Are you inspired?

Watching the Sound of Music inspired me...it usually does.  I always get the urge to glide out of my little house twirlling my front yard singing with all my might. Makes me forget the pavement is uneven, and the door doesn't stayed closed unless you bolt it and well the neighbors are not really the Sound of Music "type," so movie inspirations have to go elsewhere. 

I am constantly looking for inspiration.  When I am feeling particularly spent from a long binge of writing there are a few tricks that seem to get me going...

1) Routine. 
Not the most sexy of inspirational words, but man I love it.  It is like that afternoon walk, you start to crave it look forward to it.  This has been my saving grace many a day.  I know the writing will be at 6-midnight everyday there are no questions 1,000 words will be done.  On those days when feeling super seeped in creativity I may start a little early but that is just gravy on top of the regular day's work, because I won't finish early I will only add to what I already have.

Not only is the time routine but I "get into my office."  Settled into the sofa, pillow on my lap with the laptop perched on top, glasses on and the earbuds in listening to my tunes I am in the zone.  As soon as I get in the position I can feel it, building inside ready to come out words race to be the first to sprint to my fingertips. According to Mark McGuinness I am on the right track, in his blog RSS Creativity, creativity is a balance of routine, systems and spontenaity.

I've tried not having a routine.  Jack Cheng on his blog states that "no routine is the worse routine." I have to agree it was an utter fail for me as well.  Whatever gives you the feeling that you are ready to work, make it yours and do it regularly enough to make that connection to the activity to the creative deed. 

There is an entire blog of interviews of artistic masters and what their routines are to be creative. 

2)Mindless wondering.
When I am so stuck I can't find my way out need a little brain message.  I hop on www.stumbleupon.com.  Just the random clicking and I find the most random and amazing things that I would have never found on my own.  It is truely a cool exercise.

3) Join the world.
The boring exestinces of being chained behind a laptop can suck the life out of you.  Every now and then getting out in crowded spaces and sitting still is all I need.  I don't have to be apart of the crazy life around me.  I pull out the notepad and write, listen, observe and ponder what the story is behind the drama that surround us everyday. It is the real life sound of music that gets my pen twirling around the page.