Inspiration for Musicians

Songwriters, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs all have relationships with their muse in one way or another… Inspiration for musicians is an elemental component of what we do. In using inspiration and motivation to spring us into action we can get ourselves to follow through and actually complete all of our projects.

As a singer songwriter producer and an entrepreneur, i've learned that both inspiration and disciplined follow through are at the heart of what its all about.

Its getting things done - that get results. Getting results = knowledge and experience = better results.

Getting things done is about staying motivated, or even better, inspired.

Inspiration and motivation will help result in whats ultimately most important… Follow through.

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing... that's why we recommend it daily."

-Zig Ziglar

Inspiration is what almost forces us to our feet to write, perform, produce, while the trumpets sound off in our head and the motions are effortless.

Motivation is what gets us to finish the track and follow through until its done. As a singer songwriter guitarist, inspiration and motivation are paramount.

This is what we need to have happen. We need to follow through and get things done.

Some people say motivation is not what you want… inspiration is the key..

Sure… inspiration is the driver. Motivation is also very important.

You need both.

Otherwise projects don't get finished and things won't happen.

There really is only one way to get yourself to follow through right?

Without inspiration and continuous motivation i don't believe we can effectively follow through.

Sparing you a sermon about inspiration because i'm sure we all know it when we see it, and have all experienced it at some point lets acknowledge that it is the driver, it is our muse, it is the spark which gives us our energy, and our fearlessness to act…

You would not be making music if you did not understand and regularly act on inspiration…

Inspiration can come from anywhere, anyone, anytime… it can come from  daydreaming, through conscious thought, from a feeling… inspiration cannot be bought… Inspiration is priceless. But Inspiration does not last forever…

Inspiration, the way i see it, is the seed. It is the vision… Though our visions, our imagination, our experiences are like the kindling… Motivation keeps the fire burning. Keeps us driving on… Motivation is the log that keeps the fire going.

Our inspirational idea is really only the starting point…

It is in our ability to find, create, or otherwise generate the necessary motivation that keeps us taking the right steps advancing our momentum, even when we feel spent and the outcome looks less than promising.

Motivation without inspiration is fleeting and probably won't last long. It is like building a fire on an island without trees or material to keep the fire alive.

Inspiration without motivation is like building a fire on a densely wooded island without any source of food… thus no energy to chop down trees and keep the fire alive.

If you don't have a vision, or written purpose that makes you instantly perk up in your chair when you think about it, or reminds you of the inspired birth and final result you're continuously working towards stop the session right now and do that. right now… do that.

Inspiration verses motivation..

By now you should have an understanding between the differences.

Neither means much at all without action.

So how do we keep ourselves going… Im talking about when it really fucking matters, and we really don't want to do shit. We feel like crap, our mind can't seem to focus on what it should be, it's just too much work… theres too much to do… i just cant do it… im all alone on this and know one knows the solution…

i have zero energy… my mind starts to doubt and turn on itself and i don't feel strong enough to beat or dismiss it… these are when it matters, and we NEEED to know how to get ourselves back in control.

So let's recap…

Inspiration… Nothing goods going to happen without it.

Motivation… How to get yourself to do the next right thing, the right way, at the right time.

Having inspiration that is connected to a purpose, driving the idea or project you're working on significantly increases our ability to follow through.

There are always going to be times in life where we lose either perspective or that burning passion that is fueling our progress, so we have tools in place to remind us and refresh that. Inspiration for musicians is paramount.

There's always going to be tasks and projects that aren't immediately enjoyable but necessary and taking some time to refresh and see the bigger picture allows us to execute these pieces of the mission effectively, as a professional.

What everything boils down to is getting us to think the things that make us feel the feelings which make us do the things, the right way, all the way through to the end.

-But how do we stay motivated?

by thinking about what we want with the same intensity and focus that can overtake our mind automatically when we let it, and go negative.

-What is the practical side to motivation?

there are going to be times when you just don't want to get out of bed….

Here is where reading, listening, or learning about something which inspires or motivates you can really be an effective tool for getting us either into a positive state of being, the kind of place that makes it easier to go and do the things we need to. It can do this by shifting our perspective, and/or by triggering something that springs us into action.

-What are the actual options we have to getting ourselves motivated?

theres really quite a few… consequences, pressures, responsibilities, empowerment, courage, fitting in… there's really a lot of different ways to motivate human behavior…

But i think the answer to the question we are really looking for here is how do we get up and get back into that place where we were just making it all happen and experiencing that state of flow again, without feeling like its going to take soooo much energy and effort to get allllll the way back to that place again…..

The trick, the only real advantage we can ever have is in finding and utilizing the things that inspire and motivate us to do the things we need to, whether or not we feel like it or not.

What we are talking about is going from the lower-self to the higher-self… or simply being from "off" to being "on" again.

Their are tools. Heres what works for me.

Focusing on what we want.

We can either focus on what we want, or what we don't want…

The zoom out, zoom in approach.

Really tho, the trick to this is in being able to step back, relax, zoom out, see the next motivating accomplishment, or the vision in all its detail and glory, and recognize how this piece fits in, and then doing that thing becomes not only effortless, you get it done faster because you have the right perspective in terms of whats important and whats not.

Going to the gym and exercising.

Stretching and exercising.

Reviewing goals etc...

Reading or listening to inspiration stuff.

Reading completely unrelated fiction.

Having a great, meaningful conversation with someone.

Having fun and getting my mind off of things.

Ultimately we want to get to the point where NOT taking the right action, or doing what we know we should, or doing ALL we could, is just the only option. This is called self-discipline. This is the result of doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time, for long enough to make it automatic.

Your Friend,

Jamie