Sharing, Participating, Interacting Fuel Creativity

Though many times it seems that artists find ideas and create in their own world, it is truly not the case that any of us live in a vacuum. In an article in the Metronews(article now gone)one of the participants of a think tank for designers is quoted as saying,  "Creative media is about inspiration. We all work in a void and we’re out of touch with each other."

What we see and what we will continue to see, is that inspiration is found in some form of human interaction. In a fascinating article in FastCompany, it spotlights a company in Switzerland called The Brainstore which creates and sells ideas to anyone and everyone from what I can tell. Rather than wait for the kind of flash of inspiration we all love so much, they  "approach the manufacturing of ideas with as much rigor and as much discipline as you apply to the manufacturing of assembly-line products."

Creating ideas, creating new art, creating new music, etc. requires discipline, systems and time. There will be flashes of inspiration, but the practice of creating when they aren’t there helps increase their frequency.

Going back a step, the participation with other people - feeding off each others’ ideas is the biggest starting point. Note the quote in the Santa Monica Mirror -   "The role of the arts is not to motivate, but to inspire, bringing us a higher perspective."  Even without discussion, art, music, culture, architecture etc. can fuel the creative juices.

I don’t know who said it, but there is nothing completely original under the sun. We all share human bodies and human experience and our role is to add from our particular perspective and vantage point. Inspiration and creativity which seem like such independent activities are actually communal.

See Also

• Fast Company: Great Ideas in Aisle 9
  The Brainstore - providing ideas to top companies and individuals
• Santa Monica Mirror - Art Renaissance in Santa Monica
  Among discussion of art flourishing is role in providing inspiration