It’s a common misconception that a spark of inspiration instantly brings about the creation of an artwork. I wish it were that easy. But, like most artists, I must “work out” that inspiration by dutifully showing up with pencil in hand to turn the inspiration into notes, erasing and rewriting if what I have put down does not quite capture the idea.
I think it is also a common misconception that inspiration just strikes an artist like a bolt of lightning.
Finding inspiration is work, too. “Becoming inspired” is a discipline all its own, because you must always be on the lookout for it.
Many years ago, I read about how lucky people are not actually lucky. Rather, they are very observant, notice opportunities, and are ready to take advantage of them when they come. That is what finding inspiration is like. Inspiration is the “lucky penny” you find on the sidewalk. You have to be observant to notice the penny in the first place and be ready to pick it up.
The penny didn’t show up for the “lucky” person; it was laying there, waiting to be discovered. But most pass by those pennies unaware, paying no attention to how the light is reflecting irregularly on the pavement.
Often, inspiration is about as exciting as a lucky penny. What can a single penny buy, after all? Well, a penny can’t buy anything anymore, but the creative mind will take that penny and come up with a story about it. giving it meaning.
Like this blog post…finding inspiration in a lucky penny to tell you how inspiration is like a lucky penny.
I find lucky pennies frequently; I came across one just last week. A couple of months ago, I found a quarter. Despite the fact that loose change has become less common due to the move toward digital currency, I continue to find random coins.
Inspiration is scattered about. It is like finding a single coin in every spot a multifaceted prism refracts light. The treasure is found in the process of collecting individual coins, rather than finding a whole pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
And so, I am an inspiration hunter, and inspiration could be anywhere.
Inspiration might come from the weather. Or it might come from the pattern of sunlight on a forest floor after it filters through the trees. It might come from a book or a poem, or through a conversation with a friend. Maybe it will come from traveling, or from experiencing an already-existing work of art.
When you have practiced become inspired, you know that anything, anything that has caught your attention could be the start of a new piece of art.
In fact, inspiration is so abundant it is impossible to collect all the coins laying around. Still, it is useful to pick up as many as possible, far beyond the number you could ever actually use.
I keep a notebook of ideas. I have at least twenty pieces on my “to compose” list. I currently have seventy-two potential blog posts in my draft folder. Both of these lists get longer and longer since it is easier to come up with ideas than to complete projects. But, if I don’t write down my inspirations, I will lose them. So, I keep my inexhaustible lists.
These lists are not fleshed-out with details about how I will go about writing the piece, or the blog post. Most of them are simply a working title or a short phrase or sentence – enough to remind me of the original seed of the idea so I can bring it back to memory when I am ready to work on the project.
I may never use some of the inspirations on my lists. I might run out of time, or my interest in some may have faded. That’s OK. I am not a slave to my inspirations; they are there to help me. I keep my cache full, which serves me when I am at a loss for ideas.
(I am never at a loss for ideas, because I collect them. That is the whole point.)
I think most people experience inspirational moments a lot more often than they realize. but they probably dismiss these oddities as meaningless, like worthless pennies. What if, instead, they saw these small observations as possibilities? As seeds for creative projects? As inspiration?
Here’s a quick true-life example:
Last week, when I was leaving the library at the end of the day, I was hit on by an Irish man in the elevator. As I hit the buttons, I simply asked him if he was also going to the first floor. The man was nice enough; it was a pleasant interaction, but he was clearly curious to know what I was doing after work. That is definitely not something that happens every day. This moment could have just been a chuckle lost to time. But I thought to myself, “You know, this would make a great first line to a novel or short story: ‘My mistake was asking which floor he was going to.'”
Now, since I am not a fiction writer, I am not going to use this line. However, if you are, feel free to take it. Or, perhaps, it will inspire something else.
May your days be filled with things weird and special, strange, and poignant, and overfill your purse or pockets with lucky “pennies.”
Happy inspiration hunting!
Where do you find inspiration? Tell me about it by leaving a comment!