When I’m singing and improvising, I look for and gravitate toward a sense of ease and effortless. Direction without expectation. My friend Lori says that when you play really well, you don’t remember much about it. She thinks (and I agree) it’s because you’re really present in that moment.

When I’m getting ready to write a post for this blog, I sit at the keyboard and wait to get inspired. I might cruise around the web or skim through some notes I’ve made, but most of it’s waiting.

I do the same thing when I’m singing spontaneously.

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Hold on, it’s less passive than it sounds.

I look for the things that resonate. I wait for the “click.” The sound of things falling into place. Of my internal tumblers aligning so something can become clear and accessible.

What I’m learning is that 9 times out of 10, I have a really good sense of what I’m doing should feel like. Maybe not what it looks like, or how exactly it will take shape, but when it’s right I just “know” it. Call it my gut, intuition, the real me, whatever. As one of my friends frequently says, “When I know, I know.”

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I’ve been thinking a lot about inspiration. What inspires me to create? Sound, color, texture? Places, events? What do other creative people do to get motivated and get moving? And, if I can quit hanging out with Procrastination and her pal Perfectionism, I hope to have a grasp on the topic and some things (tools, exercises, a workbook?) to share with you.

What about you? What inspires your creativity?