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Being Inspired
If you are about to, or would like to, embark on a creative journey to produce a form of artwork, you are likely going to work with inspiration in some or other way. Either you have already been inspired - be it today or long ago - with a concept, an idea, a vision, or even a feeling, or you are beginning a process to become inspired.
A quick Google search brings up this definition of the word 'inspiration':
1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
2. a sudden brilliant or timely idea.
One of the greatest attributes of inspiration is that it can appear suddenly! It can strike at the most unexpected moments from the most unexpected sources. We believe that this is largely due to the fact that inspiration is a product of the human experience.
Inspiration manifests in such unique forms because it is a product of energy colliding with unique beings. Your inspiration will have your unique energy 'fingerprint' on it, which is why no two original artworks are ever exactly the same. What a marvellous concept to think about!
We are all of us creative beings holding creative power, whether that power is to create drawings, paintings, novels, choreographies, songs or even to create our own realities. The truth is we've all got it! Yes, you have creative power.
We believe that inspiration for creatives begins with the creative acknowledging their own creative power and opening their heart and their energy to sources of ignition that can "spark" their energy - turning it into a fire of inspiration.
This source of ignition will be different for each creative as well as for each creative work they wish to produce. For example, some people might be inspired after reading a particularly riveting book, watching a moving film or listening to a deeply resonating song. Others might be inspired by the way another person lives their life or by images they see on Instagram. Others still might find inspiration through real life experiences - be it the mundane everyday activities we go through or an out-of-the-ordinary shock experience. The key here is your attitude. When you're looking for inspiration, make sure that your heart is open and that you are becoming aware of all the magic that surrounds you in this world. If you do this for long enough, inspiration will surely spring up at the most unexpected moment.
Once you have your spark of inspiration, it is important to fan it into flames as soon as possible. Keep a pocketbook and pen handy to write down your idea or draw a quick picture as it comes or record a voicenote on your phone capturing your feelings or vision. Then, set aside time alone to develop the idea or the concept further - expanding it into something that you have a clear vision to execute.
Inspiring Others
After you have been inspired and executed your vision, you'll have produced a beautiful creative work and the world will be better for it! Not all creative works need to be perfect or masterpieces and not all of them need to make sense. That is the beauty of art. Often, the process of creating is more important than the product. Creating is a deeply personal experience and it is quite all right to let the creative piece remain personal and for the creative to simply enjoy reflection.
However, if you would like to take your creative works to the next level and particularly if you would like to share your creative works with the world, it is good to think about how your creative work will inspire others. As a creative bringing works into existence, you might want to think about the message you want to send out to the universe and to other people. The message you send might be different for each creative work or you might want a 'golden thread' in all your works that allow people to see one message shining through them all. A helpful tip is to ask yourself, "What will someone looking at this work be inspired to do?" If the answer doesn't align with the message you want to send out, you can consider tweaking your work to bring it into alignment.
Personal Experience
Roxanne has had her own experience with sudden inspiration. Her introduction to writing and illustration was inspired by quite an unexpected moment while visiting her cousin in Germany. She stayed in a log cabin in their forest, alongside four unusual cats that lived there too. Her cousin owned a small caravan parked near to the cabin. The sight of a witch’s broom and a magical feel about the place were the making of Roxanne’s first book, Lexi and the Magic Cats.
She took this real life experience with an open heart and fanned it into flame - a trilogy book series with a hearty message! Isn't it amazing how one moment can lead to a series of wonderful achievements?
Read more on her personal experience below.
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