by Marie Antonia Parsons

Created on: December 04, 2009

Creative Inspiration: Where do our ideas come from?

Ideas of any kind come from two places: within us, and from around us. So it should be with creative ideas.

Novelists are often asked where do you get your ideas? No matter their degree of fame, the answer is generally always the same. I get my ideas from things going on around me. You and I have ideas all the time. What do I need from the supermarket, what color yarn should I use for this scarf, how shall I cook the fish, how long should I make this essay-should I make Vivian the heroine, or should I let Justin finally save the day?

Ideas from Within

Deciding to bake a fish with a lemon sage marinade, or to knit a pale green sweater, are ideas we get from within us. When we decide to make our villain grow into a reluctant hero, or to not let the two lovers actually live happily ever after, those are decisions we make. They come from a momentary burst of inspiration, an ahhh moment. They are inspired by something we overheard someone say. We came up with the idea after reading a book. Or we just want the story to end this way instead of that way, for a change.

What follows will mostly be focused on the inspiration for writing, but the principles can apply to painting, sculptingany creative endeavor.

Creative inspiration is usually thought of in terms of artistic endeavors. We want to write a short story, or that great novel. Or we want to simply write the best essay on this subject. How can we do so? From where will come our inspiration, and how shall we write down the idea that inspires us.

That first creative spark comes from within us. No guru or motivating champion can really do it for us. The idea for the story, novel or essay comes from our own need to make a statement. Something fires our hearts, every day. Whether it is the smile on our child's face, or the light in the eyes of our sweetheart, or our anger at a social injustice, or perhaps a set of facts we learned from, we are moved by events and information. Be it on the causes of the last great war, or on the condition of the educational system, we each take that first creative step by choosing an idea about which to write.

But having that spark, that idea is not enough. The idea inspires us, but when we answer the question why does this excite us-then our creativity takes full hold. What do we know about this subject that we can share and write about? How would we describe the condition of the educational system, or why do we think conflict exists between

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