Inspiration: what you see is not what you get

Inspiration comes in mysterious ways but one of them is not staring tensely at a blank screen or page. Our brains get cluttered with everyday expectations blocking the freeways for our imagination to wonder, speculate, and activate our creativity.

Less than a week before my new book is released and my mind is in that congested state, so I turned to a way of clearing the debris that I usually find effective: stop striving and simply look. I look at pictures.

Stills, as opposed to video or even watching a street scene, are particularly good for this because you see only a second in time – more often a 100^th of a second – and what led up to or will take place after that moment is up to your mind to create.

The fascinating thing is, ‘what you see’ may be different for each set of eyes, or even each time one looks at the same image because our perception changes with mood and situation – a fact that can make a mockery of an ’eye witness account’.

I tend to think visually, see time, space and events in patterns and scenes, but even if you don’t, quietly focusing on a picture can stimulate the imagination to a ripple of ideas. So for this week’s post, I share with you five random pictures – may they bring you inspiration.

What is left behind? Or is it the ‘going’ that is more important?

What ghosts of joy, sorrow and hope linger here?

Age need not dim those finer feelings of appreciation and affection…

‘Shame’ – but whose?

The opening scene… or is this the finale? 

Have an inspiring day!

Trish Nicholson is the author of, A Biography of Stories, A Brief History of Humanity, the first global history of storytelling. You can find out more about this special book HERE.