In recent weeks I have been focusing on becoming more aware of my thought stream.

After spending the majority of the Christmas/New Year period immersed in reading books, blogs and articles about innovating thinking, meditation, mindfulness and stress management.

I found myself attempting to force a stream of creativity.

For days I sat down with my notebook waiting for inspiration to majestically emerge. Well, it didn’t happen. I became frustrated.

I soon realised that the root of my frustration was my inability to force something that is intrinsically organic. I harked back to days of thesis writing where I would write for hours, listening to Loretta Lynn and absorbing chapters of Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity like I now absorb caffeine.

I stopped. Put down my notebook and went for a run. That was five days ago.

Yesterday I woke up, turned on the Nespresso machine, browsed through my Google Reader and noticed an abundance of CES related articles and digital music startups. Something in my head clicked. I stopped reading. I found the nearest piece of paper and scribbled down a basic map of a project that I now want to set in motion over the coming months.

And guess what? It’s going to be awesome.

What am I learning?

Inspiration cannot be forced and passing ideas cannot be let go.