Meeting 11/4/01

Today we looked at the opposite of inspiration. We did a 15 minute freestyle writing on the topic of; What do you do when you are not inspired? We also did some mind mapping on the topic of "Uninspired." Interestingly, looking at the opposite of inspiration, actually stimulated a lot of ideas, energy and inspiration.

Sandra	Harry	Cathy	Ida	Joan
Edwin				Jeff

Edwin

What do you do when you are not inspired?

When I’m uninspired; I’ve had one approach of laying back in bed and just waiting.  Just waiting, and wait and wait for something to come up.

I’ve heard that...  a singer, a popular singer, what’s her name?  She was an early punk rock singer?  Anyway she stayed in bed once and for several weeks, with this same issue of waiting for her inspiration.

I also have an approach of trying to work harder which never seems to work.  It actually has the opposite effect, I get less inspired.

Lori Andersen, that’s heard name.  That’s something I should try out.  Stay in bed for a couple of weeks, taking it to the extreme.  As it is now, I’ll just lay down on the sofa in the office for a while and wait. 

This was a good question, I’m curious what other people do.  To learn by example.

Freestyle writing, hmmmm, twelve minutes I think works better than fifteen.  Fifteen is a bit long.

OK, .....a bigger selection of things to do what I’m uninspired would be good to have. 

Breath deep feel the air fill the lungs.  Nature, the green trees and plants, the wind blowing, the leaves, and branches. 

Drawing

We had been talking about boats. Joan explained, "If  your brainstorming on transpiration, you may draw a boat." So this stuck with me and I thought of the USS Uninspired as a boat. The propellers are chugging away but the boats not going anywhere because the anchor is weighing it down. It's heavy, the weight of the world holds it back and there's the worry worm down there as well. Then I thought of how Saundra says you go with it! So the guy is swimming down into the muck to confront it. But how, an Indian says How. A greeting. A sign says, This Way. but it points out off the page. maybe that's avoidance. Other signs say This Way, No This Way. Need to explore this more. The storm clouds over the boat, lightning strikes.  Off in the distance is nature, an island of nature.

Joan

What do you do when you are not inspired?

Inspiration does that mean living in top form and having the energy to tackle whatever comes to mind? Does that mean creating something that will be here long after I am?  My first thought is finding what inspiration means to me on any given day.  Today my feelings on inspiration is my usual energy to be excited about what I am doing, what is happening to others and the events that surround us. Generally intense feelings come quickly to me but when that reaction breaks down what is left is being uninspired.

Since for me energy and intense feelings are the foundation of inspiration - take that away and what do you have?  Someone that needs to reconnect and refuel.

Watching a humming bird from the bathroom window, cooking a comforting nourishing delicious dish, organizing a pile of paper or drawer can all help those low energy times. Then there is ??e of sure-fire ways of reigniting that flame. Sometimes the first step out of the door takes some thought. Put on your shoes, drink that water, stretch those muscles and away I go!

Drawing

Today since my energy level was not at it's peak, my thinking about not being uninspired became my focus. Time got away from me and I found myself wanting to spend an equal focus on how to reach inspiration. Instead began showng that even when you are flat on your back like the "creature" in the middle of the drawing feeling weighed down with  a ball and chain "the weight of the world" - inspiration is within reach.

Sandra

What do you do when you are not inspired?

Well, when I am not inspired i.e.. when I do not feel like growing or creating I... I try not to self abuse myself by criticizing myself. For me the loving and inspired way to treat myself is to not criticize myself. My first tendency is to start talking to myself in a mean way as if to scold myself will help.... but it never does. It only makes me feel worse.

Yesterday I read a meditation and in it they said so you can change is a subtle form of self aggression and that the part of meditation is not to change yourself but to accept yourself right where you are.

So when I am not inspired... I try to be what I am, right there... be what I am, right there... be whatever I am. to find and open to what I am..

Be it closed, or tired, or lazy or disinterested or scared or stubborn or, or, or, be

Whatever     I am       allow me.

Drawing

Uninspired is the feeling of being dead to life, stuck, lost, can't move depressed. Uninspired is a not life thing.

Harry

What do you do when you are not inspired?

Inspiration is

- a gift from the gods

- one's rightful superior, insightful voice

- the result of unusually or ideal circumstances allowing creative thoughts, poetry, music, etc, to flow

- many more definitions of course

Our lives provide the language, point of view, interpretations of our realities and fantasies. Those people who say they are not creative or can't make up anything forget that conversation is usually spontaneous, though short-term planning allows us to consider the best way to express ourselves before be speak - in the heat of passion or intensity of an argument, this planning maybe curtailed or eliminated, which allows us to say some surprising things.

Yet artists are known to say they're not "inspired",  even those who feel that they are inspired at other times. So it must be with the average person who may rarely or never feel inspired. On occasion, we must create or produce something - a letter, an essay, a work of art, an important document of some sort, a musical work - with out feeling inspired. So, what do you do if you must proceed with the option of postponing the task? There are many possibilities;

1) work as if you were inspired.

