I have been stimulated to muse and ponder on ‘inspiration’ this week: last week I went to a talk by Paul Martin (a graphic designer, see www.pmdc.co.uk), called ‘Define Inspiration’.
Personally I am not sure anyone can define inspiration in the sense that people draw inspiration from different avenues, people, things and events. I was actually quite inspired by Martin’s talk: he showed a wide variety of his own sources of inspiration from old LP covers to poems of Roger Mc Gough and Adrian Henri to a range of other designers such as Alan Fletcher (the ‘Father’ of Graphic Design), Quentin Blake and the product designer Richard Seymour. He also shared some images from scrap books of cut-outs of images and words that he keeps: I draw inspiration from so many sources myself that I appreciated being reminded of the simple act of keeping a scrap book to create a space where I can go for authentic nourishment and to feed my creative inner life.
It’s useful to look at the etymology of words sometimes for clues as to the original meaning behind them: the Oxford English Dictionary defines Inspiration as:
• the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative
• divine influence,
• the quality of being inspired or a person or thing that inspires
• the drawing in of breath; inhalation.
The origin of the word in Middle English (in the sense of ‘Divine Guidance’) comes via old French in turn from late Latin from the verb ‘Inspirare’, which meant: ‘breathe or blow into’ from ‘in’- into + ’spirare’- breathe. The word was originally used of a divine or supernatural being, in the sense ‘impart a truth or idea to someone’.
As a Creative I believe Inspiration is as essential to the Spirit or Mind and emotions as breathing is to the body. In short, if I go too long (a day or two) without being inspired I find I am not particularly enthusiastic about living (interesting to note that the origin of the word enthusiasm is the Greek ‘enthousiasmos’ from ‘enthous’ meaning ‘possessed by a God’) – in short my personal definition of depression is a lack of inspiration. Please note that I fully believe that depression has some very useful psychological and evolutionary functions- its not all negative: Churchill referred to his own depressive tendency as his ‘Black Dog’ and there’s a strong argument that it was his depression that really enabled him to see the Nazi threat and thus truly serve Britain. See http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/how-churchills-depression-helped-him-see-the-nazi-threat/article2123794/ for more info.
To sum up the writer asserts:
“We remember Winston Churchill the orator, the fiery leader, the man who refused to submit to tyranny, and in whose stubborn refusal a nation, and then the world, found the strength to resist and ultimately prevail. Other prominent British statesmen had failed to fill the role that Churchill rode to glory. Churchill alone emerged as the great leader, the wartime genius, the deliverer of democracy. And although some acknowledge that he had mental problems, few appreciate the relevance of those problems to his prodigious leadership abilities. I believe that Churchill’s severe recurrent depressive episodes heightened his ability to realistically assess the threat that Germany posed.”
So I can draw inspiration from this in that even my depression or my dark moments may be of service to others, to humanity. I believe that if more of us were willing to consciously enter the ‘Cave at the Heart’ and choose to face our personal darkness or ‘beast’ (shadow side) that then we wouldn’t need to project that ‘darkness’ onto others. The willingness to ‘kiss one’s beast’ leads to more capability for taking personal responsibility for one’s own state, for authentically nourishing oneself and taking care of oneself emotionally and spiritually (instead of creating co-dependant relationships where we have tacit agreements with the other to take care of certain aspects of our psyche that we are not willing to face or deal with).
Which brings me nicely to a point: we often assume that inspiration is only to be found in the positive, the uplifting, the ‘feel good’ factors of life, yet sometimes it is life’s very tragedies and betrayals that give us the impetus and motivation to dig deeper within ourselves and seek more profound connection with others, even with life and our purpose within it; thus the apparently negative or deeply painful events of our lives can often serve as catalysts for change (both personal and directional) and agents for inspiration.
In the words of Oriah Mountain Dreamer: http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/
“I want to know if you see beauty even when it’s not pretty every day…”
and
“I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.”
