Many of us creative types spend a lot of time seeking out “inspiration”. In fact, if you’re like me it’s your job to find and write aboutart or other things that might spark artistic inspiration in the minds ofreaders. I’m not here to make light of that either, it’s what I do and Ilove it. However, the reason I put quotations around the word inspirationabove is because many times in the blogging world we say things like, “we areyour source for inspiration” or “check out this inspiring post” etc. as iffurther consumption of this or that will be the deciding factor in whateveryou’re working on.
It’s an easy idea to buy into, especially if a particular post has helpedyou out on a project in the past. But before long you can find yourselfbouncing from blog to blog, endlessly clicking through your reader, or staringbleary eyed at twitter, facebook, and tumblr waiting for inspiration to strike. Meanwhile, getting absolutely NOTHING done. And there’s agood reason for that. A blog post is not inspiration. It maycontain the spark of inspiration but that spark can only occur because theperfect conditions already exist in your mind. If you think ofinspiration as “a sudden understanding” it gets a bit easier toillustrate. If you’re looking at design roundups you will findreferences, but a “sudden understanding” of how to meet yourclients needs with your design is something else entirely. Anunderstanding might be triggered by a reference but not always. Sometimesthe mind simply needs time to connect the dots. More work or“inspiration” only get in the way.
Archimedes’ Eureka Moment
Take theancient story of Archimedes for example, the scientist who famously coined theterm “Eureka!” when he discovered the physical law behind buoyancy. His story goes like this: Hiero II, King of Syracuse, was prettysure he was getting ripped off by a goldsmith. He thought the goldsmithwas carefully replacing pure gold with a gold/silver mix and pocketing thedifference. So the King turned to Archimedes for a solution. Without catching this goldsmith in the act, how could Archimedes testwhether the goldsmith was giving him impure gold? Archimedes struggledfor a long time trying to figure out a solution to this problem but had nosuccess. After a very long period of intense study, thought, andexperimentation Archimedes was convinced to take a break and go home. When he went home, he filled a bath. As he soaked in the bath henoticed that an equal weight in water had been displaced in relation to hisbody and he yelled out, “Eureka!” and ran all the way back to the King, starknaked through streets, to tell him how they could test the goldsmith. They took a coin of gold they knew to be pure and a coin from thegoldsmith comparing the buoyancy of each. Sure enough, they did not matchup and the goldsmith was quickly executed.
Anunfortunate story for the goldsmith to be sure, but what I want to point out isthat the moment of breakthrough inspiration came to Archimedes only after hegot a little distance from what he was working on. I imagine him soakingin the bath, wrecked from long exercises of strenuous mental activity. Ashe moves, he notices the water level change. Then he tries submerginghimself deeper, then he stands, then he sits, testing out a thought he’shaving. Then, Eureka! Sounds familiar right? Have you everbeen riding your bike, off on a run, taking a hike, or taking a shower, andfinally…something clicks? Or a brilliant idea or solution pops into your headfrom seemingly nowhere? This is what happens when we still our mind, giveit a break from stimulation, and allow it to sort through the things we’veconsumed.
More Consumption Does Not Equal More Inspiration
When we hop from blog post to blog post for hours on end, we are notbecoming “more inspired”. We run the risk of over-stimulation, or “brainexhaustion” for lack of a better term. For instance, would running 100miles all at once get you in better shape? No, it would cause seriousharm to your body. At a certain point you pass the threshold of healthyactivity and it becomes hurtful. Likewise we need to allow our brain thespace it needs from the stimulating content we consume for it to make theconnections it needs to make for true inspiration or “sudden understanding” totake place. All of this isn’t to say that true inspiration only strikeswhile we’re on a break either. It strikes in many times and places, notjust those I’ve mentioned. What I’m getting at though is that it’sprobably healthy to establish a habit of alternating mental stimulation withmental rest. I encourage everyone to give it a shot and see how it goes. I’d love to hear your stories!
Balancing Mental Stimulation With Mental RestGiving your brain a break doesn’t have to be a total life transformation. There are some really easy things you can do to get started, then figureout what works best for you.
In the morning, take at least 20 minutes to drink your coffee in silence. No technology whatsoever, just you and your coffee. Let your brainwake up and process whatever it needs to before diving into emails or whateverelse. Commuter? Turn off your radio and let your mind wander (not toomuch!) while you go to or from work. Exercise. This doesn’t have to bestrenuous. It can be a 20 minute walk in the morning, evening, or even onyour lunch break. While working on something, try to close everything else soas to not tax your brain with distractions while it’s trying to be brilliant.Choose one or two times per day to browse your inspiration sources instead ofconstantly stimulating your brain throughout the day. Get a hobby. Thiscan be anything, the important thing is that it needs to be different than yourjob/art. Try choosing something mostly physical that doesn’t requirestrenuous thinking. Fishing, lawn care, hiking, diy projects/crafts, andthe like all work.