Inspiration

Inspiration is the impulse of electric energy, that draws us into our art, our work ahead of us. Without inspiration, tasks are dull, lifeless, and soulless. The spark of inspiration turns life into an experience, rather than a chore. Without inspiration, an artist (or musican, or writer) cannot inspire others. It is a chain reaction.

It is said that by listening to a piece of music, we “tune” into what the artist who created it felt. We can feel, to some degree, what they were feeling when writing and performing the piece. The same goes for emotive pieces of writing, and pieces of visual artwork. If there is inspiration, we can tune into the divine source of this inspiration as the writing, artwork, or music serve as a conductor for this emotional information.

Information delivered from intellect to intellect is processed much more slowly and is easily misunderstood. Information that is directed from heart to heart is much faster, more accurate, and leaves a more lasting impression. This comes in the form of feelings. Everyone is empathetic to some degree, and we especially tune into this ability when we listen to music, read a fascinating book, or look at a moving piece of artwork.

Creativity and inspiration go hand in hand. Without the fires of inspiration, there can be no creativity. Creativity is the productive act of creating. Inspiration fuels creativity. And inspiration is fueled by love. (Some would say, hate is powerful in playing this role within the context of art, but it is the destructive form of love-it yields expression as well, when channeled into various mediums and effects a person in a different way than the power of love. )

Other feelings can motivate art, such as unbridled aggression (look at thrash metal for example), but love is at the heart of the spectrum of feelings, even aggression could in some way be traced to love, if we follow the spiritual notion that love is the energy of the universe, the stuff of the universal life force. This is more difficult to see for some perhaps, than to see that passion and love are so tied together. But here we must remember love is not only romantic love, it is this force that exists throughout nature, the inspiration for the seed to sprout, the sun to rise, the bird to sing, the human to breathe. This is more obscure, but unfolds as the soul grows.

Love is the seed of inspiration, inspiration is the root for creativity, and creativity sparked by these elements causes others to feel these higher states as well. Mankind exists not to live a life of drudgery, but to transfer his spark of inspired existence to others, to learn, to grow and to thrive. As we harness this inspiration within our lives, we grow, and life takes on new dimensions.

If you are an artist of any kind, I wish you the spark of inspiration to be ever present in your art.