"Are you writing?" I asked a friend who was holding a pen and paper. I couldn't hide my surprise at the idea that she didn't just type her article on the computer. Pen and paper, she insisted, sparked her inspiration. "You should try it sometime," she said.
When was the last time I used pen and paper to produce creative work? I couldn't remember. Now my inspiration comes from online conversations and instantly takes the form of a tweet, blog post or a video. For new ideas, I subscribe to my friends' Google Reader accounts and other RSS feeds. Frighteningly, this dynamic reminded me of the science fiction short story by E. M. Forster, The Machine Stops.
The advanced society Forster wrote about in 1909 is obsessed with automation and efficiency. They have no time to loiter because they are busy generating new ideas. They communicate with friends and family remotely, merely to share ideas. They don't leave their cell-like rooms because the outside world doesn't give them any ideas. They avoid the sun and see the dawn as an "unfamiliar glow."
We are, hopefully, far from achieving their technological "progress."
I still believe inspiration comes from our direct interactions with nature and other humans. It is fascinating that fresh ideas emerge not from academic readings and latest news, but from classic works of literature. Our imagination feeds on live music performances as opposed to downloaded mp3s. In other words, one thinks creatively when in contact with the outside world, not when closed in a cell-like room with a super fast lap-top. For inspiration, I would suggest, turn off the machine.
Photo credit: tilaneseven