Writing | Creativity | Self

What Sparks My Creativity

Seeking the source of my imagination

Sherry McGuinn just prompted me to write about the source of my creativity, based on a challenge posed by 🦄 Chris Hedges. She didn’t link to an article by Chris, so I’d be happy to get a link, read it and put it here too.

Here is Sherry’s article:

What sparks my creativity? I’ve written a lot of poetry since I started here, and poetry thrives the most from creativity. So where is mine coming from?

I’ve got a lot of influences I draw from. I think my main influence comes from music.

Music

I can name several bands who don’t impress me simply by their music genre or melody; it’s the lyrics they have that create vivid scenarios in my own head. Whether it is about heartbreak, motivation, social injustice, problems in our society, drug abuse, or any other topic. A few bands write very poetic and metaphorical lyrics to point out these issues in our lives.

One band that comes to mind is Breaking Benjamin. I wrote about them earlier too. Their lyrics sound dark and sad most of the time, they often have a dystopic feeling to them. Take a look at the lyrics from a song called “Anthem of the angels”:

White walls surround us No light will touch your face again Rain taps the window As we sleep among the dead Days go on forever But I have not left your side We can chase the dark together If you go, then so will I

There is nothing left of you I can see it in your eyes Sing the anthem of the angels And say the last goodbye

This song has lyrics that leave you up to interpret them. What’s this song about? Death is my answer. Leaving a loved one, watching them die. And not wanting to let go. Or maybe not death? Maybe it’s about someone who is in a Persistent vegetative state? Eyes open, but no one’s home. Either way, it’s sad.

This is poetic and I’d love to write something similar to this. Something that keeps you thinking about what’s happening. Painting a picture. Not always happy, but relatable.

They also had a song called “Blow me away”, which was an action song, featured in the movie “300”. This one is about the heat of battle.

They fall in line, one at a time, ready to play (I can’t see them anyway) No time to lose, we’ve got to move, steady your hand (I am losing sight again) Fire your guns, it’s time to run, blow me away (I will stay in the mess I made) After the fall, we’ll shake it off, show me the way

Only the strongest will survive Lead me to heaven when we die I am the shadow on the wall I’ll be the one to save us all

This paints a strong leadership image, someone who is in charge of his troops and engaging in a fierce battle.

They have many more songs with different themes that all inspire me to seek a similar philosophical approach to poetry. Strong metaphors that throw you right into it by thinking about what was said.

Another recommendation for music I can make is more broad and diverse than naming a single band. And this one is even less mainstream. About a year ago, I came upon a Youtube channel called Jennyni20. She or he posts videos of many unknown or less known artists from different genres. Pop and Rock to name just two. The songs are presented simply by a colorful digital piece of art, featuring the title of the song and the interpret.

Jenny has made different playlists to sort the songs by genre. There is “Epic Rock”, “Epic Pop”, “Epic Rap” and some dedicated playlists to a few bands who since got many views and likes.

I can’t recommend a specific song there since I myself don’t like all of them. It’s like a treasure trove. I found a rock band called “All good things” through this Youtube channel. The band itself is slowly gaining international recognition but started out as unknown.

They got me with a song called “I am the enemy”

Come night , you can watch my eyes Lighting up like I’m seeing red Don’t deny you’re petrified Like you’re looking at the living dead I’m the silhouette you can’t forget Not a sight and not a sound Before you get your finger down on the trigger I’ll knock you out and lay you down

Cos I COME IN FAST So I move in close So I move up inside your mind, you tried running to hide I’m the ghost that you fear the most So I come in fast So I move in close So I move in till we collide, I’m wide-eyed and alive Got you tied to the whipping post

We once stood face to face But you cower at the sight of me You run the other way Cuz I am the enemy I put you in your place You pray for security Cuz I am the enemy I am the enemy

Another example, just to show off some of the diversity in this channel of musicians, is “Wild Thing” by Jaxson Gamble (I never heard of him before)

We go down into the darkness Like a stampede, chargin’ Follow me now Follow me now Follow me, down We descend into the madness Like a wild thing, rabid Follow me now Follow me now Follow me, down

If you have read one of my latest poems called “Into the Fray”, you’ll immediately notice where I draw inspiration. The following song “In the nick of time”. I even used the line “In the nick of time”, as it stuck with me.

It’s contagious I fought the feeling but I’m done Trying to fight this There’s no use it’s in my blood Celebrated But no one ever sees your face Obligated righting all of their mistakes

I serve when they’re running for cover It’s my purpose to save all the others So take shelter until I discover Your flaw your crack in the armor

Out of the sky, follow the light I’m like a meteor strike! I’m right there in the nick of time Ready to fight, willing to die Another night, save another life I’m right there in the nick of time!

To me, this song tells the same story. Special forces whose mission it is to jump out of the sky to come to their allies’ rescue. My poem “Into the Fray” deals with the exact same topic. The title, into the fray, was inspired by another song from Breaking Benjamin, which is called “Into the nothing”.

