I love the idea of the creative spark. Creative ideas come out of no-where, and that is why we liken these flashes of inspiration to a spark. That comparison is well chosen, a spark is a bright flash of light which symbolizes creative growth. But there is another reason why the comparison with a spark is apt; a spark is a short-lived event that takes place in a limited amount of space. That is a beautiful metaphor, a brief and localized event can have big consequences. But most sparks sparkle for a moment, and then they are gone. What does it take to grow a spark into a sustained fire, what is needed to bring a spark to ignition?
Fire science is clear on what is needed to have a sustained fire, one needs all three elements of the Fire Triangle. A fire needs heat, fuel, and oxygen to be sustained. It is one of the principles of firefighting that if one takes away one of the three elements, a fire is extinguished. Putting a lid on a pan with burning fat removes the supply of oxygen, and the fire goes out. Problem solved! In the fire triangle, the spark supplies the initial source of heat. But the spark is short-lived, and to maintain the heat necessary for a fire, the spark needs to start a fire quickly that generates more heat. If the spark is not nurtured by the right amount of fuel and oxygen it just peters out.
The same is true for our creative process. An idea may come to us in flash, a spark if you wish. At that moment we are inspired and energized. But if we don’t nurture the creative spark, it peters out quickly and the initial enthusiasm disappears into nothingness. What “fuel” and “oxygen” do we need to supply to the creative spark to make an idea come to fruition? The “fuel” that we need to supply is the time that we devote to the idea, the contacts that we use, and resources that we invest. The “oxygen” that we need to add is our breath. When breathing we take in air and give it out again, breathing is the very movement of life. The breath that we bring to an idea is the life-giving nurturing that an idea needs to become a reality. Just like we need to blow gently into small fire that we are starting, we need to breath gently into any idea that we want to grow by giving it our attention and devotion.
Remove the “fuel” or the “oxygen” and the creative idea peters out. Withdrawing our time, or any other resources that are needed to make a creative idea grow, causes the idea to dwindle. And if we withdraw our creative attention and devotion from the idea, the idea extinguishes as well.
As we are entering the new year, many have good intentions. We often are surprised that the intentions do not come to pass. Just like the creative sparks, intentions alone are not enough to bring about change. Intentions need to be nurtured with the right amount of “fuel” and “oxygen” to make them grow. Without these resources the intentions just go away. Every athlete knows this, many of the others have forgotten.
The main takeaway point is that although we may love the concept of a creative spark as a bringer of change, we need to be aware that a spark must be nurtured to grow into a lasting reality. We need to bring the right resources—such as time, contacts, information—to the idea to make the spark grow. And we need to nurture the kindling fire by giving it sustained attention and creativity. A moment of wavering may cause the fire to go out. We must stay the course and supply the right resources if the creative spark is to grow into new creation. Think of the analogy of building a fire from kindling as the next creative idea comes to you.