When Inspiration Hits

Following up on the theme of inspiration: Sometimes, when it hits, it’s in the form you least expect.

On Valentine’s Day, my husband and I were at a neighborhood bar when a Barry White song came on the radio, then another of the same ilk. We started thinking, What would happen if the smooth talker at the beginning of these songs never actually got around to the song itself? And voila, our song, “Hey Girl,” was born:

In addition to our own bizarre way of thinking/sense of humor, I attribute our inspiration in this case to a keyboard and a contest. Let me explain. For Christmas, I got Jordan — a musician — the Axiom Pro, which turns out to be the DeLorian of composing tools. When we moved to New York last fall, he left behind his band, which was finally getting into a regular practice schedule. In DC, it had been hard for him to carve out time for music on top of being in two different improv groups – one of which was actually an improvised musical, but that’s not exactly rock and roll.

So I got him the DeLorian to help kick start his ability to make music in this new place. Then, February rolled around, which meant it was time for FAWM: February Album Writing Month (which I wrote about here). He had already written 10 or so songs by the time we were sitting in that bar on Valentine’s Day, so – all cylinders were firing.

I like this story because it underscores several conditions that are key to being inspired, and to acting on your inspiration:

• Be around people who let you feel free to think and feel anything, no matter how “weird.” This is a tall order, I realize, and I know how fortunate I am to live with someone who fits the bill. But we were married for years while our creativity lay dormant – it wasn’t until we both took steps to put our art front and center in life that we realized our potential as creative collaborators. Part of our journey was finding our tribe, which in our case was a merry band of improvisers at Washington Improv Theater.
• Lift weights – metaphorically, that is. My first improv director, Zack, used to compare our improv practice sessions to lifting weights — drilling certain improv skills (like listening, or heightening) was like strengthening certain muscles, so that when it came time to do a show, we were in top shape. In participating in FAWM, Jordan had been strengthening his song-writing muscles, so when an idea struck, he was ready to go.
• Have the right tools on hand. In Jordan’s case, the Axiom Pro has unleashed a ton of musical expression previously trapped inside him – it’s the perfect tool for a musician who also happens to be a computer programmer. In your case, maybe the tool is just a journal, or a sketchbook, or the perfect Sharpee. Whatever it is, make sure you have it on hand, and optimize your chances of succeeding. In some cases, this may require an initial time period of learning how to use the tools that will let you express yourself most fully — Jordan spent a month just learning how to use the DeLorian, including a series of iChats with his friend John, who’d been using it for a couple of years. In my case, I’m realizing that if I’m going to fully express myself as a blogger, I need to learn web design, so I can add a stronger visual element to my work.

What conditions help you be most inspired? And what helps you act on that inspiration?

P.S. Just for fun…