Jan 31, 20205 min read

How does inspiration work—why do you feel uninspired?

Updated: Feb 12, 2020

A man holding a click pen in one hand and a paint brush in the other — Photo by Alice Dietrich on Unsplash

The morning alarm goes off, and you wake up. Now, you are in bed, deep in your thoughts. Today is the big day you are finally going to start writing that science-fiction novel you always wanted to publish one day. You sit in the bed, just for some more, and contemplates a distant future, What would it be like to finally be a writer? How good will your book be? But suddenly, a wave of misery sweeps into the room from out of nowhere, your face crumples, and you start thinking about your daily chores, work, commitments, grocery shopping, and even making breakfast. You shake your head, then sighs with your head down, yawns, and your head falls back on the comfortable pillow to dream some more. If this sounds familiar, you have been there just like me—we have all been there. Drowned in a multitude of emotions, lethargic and unimpressed, you ask yourself that nagging question, why do I feel so uninspired? Well, before addressing why let’s see how inspiration works.

What exactly is inspiration? And why is it so ambiguous?

Inspiration is one of those things that’s hard to define, much like happiness or smiling. Even though we have superficial explanations of these on the internet, it’s truly hard to grasp the concepts on a deeper level. But one of the reasons why the definition of inspiration is, even more, hazier than something like happiness or sorrow is because of peoples’ approach to the very subject. A group of researchers from the Department of Psychology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA, studied the challenges and opportunities of inspiration in the creative process. In their findings, which was published in the frontiers in Human Neuroscience[1], they discuss the uncertainty that revolves around defining inspiration.

The words "think outside the box" on a blackboard — Kaboompics on Unsplash

The researchers make the case of a lack of scientific study on inspiration. Generally, a good definition is something that holds shape across various dimensions of studies. But for some reason, when people from different disciplines study inspiration, there is not enough cross-pollination of information to give it a proper definition. In other words, the researchers state that the study of inspiration has been carried out in a domain-specific way over the years. While science has one explanation of inspiration or a lack thereof, philosophers and theologists have entirely different ways of elucidating inspiration.

Inspiration is a bridge, sort of

While I was researching on inspiration, I had several textbook “aha” moments. And often, when you get these insightful thoughts, a deeper understanding of a subject, you get a sudden rush of blood to the head, and you feel ecstatic, almost like you took the red pill(unexpected matrix reference), and you now see everything beyond your prior limitations. Make no mistake, it is an incredible feeling to experience, but if you think that’s what inspiration is, you’re mistaken, not by much, but still, we’re talking about subtly linked emotions.

The creative process is a complicated sequence of events that involves both thoughts and action. According to the researchers, it is hard to find the predecessor of creative thoughts in the science realm, for subjects of muse and enlightenment, aren’t generally subject to scientific validation. But once that insightful moment hits you, and the creative juices start flowing, you feel an urge ‘to do’ or act upon the thought, such that it bears fruit, and this ‘urge’ to act upon a creative thought could well be defined as inspiration. To put in simple words, inspiration is not the source of creative ideas, but rather, it is the motivational response to them[2].

Is inspiration worth it?

Most of the time, inspiration doesn’t get the credit it deserves, mainly because of peoples’ approach towards a creative task. Most of the societies believe that it isn’t inspiration, but perspiration that’s vital to creative output [3]. The modern societies are built on stories of perspiration. A hard-worker always gets the nod ahead of the inspired individual, who is often asked to quit dreaming and start working. Perspiration always delivers good results, and we know this from experiences and stories, but sometimes we forget that inspiration is what gets the fire burning in the first place.

the words "get the creativity flowing" written on a wall — Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

According to the researchers, inspiration and effort predict different qualities of creative output. While inspiration predicts the creative elements of the finished product, perspiration generally reflects its technicality aspects. Nonetheless, both criteria are useful tools, and when they are given the proper nurture and attention they deserve, their worth is often reflected in the finished product.

So, Why do you feel uninspired then?

As mentioned before, inspiration is not something that you pull out of the top shelf. It is a response to deep thought. Then perhaps the question shouldn't be why you are feeling uninspired—maybe it should be focused on your deep thoughts. After all, inspiration is just a reaction to these thoughts. For instance, a curious mind is in a constant state of questioning the world around it, and when you do this often, it sparks creative thoughts, and inspiration will often follow. But the moment you stop contemplating, the 'ordinary' thoughts begin to take shape, and this is bad for inspiration.

The depth of the inspiration is also subjective. Anybody can have an insightful moment or a creative thought, but the emotional response to this thought would vary according to the individual—while some might get inspired to create, others might feel a lack of it— it depends on the approach temperament[4]. Consider a scenario where your thought invokes inspiration, an inspiration to write something, but while in that purposeful state, you start thinking about making lunch or going shopping. It would completely squander the moment, and that state of purpose completely leaves the system.

Should you stay away from boredom?

So, if asking questions is all it takes to induce purpose, then wouldn’t boredom be a nice state to be in? Well, a big resounding yes— Contrary to our concepts of boredom, it actually does a world of good. A bored mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is curious enough to ask questions, to think out of the ordinary, and studies have shown over and over again that boredom induces creative thoughts. A piece of paper in a state of boredom might lead to an origami swan. Kids do this all the time; it is the exact reason why you find LEGO blocks in odd places in the room. When a five-year-old gets bored, they think creative thoughts, and since they are not bound by responsibilities, daily chores, or making dinner for that matter, they act out these thoughts, in other words, their creativity bears fruit. As trivial as it might sound, boredom is your friend when you lack inspiration.

Boy sitting and holding electronic parts — Kevin Jarrett on Unsplash

So, if you want to write that elusive book, zone out by all means, and while doing so, go and get bored, let your mind wander and daydream. But at the same time, let your inner child ask the silliest questions, devoid your mind of responsibilities, be curious, foresee the ending to your book, bask in the glory it will bring you, and in the umpteenth time your mind wanders, you will have finally gotten that creative spark, and forged from that thought shall be your inspiration for the day!