e14: Is Inspiration Contagious?
October 25, 2023
18:30-19:30 GMT (Europe) • 1:30-2:30 EST (North America, Eastern)
Is inspiration contagious? Can inspiration spread from an author to their reader? What about viewing a beautiful artwork... can this experience translate across domains to ignite the creative writing process?
This month we’ll reflect on two complimentary papers. The first by Thrash and colleagues (2017) exploring the “Writer–Reader Contagion of Inspiration and Related States” through poetry. Followed by exploring the possibilities of being “Inspired by Art” in a paper by Welke, Purton, & Vessel (2021) on the cross-modality transfer of aesthetically moving artworks on creative writing.
Together we'll discuss the art and science of inspiration and how we relate to our own personal experiences of feeling inspired.
This meeting has passed, but we would love for you to join us next time!
📄 Thrash et al, (2017):
Writer–Reader Contagion of Inspiration and Related States: Conditional Process Analyses Within a Cross-Classified Writer X Reader Framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(3), 466–491.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000094
📄 Welke, Purton, & Vessel, (2023):
Inspired by art: Higher aesthetic appeal elicits increased felt inspiration in a creative writing task. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 17(3), 261–277.
👋🏼 Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need pdfs of the articles.