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What is inspiration: creating, managing, looking for ideas


"As they say of ancient heroes, I too can say of myself that I have been smitten by Apollo," the German poet Gölderlin wrote to his friend Boehlendorf. As he travelled through France, that stroke turned into a new collection of poems. But when exactly does inspiration come?



We still perceive the phenomenon of inspiration as something unearthly, brought in from outside. It seems to us to be a manifestation of the soul's chaotic and uncontrollable impulses. It catches us on our way to work, in the shower or in the middle of the night. Inspiration comes when you want it to, and no creative task can be completed without it.



So let's get into the nitty-gritty of what inspiration is, how you can manage it and what you need to ignite its flame in your chest.

The answer to the question "how do you find inspiration?" - will begin with the need to prepare the right ground for it. In order to be inspired regularly, you need to possess 4 key characteristics:

Openness to new experiences
Broad-mindedness
Mastery of the workplace
Creativity


Any one of these characteristics is a voluminous task. But, as we'll see next, it's one of the secrets of why it's important to be able to manage inspiration. It works like a funnel: as soon as you enter the flow, it propels you closer and closer to new heights.

Extraction - Construction - New Opportunities

1. Extraction

At this stage we see what opportunities are in front of us. You gather as much information on the topic as possible. If it is a question of starting a new business, for example, it will be global trends, surveys and analysis of competitors, finding potential opportunities, meeting trendsetters and visionaries in your field.



2. Constructing

Once the new information has entered our consciousness, the natural process of thinking begins - the combination of the external with the internal. Combinatorics is a fundamental process. It is enough just to immerse oneself in solving a problem and it will start by itself. Each of us has this process built individually and the output of two people who receive the same input data will never create an identical list of associations and ideas. The question of how to create without waiting for inspiration is also removed. Just feed your imagination and get on with the task.



3. Discovering new possibilities

The third stage is the most important. It is where we develop strong ideas and motivation. We see the results that emerge during the design phase and inevitably want to implement them here and now. This motivation is a precious resource and should not be put off. Otherwise, it will quickly disappear.

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