Creative Imagination: Where Do Ideas Come From?

Revelation in a rainbow versus a rainbow

Human beings don't know exactly where ideas come from or originate. We get ideas in our mind and they trigger our creativity. As we become increasingly inspired by them, we begin to create and that is good.

What is an idea?

The freedictionary.com suggests that an idea is "something, such as a thought or conception, that potentially or actually exists in the mind as a product of mental activity."

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/idea

There are different kinds of ideas. Some seem to be divine ideas, while others are human. At best, a divine idea is accessible only in part, by a human being. By its nature, it would appear to be idealistic. On the other hand, a human idea would less accessible or idealistic.

The question becomes one of whether they are both part of a larger whole. The divine idea may contain or encompass the human idea. It would be the greater of the two ideas; the human idea would be the lesser of the two. If this is true, then ideas come from the divine, as the ultimate source of all things. Those who do not believe in the divine or the realm of the divine, would only have a non-divine realm to draw ideas from for creative inspiration.

Being aware of the reality of the divine, opens a realm of ideas that would appear to be much broader in scope. In other words, ideas could be perceived as coming from both the divine realm and the human realm. Those who choose to negate the divine realm would limit their ideas to the human realm.

Some suggest that ideas are always transcendent and that may be perceived or acted upon only in part, by human beings. Human beings would only be able to recreate a transcendent idea as a representation, which would be imperfect, at best. Even a creative inspiration derived from a transcendent idea would be imperfect.

Consider these examples.

If a person believes in God, he or she might suggest that his or her creative inspiration comes from God. A person who does not believe in God, would have to deny that and credit the creative inspiration to what he or she does believe in. An example of this might be nature. A believer would perceive God in nature; a non-believer would see only nature. Creative inspiration would reflect the realm of belief or unbelief.

A person who believes in God would probably see nature in a different light, than a person who does not believe in God. He or she might find creative inspiration in the form of a revelation in a rainbow, while the person who does not believe in God, sees only the rainbow.

A person who believes in God might see his or her inspiration as coming directly from God's Holy Spirit. God's Spirit or His Self is understood by believers to dwell in human beings, as well as in the divine. A person who does not believe in God, would see his or her inspiration coming from his or her self.

Since no two people see exactly the same, whether they believe in the divine or not, there will always be variations in perception that are reflected in creative inspiration. One might have more perfected perception than another. Perhaps one person's understanding of the divine is on a higher plane than another's. Similarly, on a human plane, there could be higher and lower levels of perception.

Even those who believe in the divine may believe in some areas, but not in others and so, there could be another difference in perception. The creativity could be on a different level in some areas, as opposed to others. The same could be said about those who do not believe in the divine. Their perceptions could vary because they see differently, in certain aspects of their lives.

Then there is the realm of the actual creative expression itself. For some people, that realm is far more perfected than it is for others. Perhaps one person sees more light than shadows in his creative expression, while another sees more shadows than light.

In terms of the literary realm, some people appear to create what appears to be brilliant illumination of creative or inspirational thought, while others portray everything in terms of darkness, lacking both creativity and inspiration.

A truly creative writer will never run out of inspiration, as creative inspiration can come from anywhere or anything, at any time or in any place. A person who is less creative, will frequently encounter a mental block and be unable to find any creative expression, no matter where he or she is.

Creative inspiration is developed over time. As a person works from his or her creative inspiration, the realm continues to expand and is developed further. If a person is a love poet, the more poetry that he or she writes, the more love poetry he or she will be able to write. If a person writes prose, the more he or she writes, the more he or she will be able to write. This becomes a progressive, developmental or maturity aspect of creative writing. A person with higher creative skills finds it easier to write, than a person who has fewer creative writing skills.

Where do our creative ideas come from? Ideas may appear to come from anywhere, but ultimately, God is the source of ideas, since He is creativity and inspiration personified, whether He is perceived that way by human beings or not.