Being creative requires one particular stimulant - inspiration.  I almost prefer the term oxidant as a metaphor, with its bubbly, wild, immediately reactive behaviour.  It is what makes us creative.

I have always been creative. I was reminded of this recently as I assisted in my son’s classroom during a clay-modelling hour with an art instructor. Every other table of kids was following the instructions for this little peruvian mask, except my son’s table. Here I saw large X’s for eyes, or a cyclops, a cigar hanging out of the mouth, an alien puppy… I’m not exaggerating. That was the table I would have been sitting at.  I was often asked how I came up with such elaborate drawings, or how I came up with a song, or created such random comedy sketches.  Simple answer for me - I saw it in my mind first, and was compelled to see it come to life in front of me, to be the creator.

That’s inspiration. That’s what drives us to be creative - to find some means to get the pictures and sounds in our head out into the world.

I am of course learning the variations as I go. Perhaps I am really learning them now, as it appears a lack of inspiration is becoming common.  Anyone can be creative, without being what some label as “a creative” - as if making it a noun means its really important. Some call it “artist” - anyone can do art, but not everyone is an artist.  Talk about a blurry line though.  What makes you an artist?  Getting paid? That just helps you define a vocation when you’re applying for EI. 

I’m noticing the lack of inspiration in those around me, and in a way I am grieving it for them, while fighting for it myself.  The tip of the iceberg is the lack of creativity, although that can be disguised behind a number of excuses. The more it comes to the surface, however, the more obvious it becomes in almost every scenario - there was lack of inspiration, a death of it in some cases.

I was inspired to play music for people. I was first inspired to figure out notes, chords, melodies and sounds.  Its easy to see that inspiration become replaced by timelines and expectations, charts and tours and numbers - and money.  Lets just get paid already. I used to catch a good bit of trouble in my jobs as a graphic designer, for flipping through art magazines and “surfing” design websites on company time. I was more interested in keeping the creative fires going than pushing the bottom line. It made me a bad employee, but a good artist.

I have a lot of peers in the same place as I am. We’re getting older, we’ve got years behind us, we get tired of the game. But I do not get tired of feeling inspired. Time to get back to it.