When do we feel inspired?

And the role of inspiration in creativity

Scientific definitions can sometimes take a concept that in everyday life is rich with meaning and associations and make it seem dry. Psychologists define feeling inspired as a state that motivates a person to pursue action related to the source of inspiration.

Great creators make the feeling of inspiration more vivid and visceral. Leonardo da Vinci described in A Treatise on Painting finding inspirations anywhere and everywhere, “I will not omit to introduce among these precepts a new kind of speculative invention, which though apparently trifling, and almost laughable, is nevertheless of great utility in assisting the genius to find variety in composition. By looking attentively at old and smeared walls, or stones and veined marble of various colors, you may fancy that you see in them several compositions, landscapes, battles, figures in quick motion, strange countenances, and dresses, with an infinity of other objects. By these confused lines the inventive genius is excited to new exertions.” He points to key features of inspiration: openness (in his case to see potential compositions in objects around him), emotional activation (excitement), and motivation (toward new exertions).

In a paper presented at the Marconi Institute of Creativity conference in Trieste, Italy,

Kaile Smith

and Jennifer Drake asked what is the relationship between feeling inspired and creativity. They suspected that there might be differences in the experience of inspiration and how it affects those who are routinely creative in their everyday lives (creatives) and those who are not (non-creatives). The researchers did not imply a lack of creative potential in the group of non-creatives, but focused on the differences in people’s daily activities. The creatives were professionals in typical creative industries (such as designers and creative directors), students in creative disciplines, and hobbyists. The non-creative group took part in creative activities less often, had fewer creative achievements, and thought of themselves as less creative.   

For two weeks, researchers asked 300 people daily questions about how much inspiration they experienced and about their daily creativity. In the end, they collected 3,314 surveys. The key finding was that how inspired people felt made a difference in what they did. Feeling inspired predicts creativity in both creatives and non-creatives.

The differences between creatives and non-creatives emerge in the nature of experience of inspiration. First, researchers asked people to look back and reflect how often they tended to feel inspired in their lives in general. Creatives felt inspired more strongly and more often than non-creatives. There were also differences in sources of inspiration, with creatives being more inspired by their own ideas and when alone, by ideas and actions of other people, and they tended to be more driven to achieve when inspired.

The results were similar when researchers analyzed feelings of inspiration in specific daily situations. Creatives felt more inspired on a daily basis and they were inspired both by something and by someone. The biggest difference between them and the non-creative group was in the consequences of being inspired. Creatives were inspired to do and to make. They did not just feel inspired, they acted on it. They intentionally sought inspiration, shared it, and put effort in developing those idea sparks into something concrete.

Finally, creatives and non-creatives were inspired at different stages of the creative process. For creatives, inspiration was most strongly related to developing ideas. By contrast, for non-creatives, inspiration was related to coming up with new ideas.

Lessons for greater inspiration? We have agency in relation to our feelings and do not have to wait to be struck by inspiration. Creative doers know this and actively look for inspiration, just like Da Vinci described. And creatives also know that creativity is not only in ideas, but also in the process of growing and transforming them. This is inspiring in itself.

References

Da Vinci, L. (1956). Treatise on Painting: Codex urbinas latinus 1270 (Vol. 2). Princeton University Press.

Smith, K., & Drake, J. (2023). Investigating daily inspiration and creativity in creative and non-creative individuals. Paper presented at the Marconi Institute of Creativity conference, Trieste, Italy.