Inspiration, Innovation, and Invention: Defining a bigger picture for the human creative process

[Discovery Fuel]

Innovation is a misrepresented characterization of humanity's creative process. It is too often used to describe the entire process of manifestation. Whereas innovation is actually sandwiched in between inspirational and inventive realms.







Actually, INNOVATION is sandwiched between INSPIRATION and INVENTION. This more (w)holistically describes a full creative cycle. And, like a snake eating its tail, these three aspects are inexplicably tied to each other. Thus, all invention returns to innovation, and all innovation moves back to inspiration. It is an unending dance between spirit and matter.






To identify the difference between the energy of manifestation (matter coming together) and degeneration (matter coming apart), I like to use this image with the words 'regenerative' and 'restorative' in order to clarify the difference between downward (i.e. from inspiration through innovation to invention) and upward (i.e. from invention through innovation to inspiration) movement of energy.




Another way to say this can be done by using the 'breath' metaphor. The downward movement of energy is the breathing into matter (i.e. in-spire, in-novate, in-vent). Now the reverse breath is something we rarely speak of in this culture. It is the movement of energy in the other direction, which is out from matter back to spirit, and can be described as the exhale of matter. Or from the other frame of reference, the inhale of spirit. From matter's perspective, this out-breath denotes the return of energy back to spirit. For the sake of clarity, we will call this portion of the creative cycle exvention, exvation, and expiration. Note that 'in' means contract and receive (feminine nature), and 'ex' means expand and give (masculine nature).







Where as 'inspiration' is the source of all ideas and insight. It can be described as the pattern-maker that comes from a non-linear ecology of relationships. Any and all innovation comes from here. It is the place before mindfulness, and can be considered in this way: All initializing patterns come from no-thing (nothing), yet is filled with essential desire (essence). Due to the nature of universal 'spin', inspiration is moved like a current of water heading down stream as it moves in and out of swirling eddies. These eddies are identifiers of the parts of the innovation, which moves the aha toward form or 'invention'.




Within the early phases of creativity, insights are channeled from a spiritual (inspirational) to a mental (innovative) state. Here, we become aware of the idea, which often comes as an 'aha'. This is where the mental realm begins to move the aha into form, otherwise known as 'transformation'. Here innovation is king as the mind takes the inspirational pattern and identifies it by breaking it down into (what we often call - 'the creative process', which is actually an incomplete statement, but more on that another time).








The description so far is a major part of the Artist's and Philosopher's way of being, which resides mostly within the inspirational and innovative realms. As things move toward becoming a 'thing' (i.e. form) scientists and engineers way of doing becomes primary. For they are the describers and shapers of matter and are very good in the realm from innovation (mind) to invention (body).







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This is a work in process and I will be building upon my initial writing here over time. If you have questions about what I have written, please send them because I am most effective when in a relationship with others about a subject. Vic :)

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