On Creating When There's No Inspiration
a raw description of my experience these last couple of weeks
Guys, I have to be honest with you. This week has been kind of… sad. Today, which is actually Sunday, I am writing this newsletter because I know I will be at work tomorrow. I know I will be in a work truck for a while, and then stripe a parking lot. It’s the same thing I’ve done plenty of times. It’s not particularly difficult work, but it’s not what I’d like to be doing.
In a perfect world, I’d be some sort of artist/writer who always creates beautiful, intricate pieces that tell stories, capture moments that would otherwise be lost forever, and inspires others to do the same. It would feel natural like a sunrise, it would be pleasant like Spring flowers, it would be refreshing like Summer rain—and most of all it would be drawn from that well of love for beauty that never runs dry and is a blessing to draw up… In a perfect world.
I’m writing this newsletter today because I fear that on Monday evening I won’t have it in me. The work I described—the people I work around, the places I work in, and even the clothes I wear tend to leave me feeling more than just physically weary. I feel drained of the natural creative flow, of my inspiration; even my desire to create.
Photo by Min An: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-black-top-sitting-on-bench-beside-of-door-1532775/
I just want to encourage you right now. I want to encourage you because I know how it feels to seek inspiration when it seems like it’s just not there. I know how it feels to be busy—busy with life itself, the mundane, daily things we all deal with. It’s hard to find the motivation to do anything after some days.
Inspiration often seems like something elusive, something that is random and “lucky,” so to speak. Don’t get me wrong, I often refer to it as such because I have thought of it that way for so long. But these last few weeks have shown me that I was wrong. Inspiration isn’t something that strikes randomly at 3 a.m. for some, and at 1 p.m. for others. I’m not saying that sudden inspiration isn’t real, but I’m debunking the myth that inspiration is only that—something sudden and uncontrollable. That mindset is too narrow.
Day in, and day out, I have either school or work that I’m obligated to do. After narrowing it down, those are my main, tangible duties. But beyond that, there are so many things I love to do, so many hobbies I would love to turn into careers. I want to write and paint primarily (after narrowing it down, that is).
Sometimes, it’s relatively easy. I finish my daily obligations and the first thing I want to do is work on my short story, for example. I get coffee, I try to set up a writing space that is conducive to an enjoyable time of work, put on appropriate music, and the words just flow onto the pages.
Recently, none of my creative activities or hobbies have been like that. My morning routine is whacked. My reflective moments are sparse and shallow because I’m busy and preoccupied. My daily obligations exhaust me and by the time I’m finished I have no desire to continue being productive and so I’m (often) not.
…As I’ve begun working more in the last couple of weeks, these sorts of scenarios have become common. Any decent creative work I’ve done has felt forced out of me, generally non-inspired, but formulated out of the guilt of doing nothing.
One thing this has shown me is that one may, in fact, curate an environment that leads to more frequent inspiration. I have lost touch with that recently, but I’m not giving up. I won’t settle for sporadic, occasional bursts of inspiration—I want to be motivated and inspired every day.
“…painting a starless sky…”
Above all, the last couple of weeks have taught me that a lack of inspiration doesn’t give precedent for not creating at all. On the days I continued to create, to push through the difficulties facing me, to show up even when I didn’t feel like it, I learned more and in more ways than I can tell you.
There is a certain type of good that comes from creating when it’s hard that isn’t quite there on the easy days.
Perhaps this doesn’t make sense to you. But I thought I’d write about my experience because maybe some of you have been through—or are in—similar hardships. I hope this helps a bit. I hope that you get through whatever is stopping you from creating, and I hope you’ll keep trying, even when it sucks.
“Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful of your life.”
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
-Mark Twain
Please, please let me know about your own experiences in this area, and how you have dealt with these trials! I would love to hear your thoughts :))
some poems I wrote about inspiration
(03/17.23)
When Inspiration is Shy
“Mostly I wrote about flowers and trees and those sorts of things
I wrote about clouds and rain; the little bird that sings.
“I wrote about the sun’s morning light, the reflection of a crescent moon
Oh! And then the beauty of the night, how if morning came ‘twould be too soon.
“But alas… I put down my pen; my book was out of pages
I wasn’t done, I knew ‘twould be awhile before my eyes saw the final ages.
“To me, with the seed I sowed, the heart of the matter was darker than that
I knew then and there my thoughts no longer flowed; so in silence, I at last sat.”
(03/12.23)
When the Poet Webs his Words
When the clock stops ticking; when the bird stops her song.
When day no longer breaks; when feet refuse to move on.
As the laughing river stops laughing, as the creek stops running laps.
As mother nature quits whispering, it would seem all is collapsed.
That’s when, after valor and glory, the minstrel composes his ballad.
That’s when, after whole hearts are broken, the knees of prayers are bended.
That’s when, after the sun closes his eye, the painter must paint a starless sky.
When the babbling of philosophers and commoners is stilled, and the age of silence is nigh.
Then the romantic poet will take up his quill, and web words like those on high.
Wishing you all a lovely morning, day or night,
Benji
Music Recommendation (strong recommendation):
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Beautiful poems 😍
Yeahhhhh I can definitely relate to the no inspiration thing....work, classes, homework, and the stress of being in a new environment without my favorite people all add together to leave me....I guess empty would be the right word. At the end of the day, I’m so exhausted that I don’t want to spend any time doing anything except maybe watching videos on YouTube or ninja turtles, or just stare at a wall in silence. It’s upsetting because I used to constantly be filled with new ideas for stories and characters and drawings and music and all these different things, and I almost feel as thought college and just the stress of becoming an adult has almost killed it. Almost. I know it’s still there, because sometimes the random inspiration does strike, and it lets me escape from the mundane. Just not as often as I wish it would. I think it will just take time for me to adjust to everything...I’m hoping it will be better then
I'm not a creative writer by any stretch but I've been working on a few ideas. . .this certainly challenges me to work on them a little each day whether I "feel inspired" or not! Your poems are wonderful!