Pencil and paper – exciting and scary? Blank pages are no fun – spill it all out!
I’m a writer and composer. Words and music are my life. I like photography as well – and I’ve learned that the creative process – regardless of the medium – music, writing, art, whatever – is the same.
I love my writing time – both words and music – but I don’t have lots of spare time – and I’m sure you don’t either. Work and day to day life keep me pretty busy.
But I love to create. And I value that time – and I don’t have lots of time.
So without a lot of time, I’ve learned…inspiration is overrated.
Okay, maybe that’s a little extreme. But waiting around for inspiration to show up does not help you move forward with your song, your story, your novel, your art.
And you don’t want to be staring at a blank page. That’s no fun.
So here’s 7 inspiration myths debunked.
- Inspiration is reliable. No. Inspiration is unreliable. Inspiration is fickle. You can nurture creativity and learn to draw on experiences and influences to help you create, but don’t expect the winds of inspiration to sweep you up. You’ll be waiting forever if you wait for inspiration to show up.
- I’ve got time to do it later. Sure, you may have time to do it later. And I’m sure you do other things besides create. Life is busy. Life is short. Time is precious. Make the most of what you’ve got. Even if it’s just a few minutes early in the morning before your day starts or a few minutes just before bed, taking advantage of the time you do have will help you get your project done.
- Creativity is feeling – it isn’t rigid thinking. So I can flow with it and create whatever. Creativity requires a plan. Creativity without a plan is chaos. You need to make time to think about your story, your song, your art – whatever your project is. I’ve found that when I have a plan, my project flows a lot smoother than when I dive in headfirst without a plan.
- I need inspiration to create. Inspiration is not necessary. Yes, it can spark ideas and lead to writing. But getting the ideas down on the page gets your project moving forward. Taking action helps your project move forward.
- I need to think before I do anything. Creativity is thinking and doing. Yes, a plan is important, but if you spend too much time thinking about it and not working on your ideas, you won’t get it done. And life is short.
- The idea needs to be perfect. Perfect? Creativity is grey. Not black and white. The arts are open to interpretation.
- Inspiration means motivation. Really? No. I’ve heard people say “I don’t feel inspired to write.” But if you have all your information and a plan – your work is cut out for you – you don’t need inspiration. Art takes time. If you want to get it done, you need to invest the time. Time to struggle with it. Time to write. Time to re-write. Time to clean it up after.
In my next post, I’ll discuss ways you can get inspired so you can keep yourself in a creative mindset.
So what are you waiting for? Create something. A song. A story. Art. Don’t hold back.
Monika Weatherly 