Where does inspiration come from?

In my imagination, inspiration is a sparkle of tiny fireflies glowing with the magic of beautiful potential. But where do they come from, these ideas that send sparks of electricity through our minds?

When I first created my affirmations a few years ago, I wrote one that said, ‘my mind is full of amazing ideas’.

Affirmations are simple, positive words of encouragement. Repeated often, they can become a spell that teaches us to love ourselves, believe in ourselves, take control and enable positive change.

My mind already was (and still is) brimming with ideas. So many in fact, that after a while, I realised it was not something I actually needed to affirm!

But what I continue to be curious about is; what is inspiration, where do those ideas come from and how to sift through them to find those that are ‘meant for me’?

What is it?

The Oxford Dictionary defines inspiration as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative”.

The Collins Dictionary defines it as “Inspiration is a feeling of enthusiasm you get from someone or something, which gives you new and creative ideas”.

While these are a little flat (I guess that’s to be expected from a dictionary?) they seem to fit the bill for a reasonable definition. How would you define inspiration?

Where does it come from?

In the words of Terry Pratchett, “Inspiration particles sleet through the universe, each heralding a moment of brilliance: a new symphony, a way of getting from A to B quicker than before, lines for a new play, or deeper understanding of something than was previously comprehended.

Most of them are doomed to miss, or to reveal their brilliance to a brick wall or a starling, which is totally unequipped to deal with the revelation.

Some however, hit the right mind at the right time, and a little later you are blinking foolishly in the TV lights and wondering how the hell you thought of sliced bread in the first place...”

Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Big Magic, describes inspiration as treasures that are within us, “The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.” She talks about creativity being “a presence in our lives, a force of enchantment not entirely human in its origins.”

Although a divine presence or otherworldly influence are not part of my belief system, I am completely in love with and delighted by both explanations.

My own belief is that the source of inspiration is ‘just’ us. I believe that the magic lies in the unique tapestry of our lives, our memories and experiences, our knowledge, talents and emotions. I believe that the tiny fireflies of inspiration that glow and flit and glitter around us can be sparked consciously or unconsciously by any one of our senses.

Is it meant for me?

When I imagine my fireflies, I know that attempting to catch one would be sacrilegious. It is the beauty of their sparkle and flight that delights me and to capture it would be to destroy it. I think it’s the same with ideas and inspiration. If you try and capture it, it loses its essence. Like a pinned butterfly, it becomes a lifeless specimen. but sometimes, in that perfect moment, they will alight, softly glowing with their inspirational magic.

whatever you believe about where inspiration comes from and what it is, I hope that its tantalising magic alights with you.

I keep my fireflies with me as one of the wallpapers on my phone and I have a canvas print in my studio.

If you would like them to inspire you too, here is the link to download for free as a wallpaper for your phone.

If you are a paid subscriber, I will share a separate link for you to download a high resolution digital art print of Fireflies.

Bye for now,

P.S. Please tell me in the comments; what do you think inspiration is and where do you think it comes from? I’d love to know 💛