Does it come from the moon? In dreams? In the reflection of dewdrops?
Yes it’s a child’s answer. But who knows really?
Sometimes I wake up from a luscious sleep with an idea for a poem. Or on a walk while gazing deep into the eye of a flower, I am suddenly touched by an answer to solve an issue that’s been haunting me. But I also find it in less inspiring places like in the john or after visiting my grandmother at the old folk’s home. It all seems mysterious where inspiration comes from. Although I may never uncover that answer, I have discovered ways to curate it. This is especially helpful when my own rivers have gone dry and I’m fresh out of new material to quench that drought.
I walk in stillness…
A wise man told me once that putting your feet on the bare earth is food for your soul. And he was right. I am lucky that I’ve been able to put my feet to the sand lately and the results have not only been physically healing, but it has replenished my spirt as well. Whether I am walking on soil, sand or even concrete, when I do so in silence I give my brain space to breathe.
I let myself be a kid again…
The older we get, the more scared we are to try new things. We don’t want to feel embarrassed by our inabilities or feel uncomfortable by our clumsiness. But turning down that opportunity is at a detriment to our self-growth. We must all be a kid again to continue to learn, to prevent ourselves from being “too big for our britches,” and to invite inspiration in. When we tackle something like watercolor painting, for example, or surfing or dancing for the first time, there is something within us that says, “Yes! I’m still young, fresh and alive! And if I can do this, I can do anything.”
I make time to waste it…
My dad’s always talking about wasting time as a bad thing. But I think there is something truly valuable about reveling in it. Lounging around, tossing in bed, moving slowly all feel like a time waster, but insight and inspiration come when we think we’re being lazy. When we’re staring out a window, meditating, window shopping, when we’re not so busy doing other things, that’s when our muse says, “Okay, now you’re ready!”
Where do you think inspiration comes from? How do you cultivate it in your own life?