Inspiration; where does it come from?
My favorite explanation comes from a book by Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic. In the book, Gilbert compares how different cultures describe how they get those big ideas, the eureka moments, etc. Many cultures interpreted equivalently "I'm a genius" as something closer to "I am WITH genius". The difference in wording shows something pretty big. The western cultural version places a huge pressure and accolades on the individual, while other cultures place the focus on a separate spirit or energy.
As someone who has struggled with depression, inspiration is really hard to get and may be one of the first things to go when depression has a grip on you. It becomes easy to slip into a loop of feeling crappy, putting pressure on yourself to come up with new ideas, and then beating yourself up when it doesn't happen because you never actually changed your state of mind to let it. I would say that depression and inspiration are near opposites emotionally, but most of us have been hit with an idea even when depressed. Perhaps it comes from a specific pain point.
From my personal experience, it feels more like any other skill, it takes daily practice, routines, and a mindset. You can still have those big idea moments, but be more prepared to put it into action as well. So many of my ideas come from a sprinkling here and a sprinkling there, then how I end up putting my ideas together. The images above, for instance, are a culmination of little ideas. The lighting is inspired by classic paintings. The golden-wheat colored backdrop is inspired by classic paintings and by connection to the gold headpiece.
The golden headpiece is inspired by a set I photographed at The Portrait Masters conference. I did a simpler version with the items I had around the house. You'll see both the inspiration and the pieces I used to make mine in the images below. My initial plan for the golden headpiece is very different and I will probably still do that set.
The hair-piece to cover my breasts came from classic paintings specifically "The Birth of Venus", by Sandro Botticello, even though the hair of the subject in the painting isn't placed the same way I used mine.
It's my practice that allows me to put this all together. I try to live intentionally to create the life I want. I try to start out in a place of gratitude. Then I can get excited about what I have available to me. It's that joy and excitement that allow magic to happen, so to speak. I've learned that focusing on my emotional state is the key to creation. I've made it a goal to focus on what brings me joy every day and it's like a snowball effect. You start finding joy everywhere simply because you are looking.
It takes that level of joy to get you through the parts that are difficult. Especially when it is just to create something and for no other reason than I wanted to. The image above with the flying fabric took hours to meticulously edit as I composited that fabric from separate images. It wasn't all fun and exciting, but I wanted to complete my idea and I knew the details would be what would make that image shine.
I had to start with "What do I have available?" as my options dwindled fast with Covid-19 raising havoc. I have myself to model, to style, I have fabric, I have random bits of hair... It's a weird collection admittedly but it pays off in creative styling. I have a headpiece that I had already made and never photographed! When you practice gratitude and expressing your inspiration as a habit, challenges just offer new ways of being creative.
It's not just taking pictures that get me really excited, it's creating portraits. I enjoy the planning and creating aspects of the image. It's always a bonus if I get to use hot glue to create a set, it's just so gratifying. Being positively open to inspiration can have positive effects on many places in our lives. Some people get inspired by food, some people get inspired by marketing, and some people use creativity to solve problems. My husband, for example, is incredibly creative when it comes to solving problems. He thinks outside the box and enjoys helping with it. Just because he has to start with "Have you tried turning it off and back on, yet?", doesn't mean that he isn't using creativity every day. Potential solutions are one of his favorite discussion topics.
The final piece is the most important. Everything is connected to your emotional state. The faster we all learn to set our egoic selves aside and look at our weaknesses with some compassion, the faster we'll let go of tension and resentment and focus on joy as if the Dr. ordered it. Frankly, it is the orders. Stress is one of the biggest killers in the modern world. We can make ourselves sick with sick thinking. It's not about what's right or wrong. It is about vibration. Like vibrations attract like vibrations. What you're thinking, feeling, and doing becomes your reality.
When you find yourself feeling energetically down, your priority needs to become taking care of yourself until you feel better. It sounds really simple, but people struggle with this. We tend to need to beat ourselves up about feeling low. If it feels really difficult to come out of it, focus on doing at least one thing a day simply because it brings you joy. One might consider it a theological topic, but it works with whatever you believe. You can call it God, you can call it the universe, you can look at it purely as energy, but it connects us to being more of ourselves when we lean in. Because that is the whole point. We are each of us a creation after all.
I'd love to hear about what brings you joy! We can encourage joy with each other every day. If you’re at all interested in this topic, I recommend reading the book I mentioned before, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
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