Re-thinking Inspiration

Every person I talk to about creative inspiration has a different take on it. Some believe it is obtained by nothing but good and steady habits -old fashioned hard work. Some believe it is a soul spark - when things outside of ourselves allow us to conjure the art that enables us to express how we feel. I think it is a combination of those things, and yet even more than that.

In my brain and in my heart, each of my life's lessons takes a shape - often words begin it, and images complete it. These experiences, or the realization of the experience as a life lesson, may drive me to paint a picture, write a poem, plant a garden, cook an elegant meal, rearrange the furniture, sing a song, play a game or contemplate natural  beauty. Clarissa Pinkola Estes describes this phenomenon of creativity beautifully, and for me quite accurately, in her book Women Who Run With the Wolves, when she says, " It is the love of something, having so much love for something - whether a person, a word, an image, an idea, the land, or humanity - that all that can be done with the overflow is to create. It is not a matter of wanting to, not a singular act of will; one solely must."

I found an open window as a door closed. I discovered jewels amongst the rocks. I continued loving through the hurt, and discovered more love on the other side of it. I'm learning to focus and find intuitive inspiration in order to leave the land of creative vulnerability.