Inspiration, Reimagined
By Cindy Layton
The theme for the current issue of Poets and Writers is inspiration - where it comes from and what hinders it.
Inspiration is the spark that’s created when one’s lived experience meets the ether of the atmosphere, the force field that holds creative influences in its charge. When it strikes, we see before us the future, or the past, the people who inhabit these worlds, the places where they live, the actions that they take, the lime green sweater they wear, or the way they shuffle their feet across the floor. Those images hover about like a ghost, waiting for the writer to breathe life into them before they slip away.
Like most writers, I find inspiration from my past, from the world around me, and from my imaginings about the future. Most of it emanates organically, often without my immediate realization that I’ve reflected my collective experiences, transposed them upon imaginary people who move about and act in response to the circumstances I’ve constructed.
In the P&W Editor’s Note, Kevin Larimer opens the issue by describing his struggle to find focus and to connect with inspiration, because the world, as it is, is all-consuming of his attention.
Other responders to the theme were also hindered by the impact of world events on the energy required to access inspiration. Mind-numbing news is reported in rapid succession, daily, hourly, by the minute. War and conflict have diverted the writer’s attention and muted their voices in a maze of uncertainty.
When we’re distracted, when we’re consumed with the events of the world, the spark of inspiration may be faint, the ether mistaken for fog. Even if we recognize the spark, the elements for writing success may seem insurmountable: discipline, creativity, motivation. It’s all a step too far.
But Larimer then quotes Toni Morrison - “This is precisely the time when writers go to work…. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”
Sometimes inspiration must be reimagined. It may not present itself where we typically find it. Perhaps writing or reading in a different genre, or, switching up the time period may help.
Sometimes, what’s required is to embrace the malaise and write about it, even if it’s only a palate cleansing or a thought exercise. Or, reject it, and oppose its existence with it’s nemesis - positivity.
Maybe these days don’t offer the inspiration we like or want, but all around us is the inspiration we need. The alternative is to cede the space to the less inspired.
In 2024 may we all claim our space, embrace the inspiration that’s offered, and write from our own inspired voice.
