The Muse

The journey of human creativity is not without purpose; it is neither accidental nor does it develop naturally over time. Instead, it is the result of the accumulation of experiences, skills, and moments that inspire humanity in its quest for growth and development. The coming together of these attributes and events has helped humanity take giant leaps towards a progressive future.

Inspiration is the key to human development and the catalyst for many extraordinary experiences in various human endeavors. What stimulates the human mind towards thinking creatively could be an experience, a character, or an inspiring story. It is these instances and events that propel the human mind on a path of innovation and achievement in literature, art, society, and the economy. This is evident even in people’s daily lives, the public and private sectors, and various fields of human activity.

Inspiration has many sources. It may be the time a person spends in solitude, returning to nature, listening to music, reading, meeting new people, indulging in different experiences, and many simple things that one may ignore, but they motivate us to achieve more.

Some people think that inspiration requires superhuman abilities. It is hard for them to imagine that a simple word or situation can fuel their creativity. It may be a simple moment of passion that creates a masterpiece. Furthermore, faith in inspiration comes from within us, and each of us is haunted by the thought that we lack the motivation to do great work, and sometimes we may need someone to inspire us to bring out the creativity lying dormant in us.

We usually notice that artists and writers resort to self-retreat in different places characterized by specific aesthetic characteristics and may sometimes become vocal and boisterous and at other times be quiet and calm to create their artwork. We also find some of them keen to meet with different personalities in society for dialogue on many issues, thus expanding their experiences and perceptions, being inspired by their work, and producing path-breaking creations.

But the question is, how do we infuse the same kind of inspiration in our diaries, thoughts, and actions?

“The Muse” job title does not exist in the public sector. Yet, there are inspiring people around us in various positions who are an inexhaustible source of inspiration and who can stimulate the creative energy of everyone around them. As soon as you have an idea, you find them offering multiple solutions and ideas to develop it. The dialogue often leads to an innovative product utterly different from the initial picture. Hence, the discussion ends with a more robust, comprehensive, attractive, and compelling concept. And in our quest to come up with new innovative ideas in our jobs, we often organize “brainstorming” sessions in beautiful, quiet places far from the workplace. It facilitates the opening of new horizons of awareness and imagination to make our thoughts into new creations.

Inspiration develops as the person matures. The more you nurture your imagination and knowledge, the more your thoughts and creativity will grow. You should give yourself space to rest, contemplate, and enjoy the beauty scattered around you, and then you will have the opportunity to reflect and delve into different ideas. This will keep your creativity going and may put you in a beautiful position where your thoughts and ideas influence and inspire others. All of this works only when the person opens up and accepts different ideas. That feeling is simply indescribable.

And just as artists and creatives have inspirations that stimulate their imagination, governments also have their motivations. Have you had the opportunity to work with a government inspirer? Or are you one of them?

• Asma Al-Janahi is a UAE national with over 10 years of experience in management in government excellence and sports sectors. She writes about management and social life.