For those of us who live inside the world of artistic creativity, chasing that ever-elusive muse is more satisfying than the strongest of addictions. It often comes easy, like drawing an effortless breath or taking a Sunday drive along an oceanfront road, allowing the world of make believe to magically enter your bloodstream. It's thrilling, and oh so satisfying and rewarding when it happens, most likely leaving you craving and hungering for more as it leaves, disappearing like a adrenaline-filled lovers kiss.
When I first began writing, doing something creative was pretty foreign to me. Coming from a mostly aviation-related background, where job skills are very precise and technical in nature, required turning 180 degrees to fit inside an atmosphere where reality was simply a figment of my imagination. But I had stories floating around, characters to be represented, and a passion to empty my mind with words on a page. It didn't come easy as fingertips started dancing along the lifeless keyboard. Lots of work, and quiet moments began filling my schedule, and many times I simply wanted to let it go. But, like I said before, creating something from nothing is one of the most rewarding things that we, as human beings, can ever encounter. And I've enjoyed experiencing this phenomenon firsthand.
Many of you are authors and bloggers, so you are well aware of what inspires you to write. As I sat down to create this article, for instance, I didn't come up with the subject until about ten minutes before clicking on Microsoft Word, when quickly, I thought, why not delve into what makes each of us creative? What draws out those irresistible feelings we want to share and must let out? And why are some drawn to making things up, when most live with what's placed before them. In other words, what they see with their eyes, touch with their skin, and hear with their ears is what they get, nothing more to it than that until watching a tear jerker on TV or movie inside a theatre where the fictional storyline leaves them breathless and wondering, "Where did that come from!"
I've talked with several people who are artistic and creative in nature. I often listen to interviews from directors, actors, writers, musicians, architects, and lovers of that which breathes life into the breathless, bringing forth those cherished works of art we all love when their completed. Most have the same traits in common: a churning passion and drive to satisfy them through outward expression, an overwhelming need to manufacture things which are beautiful, dynamic, and alluring to the senses, and creating something which turns others into mush, while drawing out feelings and emotions they never knew they had. I say, thank God for these people, they craft a world of make believe into something real and special for us all.
So what inspires your creativity? What gets your juices flowing when all you have is a rough boulder to sculpt or dreamed-up story to write? And what makes you believe others might be excited to see or read what you've rattled off using your overactive imagination?
I've heard that John Grisham actually travels to the places he writes about. Dan Brown hangs upside down atop the floor of his attic to deal with writers block. David Baldacci and Tom Clancy spend hundreds of hours interviewing the types of characters they dream up, making them as realistic as possible. Nicolas Sparks sits on the beach for hours, alone, staring at white-tipped waves while observing the mannerisms of hand holding couples walking by trying to decipher their romantic stories. And James Cameron fills his movies with his restless dreams, depriving him of sleep most of the time. For some, listening to music, lighting candles, riding a bike, staring at a thunderstorm as it churns outside, or watching a movie inspires their creativity. For all, and simply put, there's no rhyme or reason of what makes it happen, it's just a matter of picking the right road and flipping that mysterious switch. Creativity is God-given, seductive, and oftentimes hard to catch. You'll chase it for hours, days, months, even years before something special hits you like a bolt of lightning. Then off you'll go, running as fast as you can, turning that vision into reality.
I recently wrote an article where I gave reviews of two movies: Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol and Red Tails. Although neither was awarded my 5 star seal of approval (Ha-Ha), I did appreciate the creative process of what it must've taken to manufacture each one. The camera angles showing Tom Cruise inching his way up the outside of that mega-storied building in MI, the sound effects of bombs exploding and airplanes dog fighting in Red Tails, and the script writing of both creating just the right words to say at just the right time were enough to inspire anyone's inner artist. It's a wonderful thing to see and feel, and once again, thank God for those who live in a world where their reality, is our fantasy.
Creativity is everywhere once you learn to listen, actually feel the speed of the wind, and see inside the essence of another person's soul.
Good luck finding your inner muse.
To see more of Randy Mitchell's writing, visit his website @ www.theinspirationalwriter.com. Books available online @ Amazon