The Isles of Inspiration: how nature’s beauty inspires creativity
14 February 2024 – Vol 2, Issue 2.
Inspiration and Creativity – I have always wondered what bridges these two graceful aspects of mankind to bring forth magnificent pieces of expression through splashes of colours, weave beautiful worlds, melt souls with the magic of symphony and carve forms from lifeless materials.
How is it that some can set ablaze their tender spark of inspiration and create powerful art forms whilst some others may let it fade into the depths within themselves? How are some people inspired in a moment of a glimpse, yet many others are untouched by the same ambience? Am I creative and what holds the power that inspires me?
In this article, I will share my journey through the path of creativity. How recognising the moments that inspired me to express my artistic self, brings pure bliss and a sense of fulfilment. What I am about to share may help you find a renewed perspective in your creative journey.
The earth has music for those who listen. – William Shakespeare. Art: Gil Dekel with image-generating AI.
What is creativity? Creativity is a subtle yet powerful energy living within the chambers of one’s mind. It is like expressive rivers of energy, flowing and taking a tangible form in the shape of art. Artists see vivid colours in their mind’s eyes even before they hold a brush. Musicians can hear subtle tunes in their minds before their fingers bring forth the composition. And writers create universes beaming with characters in their minds even before they let the pen flow across the pages.
Creativity begins in people’s minds.
Creativity is an innate trait we are all born with. It just needs to be expressed. Everything that has a breath in it is creative, and we as humans have the ability to use creativity for self-expression and self-discovery, unlike other living forms that seem to use creativity for survival.
Inspiration is the unseen force that unleashes creativity in each one of us. A spark of inspiration holds the power to captivate our attention and focus. Inspiration can come from a place, thing, person, or moment that connects the external world with our inner emotions, feelings, and memories. In other words, the moon is ‘just’ a moon until one night we deeply look at it and suddenly feel a surge of emotions. These emotions give meaning to what our senses experience and create something out of it.
Each of us experiences the world differently, and so our moments and sources of inspiration vary. As an Individual, I enjoy writing, painting, and composing music. Writing is the one thing that makes me feel pure bliss and experience a sense of satisfaction. Writing has given me purpose and meaning, and being a writer makes me feel more of myself. I simply feel good writing, and the feeling of my pen effortlessly striding across the paper is like the flow of a gentle refreshing brook.
My childhood marked the beginning of my creative journey when my mum introduced me to the enchanting world of poems and painting. Her bedtime reading of Robert Frost’s words “… and miles to go before I sleep” was a charm in my young mind. I was amused at how the words of someone written centuries ago could elicit emotions and captivate me. I started to write as it became obvious to me that words have the power to touch anyone.
Also, the early morning walks in nature with my dad, who has been a great supporter in my creative journey, had a profound impact on me as a Kid. I was fascinated by the beauty of nature and began painting and writing about my experiences in nature as a child.
What was once a childhood amusement gradually began taking the shape of a hobby as I entered adulthood. I remember looking at a weaverbird’s nest for the first time and I couldn’t stop the awe that came to me – How could a bird build that? I began realising that nature had many beautiful things to offer us and that sometimes the untreaded paths in nature could lead us to beautiful experiences. This fuelled my passion for writing and made me pursue a career in science.
One rainy day, the dance of a simple mayfly insect opened my mind to a whole new world of nature’s mysteries, and I call it my “Moment of inspiration to creative ideas”. A mayfly has the shortest life expectancy of just 24 hours, but I understood that it doesn’t brood over it, it just lives the best of its life, explores its world, finds a mate, falls in love, and cherishes every minute it has.
For a moment I stood in awe of the message it holds for each of us. I captured that vivid memory in my sketchbook and wrote a couple of lines. This experience sparked a newfound interest in me, developing the basis for my creative works to this day. What if my paintings and writings could bring out the inspiring messages mysteriously hidden in the heart of nature? As a Life Science student, I began turning my scientific experiences into creative works of painting and writing to inspire myself and people.
The falling of leaves from trees, the sandy dunes of the desert, and the mood of seasons – everything in nature is not just a beauty to behold but a seed of inspiration. When we tune in and align our perspective into bringing these inspiring messages as artists, musicians, sculptors, and writers, we open avenues to connect in deeper ways with our world.
We don’t have to feel inspired every minute, but a simple walk in nature can give us an immense sense of peace and a calm mindset to strengthen our creativity.
Have I ever felt uninspired, blank, and inadequate about my creative works? Yes, I did, and it is very normal and human to feel so. There are days when I have felt blank like an inkless pen, and there are days when I feel ideas and creative thoughts effortlessly flowing.
When I understood what brings me bliss in my creative journey, I began going for more of it. This is one of the ways to keep our creative journey interesting and afresh. Find out what triggers’ inspiration in you – is it the colours of flowers, or sound of singing ice or just the smell of blooms. Once you recognise it create room for more of it.
Gradually my paintings and writing style evolved from that of self-reflection, self-healing, and self-discovery to conveying the sparks of inspiration coming from nature. As a writer, nature has always been a haven for me, and it has never failed to surprise me with her beauty and mysteries.
I always carry a pocket journal and a pen with me everywhere I go, because you never know how nature may hold surprises for you today, and you don’t want to let that go by. Sometimes in the quiet of my room I switch on some relaxing music and that puts me in a more feel-good state to write.
Great poets, writers, painters, and musicians have always personified elements of nature in their works. Applying that in my writing has greatly helped me write powerful pieces and helped find answers, overcome things that challenge me, open new paths of inspiration and take creativity to its next level.
One such moment of personifying ‘my day’ led me to write the following poem. We often don’t know the value of a day unless we are left with none. Ask a dying man if he has any regrets and he will talk about the lost moments in his life. These lost moments are hidden as gifts in our days. As I was playfully thinking of my day as a person, I wondered what message it would want to convey to me. What felt hilarious at first became a thought-provoking writing page.
We often say: ‘Oh, I will do it tomorrow’, or ‘my life isn’t great.’ But what if you saw your day as a person waiting, arms open wide, bearing all his/her goodness just for you? The day has all the potential to give you the things you long for love, smile, joy, happiness. What if you can picture yourself entering a magical door in your day which appears from sunrise to sunset. What would you do?
It was one beautiful January morning when the chirping of birds and the gentle sunlight inspired me to write this poem.
Your day lies in wait for you
Nigh unto the eyes that seeketh
Behold the magical door
Lies in wait for your presence
To be all that it could be
To give all that it could give.
To love and to spread love
To forgive and to heal
To breathe and to live.
To birth smiles and to touch hearts
To embrace moments and create memories
That inspire you.
From the first light until nightfall
It awaits to echo a melody
Into the abyss of silence in your life.
To splash vibrance into your bleached hues
Your day lies in wait for you.
Every day is an opportunity
To prevail into this magical door
To create your best life
And to be all that you can be.
And your day lies in wait for you
To give you the best.
© Journal of Creativity and Inspiration.
Images copyright as specified.
Sajeetha Kannan is an Industrial Biotechnologist. She draws inspiration from nature to find solutions for global challenges through Biomimicry. Nature has not only inspired her as a science entrepreneur but also as a writer and painter. She enjoys writing poems, rich prose, and articles about nature. She also paints moments that make her feel good, capturing them in landscapes and scenery art.
