The fire in belly and the brain explodes and the flames touch every part of you. This is what it’s like to be inspired. Inspiration is uncontrollable, seemingly random, and beautiful. It can happen on a subway, in a Subway, while driving, while showering, while cleaning, etc. Once an idea takes hold, it can be quite difficult to let it go; but by the same token, once we get a feel for the seemingly random patterns of inspiration, we can chart the things that are more likely to inspire us, and less likely to inspire us. To cultivate inspiration it needs to be broken down into things that are easier to understand. I see three factors that help me facilitate an inspiring and creative environment: your calling, your interests, and your disinterests.

            I went to several high-school graduations; my brother, my cousins, my own and there was a common thread running through them: cheesy keynote speakers. Each one preached trite and boring platitudes “follow your dreams”,  “be true to yourself”, “do what you love”, things in this vein.  These people who spoke never answered the questions I always had: “how do I follow my dreams?” “Who am I?” “What do I value, what do I love?” In order to be inspired you need a catalyst, a spark, something to ignite that fuel to allow you creativity to be let loosed. Your calling matters, I myself am an aspiring journalist so I’m not going to find inspiration from the same things as a chef would. The chef might find the smell of coffee and bacon in the morning and be inspired to create an amazing and flavorful dish. Your calling determines what things will trigger inspiration. To find who you are, you might doing what I did helpful. Take a journal and two pens and find a quiet place away from your home, away from your family, and most importantly away from your phone.  Sit and think about the things that make you happy, the things you value, the things you find honorable or dishonorable. Think about it and write it all down. Read the list and find which things are a reflection of your character, (i.e. maybe you think fidelity is an honorable thing, this might be a reflection of a faithful person, or a trustworthy person) that’s who you are. The things you love to do, the things you’re good at, those things are you calling. Once you’ve established what your “calling” is you can help nurture that by surrounding yourself with things that interest you.

            2.   Interests

            In order to gain inspiration quickly you must go to the avenues that speak to you. Fishermen who wish to catch swordfish or other deep sea fish do not go to the creeks or rivers, they go to where the fish are. Finding the channels that are flowing with your similar interests is surprisingly easy. If you like books, buy a book you don’t normally read, listen to the author’s style and flair, observe their characters (if a work of fiction) or their philosophy on a subject. I love history and I just bought a book on one of my hero’s: Theodore Roosevelt. Reading his autobiography is inspiring, hearing of his trials and conquests helps me to grow as a human and as a writer. In the same way you wrote down your values and your character, you might want to write the things that interest you. Books, movies, people, food, anything can become a channel into the deep sea of creativity, where the prize fish of inspiration swims. Go there and find it and catch it and display it proudly above your fireplace. Once you find a channel of inspiration, it is easier to fish there again.

           

3.   Disinterests

            The inverse of everything I said with your interests is true. Once you know where the fish you want to catch lie, you need not go to the rivers in which the salmon do not run. You can learn how not to behave, or write, or act, or cook by looking at the items that you find as a betrayal of all you hold dear. For instance, and I’ll probably get a lot of flack for this, I don’t think The Fault in Our Stars is a particularly good book. If John Green were to read my writing, he may feel the same. I admire his following and respect the work he has done, but I don’t find The Fault in Our Stars a particularly good book. I read it, not to find enjoyment, but to find out the things I liked and I didn’t like. You’ll be able to progress and learn from the “mistakes” [i]of others. Ignoring the “false channels” and sticking to the “true” ones will help to facilitate an inspired environment.

            Inspiration is seemingly random, but it can be charted and observed and predicted if you’re careful and mindful.  If you’re in any sort of creative field you might find this helpful in order to help your creativity run at its maximum capacity. Remember: 1. Know thyself, 2. Know thine interests, and 3. Learn from thine and others mistakes. If you do these you’ll find inspiration will be readily available.