Have You Lost Your Creative Spirit?

Every now and then I feel creatively a bit lost.  I find it hard to get inspired and this means it's harder to get motivated to start working.  It's interesting that during these times we say that we have lost our "creative spirit" and that we want to be "inspired."

Looking at these two expressions reveals some interesting ideas.  The ancient Greeks used to think that we did in fact have a creative spirit to call upon.  Called a daemon (an ancient Greek name for a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans), they believed that this supernatural being was available to be called on to help when we want to be inspired.  The word "inspired" is also interesting.  Having it's roots in the breath, the words "inspire" and "expire" at birth and death mean to have the breath or spirit come in or go out. So being "inspired" is to have the creative spirit come in, an interesting thought.

Steven Pressfield wrote a wonderful and very inspirational, there's that word again, book called "The War of Art."   In part three of this book he tells how he invites the creative spirit or muse every day before he starts his creative process.  It's a book that I highly recommend along with his new one called  "Do the Work."

While I was thinking about this I came across a video called "A New Way to Think About Creativity" where Elizabeth Gilbert of "Eat, Pray, Love" fame talks about a similar idea.  It's rather a long video but she is a good speaker and I think it's well worth watching. 

On Saturday I leave with two friends to go to an art workshop in South Carolina.  Perhaps I will invite my Muse to come along too!