“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

~ W. Somerset Maugham

In recent years the idea of ‘being in it’ has come up for me again and again. There have been seasons in my life—not literal seasons, but spells of time—where I’ve had to prioritize different things. Sometimes it has been my art practice, sometimes it has been health, or work, or any number of things that require my time and attention. 

After a season where my art practice has taken a back seat, I always feel as though I have no motivation, no momentum, no inspiration to create. One of the best ways I’ve found to combat this feeling is to just start looking at things. Researching others’ work, process, and thoughts, then spending time processing my own. This practice of exposing myself to art sparks ideas of my own, which in turn evolve and grow into new ideas. As soon as I begin looking around me, rather than just trying to think of ideas, that is when inspiration strikes.

This reflection on inspiration isn’t a new idea, or even one that comes from me, but just observing my own relationship to inspiration. Particularly over the past year, my attitude towards ‘being in it’ has changed. Now I’m looking at my observations and working to use them intentionally; How will I create a habit of ‘being in it’ and build that into a practice? 

There is no right answer here, just a journey.