Inspiration is a double-edged sword. I love being inspired… it gives my heart an extra thump-a-lump and it adds an extra whizz in my brain. Inspiration makes me think of a thousand and one ways to change things or to do something new and different. And, this can either spur me to greater heights or paralyse every part of me.
Today, I barely did any “productive” work, as I was too busy getting inspired.
One of the biggest things that hit me in my wanderings is something called “An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth” by Bruce Mau. How can I not stop in my tracks when I read things like:
1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.
5. Go deep. The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.
8. Drift. Allow yourself to wander aimlessly. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.
14. Don’t be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Free yourself from limits of this sort.
42. Remember. Growth is only possible as a product of history. Without memory, innovation is merely novelty. History gives growth a direction. But a memory is never perfect. Every memory is a degraded or composite image of a previous moment or event. That’s what makes us aware of its quality as a past and not a present. It means that every memory is new, a partial construct different from its source, and, as such, a potential for growth itself.
And now, I’m asking a barage of questions… wishing, hoping, planning, dreaming, aching… I’m inspired… and I need to do something about it.
What’s inspiration like with you?
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Write a Comment»When I was in college during the early seventies, I had a sociology professor who began one of the final exam questions with this statement:
Western thinking often tends to dichotomize phenomena into either/or categories, whereas, a both/and perspective might prove to be more fruitful in analysis.
As an artistic person, I have always been inspired by this because of the inherently inspiring implications. It says to keep an open mind.
“What’s inspiration like with you? ”
Usually I have inspiration these days after a can of RedBull… or any strong jolt of caffeine
Anyways when I’m inspired, everything looks good… lines, shapes, colors, every form falls into place. I usually draw, sketch, or paint fast and produce lots of stuff knowing inspiration is not a permanent thing, the next day I will be like “this all suck” again. I’m still not in the point where inspiration could be turned on and off…
this post inspired me. =)
inspiration is like a nice hot cup of belgian coffee (nescafe cafe style), with skinny strips of orange rind mixed in with the chocolate. =)
(is it possible we could chat overnight just by ourselves one day in december? looking forward to your visit!)
- aileen
MarinadeDave: Wise words indeed. Good professors always have such inspiration that stays long after we get our diplomas. Thanks for sharing.
Diong: I can empathise. It’s strange, how we sometimes feel on top of the world with what we’re creating and the next thing, we feel down in dumps. Argh. :-p
Aileen: That’s nice for a change. Often YOU’RE the one inspiring me.
‘not sure about going off on our own one night in December… but we can try! I’ll definitely keep you posted, esp. closer to the time. Are you teaching anytime then? ‘would love to sit in one of your classes!