I find that inspiration is like a lightening bolt. Perhaps a cliché comparison, but if you’ve felt that moment of “Eureka!” where you can visualize in an instant the entire creative process, well, you know what I mean.

It can strike out of nowhere.

It disappears as quickly as it came. You might not see it again for months.

While it can cause mass destruction (literally: forest fires; figuratively: a whole day spent consumed by creative ineptitude when the project goes awry), it can also be the catalyst for wholly unexpected works of beauty. (See Fulgurites on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite)