Inspiration-what is it?

What is inspiration, how do you know when you are inspired, what is its root, how does it come about? To the first question a dictionary should have a meaning, second psychologist or psychological studies should be able to point you in the right direction. I am constantly looking to be inspired, from anything around me whether organic or inorganic; dead or alive. It is very random how it comes to one, I’d be watching a TV show and a certain scene makes me feel something; and there it is, inspiration—a burst of fleeting moments that can potentially or drastically change one’s life and fortunes (not that I believe in luck).

Back when I started writing I’d be in my sleep and suddenly wake up to an idea for a piece; without a thought I’d wake up and scribble whatever got me up onto my note book, the next morning I would edit the piece. That’s how I got hit by inspiration back then, now it is emotions relating to an event or something. Now, why am I writing a piece on inspiration when there has been so much already, what different angel do I bring to this subject; the answer is “nothing”, I obviously have not matured or am not learned enough to be issuing opinion on such a heavy subject.

I have read some of these “inspirational” books and relating quotations from all over, I still do not understand how they are supposed to get one inspired; in true sense, my experience in a particular subject is only knowledge to how you would experience the same thing. Only a select few of these quotations have sunk in and caused a stir within me: “Everything you do in life will be insignificant...but it's very important that you do it.”—Ghandi; in some portion it echoes the book of Ecclesiastes, “vanity of vanity.” Inspiration is not something that can be imparted like knowledge or passed on to someone, as I would define it; a spontaneous burst of excitement towards a certain idea or vision. With this excitement individuals decide how they act on them. We have heard of how the law of gravity came to be, an apple falling onto Einstein’s head. Looking at it you’d think—hang on, how did he know that the gravitation force is constant? That is inspiration right there, undefinable fleeting moments.

To answer the “why” question, simply; I got inspired to write about inspiration; what to write about inspiration was then just left to my creative writing imagination. The view I am trying to get across from this is rather than reading for inspiration why can’t we just think about it. Whenever I wanted to write something but not yet inspired, I’d start by mumbling random phrases that I think are poetic; from that I look around for ideas to encourage my soon to be inspiration. A lot, if not majority, of the things we do in life to some level require inspiration, hunger inspires cooking or buying food; problems inspire one to think of possible solutions.

Does reading inspirational books and quotations do for you, keep at it. Do you circumstance and situations instills inspiration in you, embrace such, hell; seek it as though your life depends on it, because up to a point it might save.