June: Inspiration // Open Mic
10:02 AMThe fire in belly and the brain explodes and the flames touch every part of you. This is what it’s like to be inspired. Inspira...
10:02 AM
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.
1.
Calling
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.
[i] I
put mistakes in quotes due to the fact that they are mistakes to me. I don’t think drastic mistakes
with have made Green as successful as he is; I have the upmost respect for him.
