The Discipline of Inspiration
The Mysterious Encounter with God at the Heart of Creativity
- Arts & Literature
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Christianity Today Book Awards Culture, Poetry, and the Arts Finalist (2025) Learn where inspiration comes from and how to harness it in your life and work. We all know the sensation of inspiration. It’s what tells a painter what to paint and a singer how to sing—and what prompts us to throw a new spice into an old recipe. But what is inspiration? When we train artists, we typically identify them by their talent and train them in technique. We talk very little about the crucial creative spark of inspiration. Where does it come from? What does it want from us? How can we get more of it? In The Discipline of Inspiration, Carey Wallace meditates on this vital spark and on the ways artists have negotiated with it across genres and throughout history. She also offers practical methods—including silence, community, and rest—to help everyone access more inspiration, more often. Artists will develop a fresh perspective on inspiration and learn new tools for their creative practice. And readers from all walks of life will discover the transformative power of inspiration in every aspect of their lives.
Endorsements (5)
“One could read this book for the quotes alone, most of which were entirely new to me. But Carey Wallace has also stitched them together with genuine insight and wisdom into the creative process. This is a book that will be helpful to anyone who finds faith and making deeply intertwined activities.”
“This book articulates things artists know in their being, but haven’t had words for, addressing the beautiful complexity of what drives us to create and what we encounter when we do.”
“In The Discipline of Inspiration, Carey Wallace embarks on a profound meditation on the creative process, blending art, spirituality, and discipline in a way that resonates with artists and seekers alike. Wallace examines the misunderstood nature of inspiration and the role of dedication in the act of creation. Drawing on insights from painters, poets, musicians, and thinkers across time, Wallace offers practical tools for finding our art and nurturing our creativity wherever we are—for that is the precise location of the mysterious force that guides us. Whether you’re an artist or seeking a deeper understanding of the creative impulse, The Discipline of Inspiration wondrously unlocks the power of everyday inspiration, gratitude, and beauty.”
“Carey Wallace has subverted the (misbegotten) notion that ‘inspiration’ is too fickle and, perhaps, ‘spiritualized’ a tool for the artist to rely on. By wedding the practice of faith to the practice of artmaking, Wallace is helping reclaim the seemingly archaic notion of the Creator as the ultimate source of all creation. Drawing on classic spiritual disciplines like manual labor and poverty and fasting, Wallace offers surprising ways for contemporary art-makers to fashion lives devoted to their craft. She makes her case without antagonism or Christian triumphalism, but with the quiet certainty of one who has her spiritual game together. Her insights are clearly hard won, and her prose is as inspired as her subject.”
“As an artist and creator, I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book my whole life. Carey Wallace delves into the mystery behind the greatest motivation of life—inspiration—and gives us a poetic, expansive road map to guide us toward cultivating it in our own lives. This book is a real treasure.”
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