This summer I read Origin of Inspiration by Samuel Adoquei. Most of my reading was done outside during a few hot afternoons. I picked this book because it came highly recommended from an artist whose work I admire: Julian Casablancas, the lead singer of The Strokes. And perhaps this leads us to the first lesson. Think of people that have inspired you in some way and find out what inspired them. Just as you might look at the musical influences of an artist that influences you, also look to their creative and philosophical influences. Casablancas wrote the foreword to Origin of Inspiration, so I knew that there was certainly something of value in the book.

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon

I really believe in the importance of having a plan. When I go to create music, I am faced with countless choices. There are probably 10,000 kick drum samples, 100 virtual instruments that each have hundreds of presets, unlimited tracks, a collection of hardware synths, guitars, drums, etc. I need to have a plan or else I wind up spending hours choosing between all of my options. Back in my early days, I had a guitar, microphone and tape recorder. I never lost much time deciding on gear, and as a result, I got a lot done. Today, it is easy to spend an entire afternoon looking for the perfect snare drum sample. So, making some decisions beforehand is pretty much essential. But what happens when things don’t go according to plan?

Adoquei writes about finding opportunity in the detours. Rather than harp on a problem when it arises, use it as a chance to try something new. After all, there’s no better way to end creativity than with frustration. So avoid frustration altogether. Change course and see where it takes you. I love this way of thinking because it allows a project to take on a life of its own. It has helped me learn to allow outside influences, situations, and problems to become part of the work instead of becoming hindrances. We can use this to learn to go with the flow and be flexible. Even tall skyscrapers and great oak trees bend and sway with the wind, otherwise they would collapse.

This concept is taken one step further in Origin of Inspiration. Adoquei advocates taking what he calls “intentional detours.” If we never take detours in life, we will never expose ourselves to new stimuli. That’s a perfect recipe for becoming stale, boring, and predictable. Purposely go out of your way to do something different, especially when confronted with a lack of inspiration. When we are in familiar situations, we tend to filter out much of what we see and hear. How often have you taken the same route to work and never noticed a particular shop on the side of the road? Yet when we take a new way, we are more likely to observe our surroundings. I find that when I return to my normal routine, it often looks different. I see things I never noticed before. In this way, taking one intentional detour actually pays off twice: first with our new experiences, and then again when we return to our original experiences with new eyes.

When you are low on inspiration, do something different. Even try doing your work in a different place. It’s amazing what can happen even if you decide to move from your normal workspace to bringing a portable rig outside on a sunny day, for example. Perhaps those chirping birds, which would normally be considered noise and problematic, will become an interesting element to the acoustic guitar track you are recording.