How to catch an inspiration

When you need to write a paper, a proposal, or an application, what do you do to catch a creativity spark?

Do you find yourself walking around or doing other things hoping that inspiration will visit you to help you get started with the writing?

A couple of years ago, this is what I would do to get creative: I would go for a walk (or several walks) and it used to take me a couple of days to “catch” an inspiration.

Often I would feel inspired after tiding my desk or a room in the house, if I was working from home.

When I asked my Facebook friends what they do to catch inspiration, I got the replies such as “watch sports” and “go to gym then sauna”. A friend also told me that before starting to work on a creative project she likes to do something completely different, so to say “completely fall out of the project” for half an hour.

When we come back from doing those activities, we feel refreshed in our mind and inspired to work on our creative project.

So I asked myself what the above activities have in common. By doing those things we stop thinking those thoughts full of worries about the difficult task in front of us. In the above activities such as walking and working out in a gym, we also get in touch with our bodies focusing our attention on the inner energy.

Getting in touch with our bodies and stilling our mind – we do it subconsciously while on a walk or in a gym – are the key things to catching inspiration and getting creative.

What would happen if we consciously make our mind still and direct our attention inside our body?

Exactly! We would get inspired without leaving our desk, and when we need it. To get creative can take as little as few moments. And after all, not always we can afford to walk around for a couple of days, or go to a gym and sauna – often there is not enough time left for starting and completing the project. Or sometimes you are required to “get creative” on a spot!

In his book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle says: “Whenever … a creative idea is needed, stop thinking for a moment”.

Try now the following.

Become still.

Stop thinking.

You can achieve it by focusing your attention on your inner body feeling the inner energy field. Direct your awareness into the inside of your hands, your feet, your chest etc. Notice your breathing. Feel the life within.

“Become aware of the stillness”, as Tolle puts it, “When you resume thinking, it will become fresh and creative”.

Now you are ready to get started with writing. Use the powerful steps on how to stop procrastinating and start writing I have described earlier in my blog.

So how does it work? Why stilling our mind makes us creative?

Usually the major part of our attention is taken up by thinking, full of worries and negativity. By stilling our mind we create space into which the inspiration can enter. When we become still, we get receptive to creative thoughts and sparkly ideas.

This way, the mind becomes just another tool. And you get the power of using your mind creatively, when you need it.

Make feeling your inner body from time to time into a habit. It can be especially helpful when you are upset about something and need to figure out a solution quickly. As Tolle says, “Don’t just think with your head, think with your whole body”.

Happy and creative accomplishing!

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