyable parts of your day. It is in those moments that we find inspiration.