2) begin the planning or preparatory work on the task. for instance, for a story, consider a scene or setting, identify a character or characters of interest.

3) for an artwork chose a color, pattern, theme, medium, etc.

4) for a piece of music, try to find a poem, a mood, a thought/maxim/aphorism (for vocal) or consider an outline, a mood, a color or texture.

Or, try to listen to another composer, music, especially something new.

Drawing

My central figure is the beast (or symbol) of no inspiration. I wondered how many ways there were to say "NOT NOW" perhaps somewhat like a 10-year old at the beginning of summer complaining that there's "nothing to do" - all that time and those possibilities that an adult could practically kill to have again. "No inspiration" is like the drool of this beast, which can then flow, or drip, in an endless variety of directions. Some of those sound like excuses. For some of those there are ready solutions, for some taking time, taking a nap, talking a walk, or confronting the situation are workable. This conception does not explore "stuck" or "frozen" and what they might mean or how to respond to them. I don't give the answers, just represent an aspect of the situation.

Cathy

What do you do when you are not inspired?

Play Minesweeper on my computer. I let my mind go completely numb - I just become nerve synapses.  Sometimes I sleep, I used to read, but because it is so addictive, I really limit it now.

When I want to stop being uninspired, because, in fact, I do not like feeling that way - dull, sluggish, depressed - I often write, the morning pages. I began with an Artist's Way group help me a lot. Usually by the end of my 3rd page of spewing about all of the things I am unsatisfied with, I've come up with some sort of an idea or a plan.

Yesterday - I helped a friend for three hours in the morning at her yard sale. Being up early, moving around, and looking at all the tons of "stuff" she was getting rid of made me want to go home and divest myself of my own junk, which is exactly what I did. Sometimes, I find helping  other out with issues that resonate with my own enables me o look at things more objectivity or "afresh" - I can then bring this new perspective to my task, and for me -  that is often what inspiration is - a new perspective, a new chance, a new idea.

 

Other jump shots -

 - take a walk,

 - make a list,

 - talk with my sister,

 - go to my artist way group,

 - look thru cookbooks,

 - invite people over for dinner, (this works on the stress quilt - do it for someone else if not for yourself level),

 - talk with producing artists,

 - go to gallery shows, (often this gives me permissions to do crappy work or view myself as an "artist" because these obviously untalented people are doing it - why can't I).

 - Get positive strokes (I easily believe others high estimations of myself and want to reinforce them).

Drawing

I have negative feelings about feeling/being uninspired. My central images representing uninspiration is not chocolate icing.  Worse that useless, I feel offensive, a bane upon the casual walker by - I am repulsed by myself, repulsive to others. See, the incriminating finger of my mother tells me so. "Clean up this mess. Disgusting. Lazy, sloppy, rude, inconsiderate, worthless" - she goes on and on. One of the tiny flies of annoyance lights up her perfect hand. Ha! It pukes! The green horse fly of pain is present as is the warning stop sign before the sucking whirlpool of despair - all our favorite obsessions will be there to greet us if we fall into the abyss. Time loses all meaning distorted, spring. In the right hand bottom corner - a chicken dreams of a perfect world. Nirvana, complete with orange flowers. I still have hope, dream my little dream.

Jeff

What do you do when you are not inspired?

Stop! go do something else. Purge  ?? ??? ??? mind don't think about it. When you are so involved with something it's hard to be objective turn away lets you see in  different Light.

Drawing

 

The light is always there, the trick is to shine it to the gray to see what shapes are there.

Ida

What do you do when you are not inspired?

change pace

go for a walk

meditate, watch my posture my breathing to touch bases with,  be present and open to movement, tenor of my breath

talk to people, different groups, class, dance, visit my good friends

read a book

reflect on the day/week

do something I've been meaning to do: take dance lessons

Ask questions; What exactly s t that's on my mind right now?

Drawing

My intension to irtreme?? all VINS?? Everything uninspirational is actually quite freeing. Started with 5 static pale yellow squares and worked some unappetizing color around it. Next introduced some incongruous scribbles against the masses of squares it's surrounding. Finally introduced primary colors which as a group I find particularly uninspiring. Other little touches of uninspiring moments, blatant use of complementary colors, insertions of rectangular/square shapes in an otherwise organic piece. Final touches with superflurious  final thoughts of purple. An should the entire piece result in an ugly, uninspired piece, I have succeeded! Yet, I am a little uneasy about the ugly piece.

Niki Simons

What do you do when you are not inspired?

The first thought is to take a nap.

Secondly, I read a book or some sort of literature.

Thirdly take a walk, see no. 1

Fourthly call a friend which often inspires because it takes me away from myself into another persons life, opening up a new source of inspiration.

Drawing