Flow

Sometimes the inspiration well is empty. Other times it is like a river, the current surging, almost overflowing it's banks. For me, that is what flow is like. Whereas inspiration is the spark that ignites the creative spirit in me, resulting in a new piece of art, flow is a horse of a different color. ( no pun intended)  Inspiration is momentarely, fleeting. Here one second, gone the next. When I feel inspired, I know that I need to act upon it quickly, for just as quick as it came, it will surely disappear just as quick.

But back to flow. Flow is different; flow is special. It comes wave after wave and it starts to energize me. For me it's like an electrical current pulsating in my veins. It's a tingling sensation that says to me "create ~ create ~create !!!  The inspiration is not fleeting ~ it is continuous where time seemingly disappears and I am lost in the action of doing. It can last for days ( or even weeks) and I get totally focused in the process of creating. But then one day it too will leave, and I will feel the absence of it. At times like these I simply take a break from creating, knowing that in the least expected moment, "flow" will once more return and I be "in the zone" to create.

This applies not only to my art, but to my writing as well. When I am in the state of "flow", words will pour out on paper, like water from a spigot. I will write and write and write until there are no more words left to say. Like my art, I have learned to stop and put my writing aside, when the words no longer come to me. It is best not to force inspiration, but rather let it come to you.

In my writing, (unlike flow), sometimes I will have just a fleeting thought that I will simply jot down in a notebook. ( to me that is inspiration) Later, I will be drawn back to those words and have the ability to create something wonderful from them. I have notebooks of words, thoughts and phrases that have inspired me, just waiting to be utilized at some point in the future. When flow strikes, I'll be ready!