Day 9: Inspire #write31days2018

Since one of the my themes for the Write 31 Days challenge is “creativity”, today’s prompt word inspire is the perfect chance to explore that topic a bit. I have just started getting back in touch with some of my more creative endeavors after a period of dryness and feeling uninspired, so the connection between creativity and inspiration is relevant to me.

Sometimes I think I have put too much stock in feeling “inspired” to be creative. I am finding here lately that I need to just start doing something creative, whether I feel the desire to do the thing or not. Because in the process, I either get inspired or I at least feel a sense of satisfaction at having exercised my artistic muscles. 

For example, just last week, I cleaned out my much neglected knitting basket. I found two projects that I have worked on a little bit here and there without finishing them for over 3 years. I picked up one project the next night and started moving the needles and yarn again for the first time since last winter. It wasn’t that I was particularly inspired to finish the piece. But it felt good to be making something with my hands, nonetheless. I had forgotten the satisfaction of watching those little rows add up and take on a new shape.

For me, working on something artistic, even without the initial inspiration, actually did inspire me to begin working on more creative projects, especially those involving more than just a computer screen and keyboard. I think this is one of those cases in which the feelings follow the action, and after that the feelings can fuel the action!

This post is part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes and Write 31 Days blogging challenges. Find all my posts in this series under the tag “write31days2018.”