Inspiration and Creativity

Within the scope of these three essays, the thought of inspiration and concentration dominates the act of creating. Max Ernst describes the method to which he creates, "it is a multi-level process which involves a catalog of different feelings and visions. These images themselves suggested new ways for them to meet in a new unknown (the plane of unsuitability). All I had to do was to add, either by painting, or drawing, to the pages of the catalogue" (Ernst 61). To Ernst, creativity is a spark in which he can add fuel to and nurse the flames into a higher, hotter fire. Of course, this asks the question: is creativity out in the world waiting to be discovered, or is it buried within ourselves, lying in wait for some sort of lightning bolt to strike us down with inspiration?

Amy Lowell's essay on poetry allows one to follow the path of a poem as it is being made. She constructs the process in which she finds inspiration and subsequently births a poem. With this, she acknowledges the beginnings of a poem. Just where does the poem begin? "Sometimes the external stimulus which has produced a poem is known or can be traced. It may be a sight, a sound, a thought, or an emotion. Sometimes the consciousness has no record of the initial impulse, which has either been forgotten or springs from a deep, unrealized memory" (Lowell 111). Lowell suggests that inspiration may not always been known, but it happens, either consciously or unconsciously.

Concentration is one of major thoughts of Stephan Spender's essay. "The problem of creative writing is essentially one of the concentration, and the supposed eccentricities of the poets are usually due to mechanical habits or rituals developed in order to concentrate" (Spender 114). The ability to focus solely on the process is one of the major factors of creating. Some poets can withstand and thrive on tons of noise, while others need silence. Many have pre-writing rituals in which to find their inner voice. I myself have the compulsion to clean my house before I can create, but this ritual allows me to forgo the world about me and truly focus on my writing. I also have to have a soundtrack personally made in which to produce the most creative results. Certain songs elicit a stronger result than others. However, inspiration and concentration are key to producing a solid piece of work; this includes the puttying technique which Lowell discusses in her essay. Like anything, a work has to been preened and snipped until it is best of show quality.

Ernst, Max. "Inspiration to Order" The Creative Process. Brewster Ghiselin, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985
Lowell, Amy. "The Process of Making Poetry," The Creative Process. Brewster Ghiselin, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985
Spender, Stephen. "Making of a Poem," The Creative Process. Brewster Ghiselin, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985