Should Inspiration Be Killed Off?

Most of the writers in my circle have been pointing out at the fact that inspiration should not be the main ingredient of our creativity. If I had heard this statement an year ago, I would probably have said: "Nah." However, lately I have come to understand how true this actually is. Regardless of whether we're writing, playing music, or creating other pieces of art, waiting for inspiration is certainly not the best way to go about it. Sure, it might hit us at some point, during which we could make a small progress with our project, but then it vanishes completely for an unspecified period of time.

So what do we do then? What happens when the greatest source of productivity has abandoned us?

First, we accept that there's no point in waiting for it because let's face it, we don't need it. Then we move on and start planing. We turn our passion and our hobby into our own personal job (usually in our free time). That way, we both get to work on our goals on a daily basis and we go to bed with a great smile on our faces, thinking about how we could do it all over again tomorrow.

For instance, I've been "working" on a few longer ideas (for novels) for years but without ever being able to finish any of them, mainly because I just waited to be Inspired. And yes, the moment the idea usually comes to my mind, I'm so inspired to get it all done in one go, to put everything into words, to create the world, build the characters and so on. Well, sadly we can't really do everything in one day, can we? Once that momentum of inspiration has vanished, what we're left with are multiple ideas that are merely in their first stage and need so much more attention and developing. So what comes next? We sit and wait for the next wave of inspiration to come at us (we all know that could take a while)? Or we look at all those ideas the next day and choose a place to start? One step at a time.

For so long I took the first route and it took me nowhere. It simply brought disappointment and regret that I haven't managed to do it. This time, however, I tried a new approach and it has done wonders for me. If you look at it from another angle, you still find inspiration, but you discover it in your own progress; in the fact that you didn't just give up on your dream again, but instead you kept on moving forward. In that sense, inspiration is definitely not dead. It is there in everything we write, draw, create, etc. It springs from our piece of art towards us and is then transferred back into it, creating something like a circular, never-ending process. As long as you keep writing, drawing, singning, performing, etc, inspiration will never die as it will always find its way back to you.

Hence, the question is no longer if we should wait for that rare, sudden muse, but how do we keep on going without the old concept of it? Well, here are some tips that have amazingly done miracles for me:

1) Make a schedule

Like I said before, perhaps the most crucial bit when it comes to succeeding in our creative projects is to plan how we're going to spend every day. If your job doesn't allow you to have that kind of additional schedule during the week, then consider the weekends. Perhaps you have the energy for working on your writing only for a couple of hours, and that's completely alright as long as you still do it. Once you enter this habit of productivity, you'll immediately feel inspired to keep on going. Also, it will have already become a habit and you'll find yourself unable to stop doing it. You must have noticed how hard it is to stop repeating certain actions of our daily routines once they have become habitual, right? Well, this one at least will certainly not be toxic.

2) Watch the videos of people who have already succeeded

Listening to the stories of how others have managed to finish their projects despite the difficulties they have faced, is definitely a good way to see that nothing is impossible. Moreover, vloggers tend to share extremely useful tips which you can inhabit in your own creative process or which could help you get over a struggle regarding the project you're working on. Overcoming that obstacle will do miracles for your creativity and you'll find yourself up and about before you know it.

For example, Jenna Moreci is an author and a vlogger who I only recently discovered. She is so hilarious and direct. Also, she shows a great amount of creativity in her videos. This, consequently, has the effect of motivating you and reminding you that succeeding in your project is really up to you and that waiting for your muse is not going to be the key to finishing what you've started. Doing it would. Once you devote your spare time to it, you'll sense the pure inspiration that reminds you that you can do it.

3) Collaboration This is probably my personal favourite. Finding some people who share your interests and who have similar goals to yours is the best way to keep the process of creativity and productivity on-going. That way, if you by any chance start questioning your capabilities and how good you are at what you're doing, they will be there to point at the fact that you can, in fact, make it. Moreover, there are multiple challenges you can set for yourselves together; therefore the process immediately becomes much more enjoyable. Who needs inspiration when you have a whole community of people to keep you motivated, eh?

4) Don't Fool Yourself

Last but certainly not least, is to remember that you shouldn't stop working on your projects. Sure, you will need some occasional vacation. That's only normal and you've earned it. However, there is one super dangerous trap which you should avoid at every cost. Can you aready guess it?

Excuses. If you start saying that you don't have time to work on your projects (on your dreams), to claim that you're always busy, that you're too tired, then things are bound to go south. This situation is a direct threat to your success and to achieving your goals. If you let it control your choices, then the projects you have will probably never be finished. So instead of letting excuses imprison your creativity, you should keep on working on the pieces of art at hand no matter how slowly you move.

We're all busy. We're tired and exhausted, but we all find minimum fifteen minutes per day to scroll through Facebook or Instagram, right? And why do we do that? Because it's a habit. Now imagine you made your passion your habit. Imagine that every time you had half an hour free, instead of wasting it on looking at pictures online, you could invest it into your own project, into your own passion, and into your own dreams. It's easier than it seems. And the true kind of inspiration resides precisely into making the concsious choice of putting your passion first.

What's your opinion on inspiration? What other tips would you like to add to the ones above? The Writing Witch is (in other words, I am) looking forward to reading them.

#thewritingwitch #writer #inspiration #productivity #creativity #amwriting #art #justdoit #dontgiveup #elvirasstories #blogger #life #getinspired