Maybe I’m not that original after all. 😅

I draw a ton of inspiration from music. Most of the most beautiful and sad stories I’ve witnessed came in the form of music, from bands most of you probably have never even heard of.

Games

Another inspiration that probably doesn’t get as much attention from the average writing community I draw from video games. Some of the most inspiring philosophical questions I ever heard come from video games. These are phrases that stick with you. Phrases that ask you deep questions.

Most people wouldn’t even expect such deep topics in “mindless games”. But take a look at some of the most memorable quotes from video games.

“Stand amongst the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer.” — Mass Effect 3

Guess what? Did you read my curated poem “Silence”? Read it again. You’ll see the connection. This line was my inspiration to write it. Though I took it from a space action game about alien genocide to the traditional mind of a samurai.

“What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?” — The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

This quote didn’t come from a poet or monk. It came from a dragon. Out of a video game.

“So, I guess I’d become what they wanted me to be, a killer. Some rent-a-clown with a gun who puts holes in other bad guys. Well, that’s what they had paid for, so in the end, that’s what they got. Say what you want about Americans, but we understand capitalism. You buy yourself a product and you get what you pay for, and these chumps had paid for some angry gringo without the sensibilities to know right from wrong. Here I was about to execute this poor bastard like some dime store angel of death, and I realized they were correct, I wouldn’t know right from wrong if one of them was helping the poor and the other was banging my sister…” — Max Payne 3

This one comes from a film-noir style of action game. The hero there is pretty much an antihero. An alcoholic ex-cop turned private security, bodyguard. If you want to write books like these, Max Payne offers great storytelling to draw from.

“Life isn’t just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature, and movies… what we’ve seen, heard, felt… anger, joy, and sorrow… these are the things I will pass on. That’s what I live for. We need to pass the torch, and let our children read our messy and sad history by its light. We have all the magic of the digital age to do that with. The human race will probably come to an end sometime, and new species may rule over this planet. Earth may not be forever, but we still have the responsibility to leave what traces of life we can. Building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing.” — Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

As for games, the Metal Gear Solid franchise has left the deepest impact on me. Though it has a highly fictitious story full of high tech espionage action, it’s like a much cooler version of James Bond. And it offers much more philosophy than 007.

Life

Lastly, I too draw inspiration from real life. There’s no better source for true inspiration in the end than true events. Personal feelings. Heartbreak. Sadness. Joy. Love. All of it.

But it takes guts to spill your own heart open in front of an audience. Most of the articles I wrote from personal experiences and questions I find myself asking often.

“The mystery of Death” — What happens really when we die?

“Maybe The Real Threat Is Not AI” — About another thing that seems just as scary as AI in future, called BCI. I even outlined a novel based on this, though it’s still only a draft, 2 chapters in. I’m sure I’ll finish it some day.

“The Misconception Of Competition VS. Community” — I often see people treating their peers with disrespect. They “kiss up and kick down”, meaning they coat their superiors in sugar while treating their subordinates like shit. I had this at work and I see it in the work lives of other people. I wanted to point out that we could do so much better by working as a real team, rather than going the old “every man for himself”.

“What Makes A Good Teacher?” — One teacher saved me from being bullied and though he appeared resolute and strict, he turned out to have the most love for his students. I’ll never forget that man and hope that other teachers can learn from him.

“Stop Giving A Fuck!” — Having dealt with being treated like shit, being bullied, being without true friends and only knowing my value through how others perceived me, I felt like shit for a big part of my life. I know others are the same. There are people out there who wake up every day, wishing to just disappear. Some might even turn suicidal. But it doesn’t have to be like that. I want to help somehow. Raise those people up. You can make a difference if you learn not to care about what others think. That’s who this article is for. Stop devaluing yourself. Stop listening to people who only point out your flaws. Just stop giving a fuck about them. These people have issues is all.

I also wrote some poetry based on my personal feelings and experiences. Mainly about my lovely wife, our beautiful daughter and how my life changed unexpectedly.

“Second Life” — A short poem about my wife, how I found her after dealing with countless failed relationships.

“Complete” — A poem dedicated to my daughter. I didn’t ever think I’d be a father. Much less a good one. But after I finally made up my mind, I got blessed with her. Now it feels like I only wasted time by not inviting her sooner into my life.

“Farewell” — A poem about the day I had to leave for Germany after spending two weeks with the woman who now is my wife. Those two weeks were amazing, but the last day hurt like hell. This poem is me revisiting that memory. By reminding myself of the pain, I can appreciate the joy now even more.

That’s a fairly long article. I assume most of you will just skim through it or skip it entirely. Whatever, I put it out there for the few people who’ll read it anyways. If you’re one of them, thank you 💛

I’d like to forward this prompt to a few friends, hoping they’ll pick up the torch and share their own inspirations: Dipti Pande, Salam Khan, ICO, Trista Ainsworth, Selma, Kira Dawn, Fiona Sommer; I think that’s enough tagging for now.

Please, anyone else too, feel invited to follow the prompt and please tag me if you do.

Kevin is an editor and writer for the ILLUMINATION and Polyglot Poetry publications. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

I’ll skip the usual links this time.