Inspiration on tap

It is possible to be in a situation where you can just sit down and create something of good quality whenever you need to, like a professional - but you will have to create that situation for yourself, and that is not always easy. In fact, "easy" is not something that should be part of the plan to enter into the flow of creative alchemy - that will follow naturally anyway, without you needing to think about it.

Alchemy is about creating gold out of grey stone - in other words, creating something valuable out of things that are often discarded or overlooked. Following are some vital ingredients that you need for your instant creative tap, and you should add your own to taste as well.

Stability

To be able to focus properly, you will need a base to work within, your little corner of the world. It must be somewhere where you are more than comfortable, which is your heaven, where you can set up your equipment for an extended period of time, if not permanently. Also a central element to creative flow is the ability to know your tools - the better you know them the faster you will be able to bring ideas to life.

But more important than physical stability is your mental one, the one which is in charge of your body and soul and lives in your mind. If your mind is constantly dashing from one thought to another, you will not be able to be very creative at the same time. If there is too much going on in your life which remains unresolved it is hard to listen to the quiet voice which will guide you through every creative process there is.

Violent mood swings will also be fatal to inspiration at some point or another, so to keep a stable output of ideas you will have to consider your life situation in one way or another - this includes alcohol and other drugs as well. Have fun and explore what life has to offer, but if you are serious about what you do, don't get caught in traps along the way.

You will need the right tools, some times very expensive ones, to be able to have a creative outlet that works properly. The requirements are vastly different for everybody at any given instant, and they are probably less than what you really want. Gear lust is not a sin, it's a natural will to expand your arsenal, but also remember that real professionals can do more with less. Having some patience is a vital part of a stable mind and incredibly valuable in a whirlwind world. Personally I now own a setup that is beyond my wildest dreams 10 years ago.

Don't hold back

The secret to creativity is flow, and anything that stops the flow will have to be eliminated. First of all, stop being a critic - both of your own work, and that of others - being a critic is the cheapest escape into thinking that you actually know something. You don't. Get this over with and move on as soon as you possibly can. Be stupid, be inspired. Whenever the critic in you rears its head, recognize it and ignore. At rare occasions it will have something valuable to say, but you won't always know this for sure until some time has passed by.

The flip side to flow is that there is always more coming, so never hold back because your current work does not "deserve" it. Use your best sounds, your best melodies now, and open the doors for more to come. You will find that in not holding back you may have to become more flexible, for that stream to be constant - you will have to do more work, not always do what you enjoy, changing things around, kill ideas that are not suitable, and so on. Try not to procastinate. As you tune in to the creative flow, you will intuitively know what to do... and if not, do something else. Tidy up, help your neighbour water the flowers, answer a few questions in the forums.

And be efficient, know when it is finished, not perfect. It is not true that the more time you spend on something, the better it will be. Let go of convention and just express yourself, in whichever way it comes out. Unless you have a live audience you can decide what you actually want to share anyway.

And record everything!

Don't take credit

Creative ideas come from God, the universe, your unconscious or whatever else you believe in that you can't control. Pray it blesses you with more because in the end, whatever you do there is always the possibility that it simply won't work out. Yes it is about luck, fate, statistics or what have you, after all. Don't give up because of that, be thankful and content - at ease, at peace with your seat in the spectacle that is this stunningly beautiful reality. The thing that usually wants to take credit is the only thing that you have some control over - your ego.

Learn

Be interested - in everything and everybody. The more you learn, the more you will be able to take in, so push it to the edge and see where it takes you. Learning is not just for kids, just as playing isn't.

The more you know about something, the more interesting it becomes - read about clouds and note how there is this potential for such a vast array of beauty just sailing past your window at every single moment - even when you're not looking. Be a student, interested and open minded and never cease to be amazed - the wonder of an amazed mind invites in the kind of inspiration that you're looking for.

Have no fears but challenge yourself and instead face your fears, your hangups and taboos, break your own rules and see yourself as a warrior or explorer who must venture outside of the comfort zone some times. Stability does not mean stagnancy. Find new ways of expressing yourself without the critic or any audience of any kind, not even somebody close to you. When you are in your lab, exploring and pushing your own envelope, you must be able to be in isolation in that favourite space of yours to get the most out of it.

There is no end to learning. Pry your mind wide open and realize that the path is the destination.