A major article on the theme of inspiration, with analysis from a psychoanalyst and comments from various artists about their experiences, including choreographer/dancer, Akram Khan.

Divine inspiration
From The Observer

It's the vital ingredient of creativity, but what exactly is this thing called inspiration? Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips seeks its source while diverse artists from all fields reveal how the muse strikes them ... from poet Andrew Motion and his 'ritual pencil' to singer Beth Orton and her big pink hat

If the word "inspiration" is to have any meaning,' TS Eliot wrote, 'it must mean just this, that the speaker or writer is uttering something that he does not wholly understand - or which he may even misinterpret when the inspiration has departed from him.'

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If only you could go to your local corner store to pick up a bottle of Creative Juice…for those awkward moments when you can’t make your Muse come! Need to compose a symphony overnight? No problem. Pick up a bottle of Mozart Creative Juice. Need to close a deal? Buy some Trump Creative Juice. Need to write a song? Guzzle down a bottle of Irving Berlin Creative Juice. Need to write a brilliant ballet review? You need Goldbarth Creative Juice!

If only creativity was so easy. As a creative genius myself, I must admit it is mostly a gift from God. If only we all had a Muse as inspiring as Heather Ogden.