by Eddie Pipkin
I hope you’ve had some time off this summer, or that you at least have some time off in the next few weeks before fall comes roaring in full-throated and commanding your undivided attention. Summer traditionally marks a slower pace in ministry life (except for you youth ministers!), and it’s good to embrace the chill vibes, but since we get to visit some different places and change our routine by doing different things, it’s also one of the best times to be observant. Great ideas come from paying attention to details, and inspiration comes from exposure to different venues and watching how other people do things.
The old phrase “sleeping with one eye open” is used to signify having our danger radar engaged subconsciously even when we’re resting – it’s a phrase that speaks of wary vigilance. But there’s a different version of one-eyed openness in which we’re relaxed but also observantly open to inspiration and insight.
It’s a balance between completely shutting your work brain so that you can relax in the moment while still making yourself available to that inspirational spark. For those of us who are creatives, inspiration can strike unexpectedly at any time (although there are definitely ways to prime the pump). We should have efficient disciplines for capturing that spark and preserving it for future use. Whether you carry a little notepad and pencil like an old school cub reporter, or you have mastered the high tech app-based tools on your phone, record the idea, image, quote, or other observation that has inspired you. Voice notes are an excellent method for doing this. A quick photo is often even more powerful. You can even combine those two prompts!
Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of assuming you will remember an inspirational idea later. You won’t!
On the other hand, don’t suddenly morph downtime into a mini-work session, especially if you are travelling or relaxing with others. “Hold on while I write a two-page email to myself fleshing out this idea” is a terrible recipe for togetherness. It’s also no way to rehab an overworked brain. Just document the idea as briefly as possible and revisit it later at a more appropriate moment.
Even if you don’t think of yourself as a creative type – you’re not writing sermons or coming up with new summer camp themes – there is still plenty to inspire you if you pay attention to unfamiliar systems and logistical structures. If you’re in charge of managing people flows or organizing event spaces, be attentive to all the fun places you visit and how the people running the show are doing those things. A hint: You’ll know it’s a system you want to take notes about if you’re having a good ol’ carefree time and enjoying yourself. (There is, also, the alternative universe in which you are having a miserable time and making notes about how not to do things. That can also be useful!)
Inspiration at any time and in any setting can be organic – it just happens! But it’s also a skill that can be cultivated. Here are some ideas for ways to enhance your observational skills, especially when you are travelling in unfamiliar territory (either a local excursion in a venue that’s not your usual spot or on a far-flung international adventure – these ideas apply in either scenario):
- Engage with the Local Community: Spend some time getting to know the locals (whether they are running an unfamiliar neighborhood business or truly from a culture on the other side of the planet). Listen to their stories, get their perspectives, and understand why they are doing the thing that inspires you.
- Join In with Gusto: Participate in community events, festivals, collaborations, and hangouts, paying attention to what is making a particular scenario work. What is engaging people (and what is not)? Why is the gathering successful? Can you identify the “secret sauce’?
- Stay Open-Minded: Participate with an open mind, with a commitment to learning and adapting your perspective. Resist the urge to judge, critique, and micro-evaluate and look for the positive take-aways, even in uncomfortable situations.
- Engage Your Senses: Don’t just listen and look. Fully experience your surroundings, also noticing smells, tastes, and textures. Immerse yourself in the environment in which you find yourself. Look and listen carefully. Note subtle details. Mark the ways in which things work together, meshing to create a whole effect.
- Be Actively Curious: Don’t be afraid to ask questions – people who have pursued their passions to for the purpose of sharing them with strangers love talking about their work! Deepen your understanding by asking the experts in the environment in which you find yourself.
- Do Some Research: Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, that smartphone allows you to probe an endless trove of archived material on the thing that is currently inspiring you. (If you read my recent blog about the humility door, it started with a real-world sensory experience that intrigued me, and a short Google later I was hooked on the topic.) You can find the social media of organizations and locations. You can find contacts for those passionate people to whom you can pose your curious questions.
- Reflect on Your Experiences: Circle back on the ideas you have documented and reflect on your observations and experiences. Are these ideas worth pursuing? Are they inspirations that you should share with others? Not every idea pans out. And not every inspiration is made for us and this moment. Sometimes we gift them to someone else! Sometimes we store them away for a rainy day only to revisit them when the time is right.
Have you had any inspirational moments on your journeys or during your downtime this summer? Have your adventures sparked some ideas you’ll be able to plug into your ministry sometime soon?
Of course, the slower pace of summer is also a famous time for catching up on reading books you’ve been meaning to get to or watching shows or movies you have had on your list, and these have long been sources of ministry inspiration. So, do that, too!
One variation I would make on your reading and viewing list that I have found helpful is to break up your routine by making commitment to reading and watching things that other people are reading and watching. I don’t mean gleaning recommendations for something they think is good or that they think you will enjoy (if they know you well enough to know your reading and viewing habits). I mean reading something or watching something that is important to someone you respect or admire. What media has informed them? What has made them who they are, and by experiencing that same material and discussing it with them, can it give you a meaningful perspective shift?
Use that comments section to let me know what’s inspiring you right now, or what techniques you utilize to jump-start your inspiration process.
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