How do you get inspiration?

[mila5405]

Everyone knows how important it is to to be inspired when you work with a piece. How do you keep your spirits up? (A refreshing walk, visiting a concert, discussing musik with friends etc.)

[thalbergmad]

I have a photo of Thalberg on my piano. That is usually sufficient for me.

Playing banjo, posting rubbish on here & shooting at Schumann scores with my Warbow keeps my spirits up.

Thal

[pianist1976]

I always think on this sentence by Picasso: 

"Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working."

Many hours of work, at the piano and away from it, analyzing the score, sight reading other pieces by the composer, listening to other instrument pieces, reading books about technique, history of music, composer's  biographies, listening to historic recordings of great interpreters (but trying to not abuse of this and trying not to copy)... Of course, when I'm blocked and saturated, a walk is usually very good.

[shadowzerg]

Put in a simple way: Inspiration will simply come from often interaction with the aforementioned topic.

[Bob]

Keep working on things so you're ready when it comes along again.

Performances can do it too.

Forcing it to happen.

[ted]

I am not sure I know what inspiration is any more. I used to think I did, and that it was vital and mysterious, essential even, fifty years ago, but now it seems to me just a fancy word for simple internal pleasure while playing or creating music. Perhaps my perceptions have become so uncritical that any second rate utterance now gives me the sort of ecstasy which years ago came only about once a month if I was lucky.

So my short and truthful answer is that, even with regard to improvisation, I don't bother with the notion. If the word is taken to mean a serendipitous discovery of new ideas, well, they come to me thick and fast these days - usually far too many to develop  - and all by perfectly rational processes quite independent of mood.

I think I am probably just getting old and cynical.