Forget The Spark

Have you ever been doing something and an idea comes at you like a bolt of lightning? Do you look at creative people in awe thinking how easy it must be for them? I hate to ruin this romantic notion, but creativity isn't always lightbulb moments and action that follows. Granted, sometimes this does happen, and it is super important to act on it, but in all the times in-between, creativity is work just like anything else. In this blog, I want to tackle how creativity has these inspirational moments, but also what to do when it doesn't.

Lightning In A Bottle

First, let's talk about these inspirational moments. I like to think of these moments as a muse speaking to me. Put simply, back in the day during the Greek and Roman empires, people believed in a god or goddess for just about everything. Some of these goddesses were known as the nine muses. These goddesses were daughters of Zeus (because of course they were) and they were responsible for giving the inspiration and creativity to people to create things. As we got away from this belief, we carried over this romantic idea that creativity is this otherworldly force, and we are just conduits of it.

I like this idea, the idea that I am not responsible for creating something new every time I make, how my job is to just make the thing, and this powerful force hits me with the ideas. My job is to just take those ideas and make them. Sure this sounds a bit out there, and it may or may not be true, it just adds a bit more "magic" to what I like to do.

So this is how I see those inspirational moments. Now the question is, if we don't have to be responsible for constantly coming up with ideas, and they will somehow and someway come to us, how do we increase that frequency? The good news is that there are multiple ways to do this, and they are all pretty simple.

Learn How To Listen

If we want the muse to speak to us, but we are always so busy distracting ourselves with something, how can we expect to listen? What I mean by this is that we are living in a day and age where we never have to worry about boredom. There is always something new to watch, music or podcasts to listen to, or mindless junk to scroll through. We as a society, especially the younger people, have forgotten the art of being bored (me included). When was the last time you drove without music or a podcast playing? When was the last time you were able to sit in a quiet house to just think? It is during these quiet moments, the moments where our brain is LOOKING for something to do, when we can hear the muse the most. Have you ever had a great idea in the shower, just to forget it by the time you dry off? I know I have, and there is a reason for that. We have nothing else to think about other than washing our body, which we have (hopefully) done many times before to where it is automatic. Our minds trust our ability to complete the task, so it just wanders and thinks of these fantastical ideas. Creativity is funny in that way. It sucks when we try hard to come up with something, but it thrives when it is given space to breathe, space to just think.

So the first step of listening to the muse is to learn how to listen. Take a stroll through a park with NOTHING to do, no agenda or goal, just to walk and think. Pay attention to your shower thoughts when they appear. Be more intentional with these little quiet moments, and let the ideas come to you, don't force them. If you do this, you will be surprised with what you can come up with.

Do The Work

The second way to interact with the muse more, and kind of the point of this blog, is to just do the work you want to do. Who says you have to have an idea to paint? Who says you have to have something in mind to photograph? The truth is, these activities are equally important as an activity rather than creating a product. All photography is without a photo is taking time to appreciate a scene or a moment. To be in the present, to show appreciation and intention by pausing to capture it, whether in a photograph, or just in the moment I experience.

The point is that we just need to do the work and trust the idea will come. This is hard, I won't lie to you. It is hard giving up that sense of control where you come in with no idea and you expect to walk away with something, but it does happen. I think it happens the same way shower thoughts happen. When you are just out there doing your craft, and you aren't super focused on a forced idea, your mind opens up. It allows the muse to talk to you THROUGH the craft you are doing. All of a sudden, you are being a conduit for the idea that struck and you have no idea how you end up with the product in front of you. In a lot of ways, it truly is magical. For example, this blog you are reading. I sat down to write something entirely else and this idea struck. I knew I had to take action while the idea was there. So here I am doing the work and ending up with a product I did not expect.

I want to touch on one more thing on doing the work that has helped me accept this kind of mindset. Another way of thinking about it is you are preparing yourself for when the GREAT idea comes your way. We have to prepare ourselves for when creativity speaks to us so that we can accomplish whatever it is that needs to be done. If we are not equipped for the job, we cannot be offended if we are never offered it. This mindset is a practical take on just bettering myself every day with my craft. I am fully aware that I am not making my best work every day, but every photo helps strengthen my skills for when a spectacular moment comes. Just as a normal person cannot be expected to climb a mountain without proper training and conditioning, I cannot expect to create great work if I do not put the work beforehand. There are very few artists that just naturally create something great, and I would hate to be one of them as I do not want to be known just for one great idea, but for a lifetime of work I can proudly stand beside.

Just Be You

Creativity isn't always sunshine and rainbows. It isn't always easy. There are some days where ideas come naturally, and it is important to capture those down whether you take action on them immediately or not. There are other days where you feel like you are in a drought, that is when you just need to do the work to prepare yourself for that next big idea, and you never know, an idea may spark while you are doing your craft.

The biggest point to take from this is to stop forcing yourself to be creative. The muse doesn't like a tight leash. Do the work to make yourself a good conduit for good ideas, and be grateful for when they come. Stop putting this word, "creative" as something you always have to be. I would argue that creative people don't make things out of thin air, they are just better suited and more prepared to listen to whatever force is out there that puts ideas in our heads. So just be you. Get good at taking action on an idea, and let the ideas come naturally.