Could an artist paint if they didn't have that inspiration to do so? Could a musician write music without the imagination to create the notes on the page? So to with writers, creativity and imagination is everything. I know I mentioned muses in a previous post, but it is something I always enjoy coming back to. And how can I not when it is so very important?
One of the topics we discussed was how we currently develop and expand our imagination. This question has a bit of a text book answer for me because many of us find inspiration in the same ways: reading, music, watching children, and so forth. However, I was surprised by my own answer because it wasn't until today that I thought of it as a creative inlet before.When I met my husband, I discovered that he had a "box" that he lived in. When he went to the movies, he went to the same movie theater every time. When he shopped for groceries, he went to the same grocery store. When he was thirsty or needed cigarettes, he went to the same 7-Eleven. Even when he went out to eat, he would go to the same places and order the same item off the menu, every time. Everything he did was always the same. Even more, he took the same routes to get there, rarely deviating, if ever.
Then, he met me.
The moment I feel that I have driven the route enough, I want to change it up. I want to know what the side streets are, I want to see the back roads, and I like to wander constantly. There was a time that one of my friends and I would purposely go out and get ourselves lost just to see if we could find our way back. We did it many times, and every time it was like playing pretend. We would imagine what it was like to live wherever and sometimes we had a lot of fun doing so. I knew every road in my old neighborhood, though not by name.
I didn't just do this in driving. I did this when I went on walks, on my bike (my mother still doesn't know I used to bike outside the neighborhood and well away from home at 10 years old), I did this when my brothers and sisters would play down in the creek behind our home, I did this anytime I felt the adventure of life was losing its luster. Honestly, I can't really explain why, but it worked for me. It still works for me. I did it today, in fact. I took a route home from class that took an hour to navigate. Though, I recommend having eaten so you're not too light-headed in the midst of your exploration.
Living in your "box" is fine, really. I don't see too much of a problem with it so long as you shake yourself up every now and again and go exploring for some new haunts to add to your box. My husband and I now call it "expanding our box." We like to think of it as creating a roomier, more complex box.
Now I know that exploration is getting expensive, at least by car. But the idea is there. Exploring, whether it be in music, in books, or physically traveling, is one of my favorite ways to find inspiration. When you notice the world around you, you open that opportunity to notice something that drives that creative force in you. How many people are inspired by art, by music? How many are inspired by nature? How many are inspired by it all?
When you open your mind, dead ends cease to exist and I find that a fun idea to toy with. That is why I explore. Sure, it may be my own backyard, but it makes it all the more meaningful to you when its your own. And it makes it all the more powerful on the page.What unique (or even normal thing) do you do to get inspired? What causes the "what ifs" to stir within you?
I invent nothing. I rediscover. ~Auguste Rodin
One thing I have a love for is rearranging furniture...constantly. You have to admit, when you switch things up like that, you can't help but see the room differently...it's a whole new perspective that keeps things interesting. There are so many people who fear change. I thrive on it. No matter what it concerns, I find ways to think of it as progress. Be it one room at a time, one job at a time, or one book at a time.
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