The Discipline of Inspiration: The Mysterious Encounter with God at the Heart of Creativity

by Carey Wallace

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802884077
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	01/02/2025
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Carey Wallace is an author, songwriter, and artist based in Brooklyn. Her books include The Discipline of Inspiration, The Blind Contessa’s New Machine, The Ghost in the Glass House, Stories of the Saints, and Psalms of Wonder. She is the founder of the Creative Discipline Class, which helps people from all walks of life find inspiration and build strong creative habits to sustain a lifetime of creation.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction
Book One: Inspiration
Book Two: Incarnation
Book Three: Discipline
Conclusions
Endnotes

Editorial Reviews

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.”
—Christian Wiman, author of Zero at the Bone, He Held Radical Light, and My Bright Abyss

“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.”
—Patti Smith, acclaimed singer/songwriter and author

“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.” 
—Airea D. Matthews, author of Simulacra and Bread and Circus, codirector of the Bryn Mawr creative writing program
 
“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.”
—Joe Hoover, SJ, poetry editor at America, author of O Death, Where Is Thy Sting? A Meditation on Suffering
 
“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.”
—Wayne Adams, multimedia artist, former board chair of Christians in the Visual Arts

“Carey Wallace has an intimate relationship with creation starting with our ultimate creator— God. From this relationship, attentiveness to beauty, pain, and all things in between emerges, transforming all experiences, thoughts, and feelings into inspiration. I recommend this book to everyone, from the artist who’s struggling to create, to the multidisciplinary act too full of ideas. May we all dare to be inspired.”
—B. L. Shirelle,musician, co-executive director of FREER Records

From the Publisher