Cocteau - The Process of Inspiration

Summary of Jean Cocteau “The Process of Inspiration”

            Jean Cocteau asserts the source of inspiration is not divine (79).   Instead,  inspiration results from inactivity and the incapacity for people to “put to work certain forces in ourselves” (79).  He describes that the unknown forces are deep within us, they form regardless of people’s desires, and when ready, they demand to be born (79).  Cocteau understands the association of mysteriousness with inspiration, its internal workings, and how the birth of inspiration becomes compulsive to the artist and demands to be expressed (79).   Cocteau’s notions on divinity are reflective of the mysterious nature of creativity and how someone can confuse it with divine interaction.

            Though not direct, Cocteau uses numerous references to slumbering, drowsiness, and dream when referring to a state of mind pertaining to inspiration (79-80).  He writes, “By a thousand ruses, he [the artist] prevents his nocturnal work from coming to the light of day” (79).   He also makes reference to somnolence that is akin to a state of near sleep.   Cocteau is suggesting that the inner forces and everyday life, in conjunction with the near slumbering state, is conducive to inspiration.

            Cocteau suggests the artist is at the “whim of his unconscious dream state,” and that the artist needs to clean house to receive the inspired thoughts (80).   This notion suggests that inspiration strikes on its own terms and that the artist needs to have a certain clarity of mind to receive it.

Works Cited

Cocteau, Jean. “The Process of Inspiration.” The Creative Process: A Symposium. Ed. Brewster Ghislen.  Berkeley: University of California Press. 1985. 79-80. Print.