It's often difficult to conjure in the moment of need, yet so frequently it strikes when you least expect it--which often means it's at an inconvenient time or place. It is a fleeting and seeming uncontrollable thing, with an ebb and flow as changing as the ocean tides.

Creative impulse. It's truly a perplexing phenomenon.

We have all had the experience of true inspiration, which came from an unexpected source, experience, or stimulus that triggers a new perception or emotion. We can see the perfect expression in completion in our minds--but alas, where is my pen? --or, typing on my iPhone is such a pain! Or maybe you document your idea on the closest thing at hand--a napkin, or on your hand--but when you need it you can't find it or remember it to save your life. 

What strikes me about great artists and composers is they not only had the innate ability to have great ideas form in their minds, they were also somehow able to capture or retain their inspiration until they could develop it. Making the most of creative impulse and inspiration is largely dependent on our ability to be artists disciplined in the art of "idea capture."

Creative Motivation Requires Great Ideas

After completing the "Ruth" ballet this past May, I knew I was going to need to take creative time-off to give my brain a break and let my creative impulse recharge. I didn't know it was going to take months to start feeling the urge to create again, but it did. Here I am, the day after Thanksgiving, and only now have I had the right idea for the worship album--that so many people have been asking me for so long to make--that excites me, and is continually giving rise to more related ideas.

Reflecting on this, I have these thoughts and observations:

1) What excites and motivates me to create is not the demand for what I can create, it's not the creative process, nor is it the satisfaction of completion; it's the idea itself.

2) I know it's the right idea to invest in creatively when I see how it lines up with the things I value. For me, those values are uniqueness, impact, and the opportunity to use skills unique to me--and even to challenge and stretch them more.

3) Great art is great because once viewers or listeners are exposed to it, it can't escape their mind, and they can't escape the idea or emotion completely. Great ideas are the same for the artists; if it's truly great, you can't shake it. You don't have to capture great ideas, because they capture you.

Listen to Your Motivation

In the past six months, I've had many creative ideas for music. I knew, though, when I had them, that they were just ideas to put on a list of possible experiments, and as interesting as many of them were for me, they didn't even motivate me enough to write them down.

At least in the realm of creativity, true motivation has a life and personality of its own--it can't be passed on, and it can't be created; it can only be awakened by what it was meant (created, planted, designed) to accomplish. I'm learning to let motivation be the measure of worthiness of effort, and a compass to point me in the right direction. 

When I caught this idea for a worship album, my creative motivation went from zero to...something--enough to write it down and more as they came to me, and to test them by sharing them with those closest to me, and with those who can give objective feedback. I'm applying patience in parallel to my motivation to see how well the idea endures.

My cat is snoring. Good grief.

I think even more important than "idea capture" is to "idea filter." If we can develop our own unique way to filter good ideas from the great ideas at the moment of incidence, we can simplify and streamline our creative processes to make the most of the great ideas that capture our imagination and inspiration. Let motivation be your filter, and your creative process won't be a pressured one, but a peaceful and exciting one!

In a future post, I'll share practical approaches and principles for getting and making the most of great ideas.

Shalom.