By Joan Acocella — 2015
What’s behind stagefright?
Read on www.newyorker.com
CLEAR ALL
Guy Garvey, Isaac Julien, Martha Wainwright and other artists give their top tips for unleashing your inner genius.
As a writer, I am in constant search for inspiration. Sometimes it comes to me out of the blue, but for the most part, I have to work hard for it. If only the solution were as simple as flipping a switch! Having creativity exercises on deck might just serve to unleash your creativity.
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How to deal with creative or mental blocks and be inspired.
Creative people are able to juggle seemingly contradictory modes of thought—cognitive and emotional, deliberate and spontaneous.
Any creative process is a dance between the inner and the outer; the unconscious and conscious mind; dreaming and doing; madness and method; solitary reflection and active collaboration.
Rather than looking to the usual sources for life hacks — you know, famous CEOs, world leaders, cult leaders — It’s time to look to a profession that often gets a tough rap (yet requires more grit and determination than most): Artists.
As the world of art broadens its borders and sets its sights on all realms of culture, ARTnews surveyed collaborations of various kinds for the August/September issue of the magazine.
Creativity is fragile: it needs to be fed enough inspiration, but not too much, for consuming an excessive amount of information may destroy its delicate balance. It needs space to grow, but should not be forced, for mechanical work may lead to lifeless output.
So making songs now that I know aren’t going to be heard by anybody else, it is an interesting thing. Because I think you have to do that now as an artist. I really do. —Donald Glover, Grantland interview
Fatigue is lethal to inspiration. Avoid anyone who drains. Go towards energy hot spots in your job—people and activities—so your time is skewed towards inspiration.