Inspiration

Inspiration sustains itself–if it has room to do so. Any form of pressing anxiety can cramp it, and anxiety about the anxieties makes it even worse, to the point of snuffing it out. An example would be finances, that bugaboo of many an artist–worry about income, paying for supplies, responsibility to one’s family, and cultural/social concerns can really interfere with the creative spirit to the extent that when the artist DOES sit down to work, she chokes. There’s no more room inside of her for inspiration to breathe and manifest. Other examples would be self-doubt, bad teachers, and plain old rotten luck.

The solution is in making the decision to remove these intruding elements from inside your mind, to give priority to internal, mental, and spiritual health (aka flourishing). No guru can give it to you and don’t even let them try. Just empty yourself of everything that isn’t pure You–the same person you’ve been since you were very very small. Don’t impose any expectations on it–you might find that the means of expression is an entirely different one than you thought it would be. The writer may discover she’s an artist, the abstract artist may discover she’s a realist, the gardener may discover she’s a singer, don’t worry about it. In time you’ll find yourself immersed in something, and that something is exactly what you should be doing.

Some people need to overhaul their entire lives in order to be able to clear their heads enough to sustain inspiration–getting out of financial traps, getting out of toxic relationships, etc. Others are able to simply detach from the external world’s demands and distractions, doing what is needed without allowing it to be internalized. So much depends on what the distractions are and on your personal strength or fragility. But it can be done, and it’s the happiest place you can be.

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