Cultivating Inspiration
“It is my objective to take your inspiration and make it tangibly moving, beautiful and memorable”.
This is the byline for Song Video Alchemy.
This first newsletter is about inspiration!
― Saul Bellow
Why is inspiration important?
From the root “spirit” which means “breath”, inspiration means to breathe life into. By recognizing, cultivating and acting on our inspiration, we are breathing life into ourselves: our bodies, emotions and mind. Inspiration does effect us on these three levels of existence. When we are inspired we feel alive and we have a purpose. We are excited and have gratitude when we`re inspired!
How do we recognize inspiration?
Inspiration, whether it be an idea; a quote; an image; a piece of music or a person, captures our imagination, our senses and our heart. It raises our vibration, however small that increase may be. From that elevation new possibilities come into view, new energy enters our system for embodying and expressing that spark. We become an instrument for this higher energy to manifest in the world and to likewise inspire others.
How do we cultivate inspiration?
I find that coming up with a title, a short phrase that is a snapshot, works for me. It should be something that begs for elaboration, like the title of this newsletter. It should encapsulate the vision so it can be unpacked when we have the time. For me, the unpacking usually occurs through writing, but it can have other outpourings as well like images, a melody, a song, a movement or a dialogue between characters. It could also express itself as an exercise or a meditation, i.e., some kind of activity that would by repetition develop the original idea into a tangible presence in the world.
How do we act on our inspirations?
Acting on our inspirations requires faith, courage and discipline. We have to believe that inspiration is a good thing to share. By acting on our inspiration we are completing the cycle within ourselves, raising the vibration of others and contributing to a better world.
However, even if we know the benefits of our sharing, we may have to contend with our inhibitions and our doubts, e.g: will people like it , will people think I am weird, will people think I`m pretentious or silly or who am I to inspire others? The thing about inspiration, though, is that it has a life of it`s own. If you can narrow your focus to the stream of inspiration, it will in a sense express itself. But then, you have to press the send button and that sometimes takes courage. What are the implications for you and the world if you don`t send it?
You may just collect a bunch of titles or get only halfway through fleshing out the vision or have it ready to send but can`t decide whether to click or not. If you want inspiration to be a vital element in your life, you have to show Source that you have the capacity and the discipline to bring inspiration to completion.
Cultivating inspiration is a way of integrating the spiritual, the creative and daily life. By recognizing inspiration we turn our eyes to Source to receive. By fleshing out the inspiration we embed this spirit into our psyche. By sharing it we make ourselves a vessel through which this divine outpouring can move through us into the world on a regular basis. We have mastered a large aspect of the art of living!
Please share this if you feel inspired!