INSPIRATION
Inspiration comes from work, or so it is said. But what if we’ve got this whole “inspiration” metaphor wrong? If there’s something to the language of this, then the word “inspire” means to breathe in. A deep breath is invigorating, to be sure, but I don’t know anyone who takes one deep breath, then goes to work while holding it. “I was inspired!” we say. Great. But you’re turning blue. Breathe out.
Creative people look for inspiration like it’s the Holy Grail. It is not. It’s a practice, and that practice is directly tied to work. If an inflow of ideas and thoughts and what-ifs are our act of breathing in, it is at work we breathe out, clear the lungs, and make the repetition of the process possible.
The most creative people exhibit ...
Get A Beautiful Anarchy now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