Sometimes the inspiration to continue on the road that seems heavy or burdensome or even wrought with pain and suffering arrives in the form of a little text message, or a smile from a stranger letting us know we are thought of or seen. Sometimes it’s a sunset, or the feel of the breeze upon one’s face or a snippet of poetry. Sometimes it is simple human touch.
I listened recently to the audio version of Fahrenheit 451: it is a world where books are burned, and firemen, instead of putting fires out are called out to burn houses where books are found (it is illegal to read books). In this world where reading stories is illegal certain characters take on and live out story lines in famous texts so that their invaluable content is not lost to the world. One of the characters asserts, “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, a child, a book, a legacy- something your hand touched in some way so that when people look at that tree or flower you planted, your energy is there.”
“It doesn’t matter what you do, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away. The difference is in the touching… the difference between the man who cuts lawns and the gardener is in the touching.”
This clearly resonates with my intrinsic value system: I am motivated to touch whether it is in the way I choose to see someone in the highest positive regard or to touch the spirit through writing or sharing experiences and insights gleaned on the journey.
I also long to be touched; to be seen, valued, appreciated, recognised for what I bring to the table, to the group, the space or to the ‘other’. I think that many people in our culture today feel unseen and not valued. The dominant culture values certain traits such as achieving and go-getting, independence and financial success. Our dominant culture doesn’t, for the most part value the shadow, conflict, inter-dependance and introversion. Rationality is more valued than feeling. Measuring up to some composite standard of how you ‘should’ be is more valued than being an individual who doesn’t fit in unless of course you can find a way to capitalise on your ‘difference’: then you become an icon for the Blank Slate sentiment, ‘if he/she can do it so can I’. those familiar with past blogs of mine will know i seriously question the validity of that sentiment- see the posts on FLOS (Flawless Living Operating System for more info)
Put simply we live in a celebrity culture that can leave our young people especially feeling like the only validation possible for existence and meaning is fame and fortune. I am very happy with celebrity role models who manage to negotiate a path fraught with difficulty and stay true to their authentic individual self. Yet I feel strongly that there is not enough validation and cultural encouragement to
“develop a profound appreciation for the common effort of making a beautiful life out of daily struggles.”
Thomas Moore in The Education of the Heart
Much as Inspiration is as essential as oxygen, it is not enough. Man cannot live off inspiration alone. We need water, shelter, food and warmth. We need the appropriate mix of agency and communion in our lives. In other words, if I want to make anything of the inspiration that feeds my spirit, I need to take action in the form of watering and nourishing that inspiration: I need to build on myself, grow my own garden (instead of waiting for others to buy me roses) by paying attention to and caring for those creative projects I choose to seed.
Inspiration is fundamental to creativity, yet without discipline applied to bring something into form which did not already exist, then inspiration cannot evolve from seed (idea) to grow into a flower or tree or manifest form-whatever it’s potential. The seeds of inspiration must be watered and find themselves in the appropriate soil. Early shoots must be well protected from harsh climates and extremes of heat and cold. The creative process can be likened to birthing and caring for a baby; babies (and little people) die or suffer developmentally when they are not properly cared for and nourished and protected.
And so Inspiration alone is not enough; to make a difference or to ‘touch’ something or someone in such a way as you leave the world a little better than you found it requires loving action directed with a degree of wisdom, given the global context we are sharing through being alive on this planet at this time.
I would like to finish with a quote from Richard Seymour, talking about a butter box made by a Swedish trapper (I think) courtesy of Paul Martin’s talk:
“The mind and heart of the craftsman designed and made this exquisite object from virtually nothing.
To me, this is an ultimate expression of where we should be heading: making the most of as little as possible.”
Swedish Trapper's Butter Box
Richard Seymour (see http://www.seymourpowell.com/ and http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/partners-dick-powell-and-richard-seymour-1071381.html for more info)
Tags: blank slate, Cave at the heart, Churchills' depression, co-dependant relationships, creative flow, creativity, enthusiasm, Fahrenheit 451, flawless living operating system, flos, human motivation, inspiration, Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Paul Martin, personal development, psychology, Richard Seymour, self development, Spiritual development, The Education of the Heart, thomas moore, Value systems, Values
