Inspiration…what is it?
The word ‘inspiration’ seems to have been thrown around a lot lately on the web. But what is it really? Some claim that inspiration can be found in the most mundane of tasks, or the smallest of moments. Others say that it is a fleeting thing, not something finite and concrete to hold on to-something intangible and untouchable. These experts may be onto something-perhaps you should view inspiration as a light bulb; switch it off when you don't need it, and turn it back on when you're feeling like your creative juices are running low.
In the modern world where we are inundated by information, the idea that in order to have new ideas or creative inspiration you must find time away from your computer screen may seem a little ridiculous. To some this notion may be a psychotic delusion-a ploy to keep ourselves enthralled by technology. But there is more to creativity than simply the ability to interface with technology on a virtual level. We live in an age of knowledge and information-a fact which many seem to forget when they speak of inspiration as an intangible state of mind (assuming it even exists as such) that is not dependent on technology or knowledge gained elsewhere. It becomes all too easy for us to see inspiration as a magical process waiting to be unlocked, when that's simply not true.
For those who believe in creativity and its importance in the modern world, in the “Information Age”, creating things seems so much more than pressing keys on a keyboard-creating is about imagination, expression and perhaps most importantly, feeling. And I can't imagine feeling can be digitally transmitted or received. Perhaps the reason we feel inspired is precisely because there are no shortcuts to it. There are no buttons you can press or websites you can visit to make yourself feel something deep inside of you that was dormant before-because inspiration is something that happens only when it happens. Taking a break from the chaos of the “Information Age” would seem to be the most detrimental thing you could do to your creative self, because it is during these moments that we find ourselves-we find what's within us.
This idea may seem ambiguous at first, but if you think about it, inspiration is something that only comes when it wants to. It's not a science-it can't be bought or sold. And this is perhaps where mankind and his technology fails most. We try to plug ourselves into machines in order to unlock our mind's potential for creating new things-things we've never done before. It doesn't work. Even with the most refined technology at our disposal, we find that creativity cannot be replicated. And I'm sure most of us would agree.
Most people know that music is life, and we can probably agree on this basis alone, but there is one thing we seem to forget over time, and that is that music isn't actually life-it isn't what inspires us. It's not where the magic comes from-it may give you something to do while you're bored, it may make you feel better when you're down or more hopeful when you're sad…but it can never make something new come out of your head. The only thing music can do is give you more ideas, but it doesn't invent anything new-that's a human quality. We make things-we imagine things and we feel things-and somehow music just enables us to express that better than perhaps any other way.
In the modern world where everything seems to be technological, we forget that art is not something you can recreate with technology. You may see some machines perform amazing feats of engineering and wonder if there is anything left for humans to achieve for the sake of entertainment, but the truth is the only thing art does for mankind today is inspire others. It inspires ideas, it inspires creativity and most importantly, it inspires emotion.
By putting emotion-led art in front of us, we are inspired to create about that emotion. We may not even know why we are moved by a piece of music or a film clip-but if it is good enough, it will probably make us feel something deep inside of ourselves and give you ideas that you may never have had before. However, inspiration can't come from within the machine itself (not even when working with machines and technology). Instead it comes from within you-and the only people who can get inspiration to come out of their own head are those who care enough to listen to what they say to themselves.
Innovation is important. But innovation is not the same as inspiration, even if the latter helps to fuel the former. Innovation is about taking existing things and creating new things out of them. But inspiration is about experiencing something for yourself and creating that feeling within yourself. You can't innovate without inspiration-but you can only be inspired when you are feeling passionate about something in your life (or perhaps something from your past.)
And that's why we turn on music to help us while we're doing boring tasks-not because it inspires us to create new songs, but because it inspires us to change our mood through creativity. That's also why we read books or watch films-to inspire and learn something new-not necessarily because it inspires a novel idea in itself. But inspiration is often about being in the right mood or in the right place at the right time, and these are not things that are found on a screen.
It's simply not possible to see the same movie, read a book or listen to music on your screen as you do from within your head. You must listen to it through earphones if you want to hear it how it was meant for you-through your soul if you want to hear it clearly and clearly enough for you to be inspired by it. But by having music placed in front of your eyes, we can feel something complex within us-something like a message.
Take something simple, like a Beethoven symphony-an idea of beauty, love and passion-and put it up on screen. There's no emotion there. And that's the point I'm trying to make here. Music is not just what inspires us to create new music-it inspires us to create new ideas and emotions that can be expressed solely through technology.
As humans we are creative beings who love expression, but we are also beings who love feeling.
Conclusion Music is not as important today as it was a century ago, but it remains a powerful medium for self-expression and communication. This is why people find themselves moved or inspired by music. It is also the reason why music has been used throughout history to elevate mundane or difficult tasks-that can't be accomplished with technology alone. Musical pieces like the “Ode to Joy”, have been placed in front of tedious jobs like working in coal mines or pumping water out of a well and have made these work seem less like work-more like something we care about. And because of this, these tasks are accomplished much quicker and they feel more fulfilling than they would otherwise have felt-without musical accompaniment.