Inspiration?

Fuck inspiration. Really. Fuck being in the mood to do something.

Be a master of a personal universe — don’t wait for inspiration, create it.

When I started blogging nine months ago, I did it on a whim. I found out later that professional blogs, like the one I was trying to create, spent longer times planning before the launch. These people sit and come up with 20 posts that go up before the launch, they think carefully about everything.

If I had decided to do that, The Classical Guitar Blog would have never happened. My action in creating the blog generated the inspiration for the posts. As the blog gets older, I have to dig deeper and think harder about what I write. Again, the action of of starting and maintaining the blog generates inspiration.

When a musician practices, thoughts come and go. Thoughts about overcoming a technical challenge pop into their head. Smart musicians harness the inspiration they’ve created by practicing and write the thoughts down in a practice log for review later. That practice log serves as an inspiration and direction for future sessions. Just by starting to practice, a musician can create inspiration. They can create desire and direction for future sessions.

Don’t wait. Don’t expect some magical fairy to bless you with a certain mood. Do it; become completely absorbed. In action, there is all the inspiration and desire ever needed.

“We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.”
-Frank Tibolt

Posted on August 25, 2009 in Life