"Inspiration could be called inhaling the memory of an act never experienced"

Ned Rorem's quote, "Inspiration could be called inhaling the memory of an act never experienced", suggests a poetic and nuanced understanding of motivation, seeing it as a blend of memory and creativity. In this interpretation, inspiration is likened to the act of breathing in-- a deliberate, needed, and life-sustaining action. It implies that motivation, much like breathing, is important for creative and intellectual vigor. Nevertheless, what is being "breathed in" is not the air, but rather the "memory of an act never experienced". This intriguing phrase carries a paradox: how can one keep in mind something never ever lived?

To explore this, think about memory as not just a repository of direct experiences however also as a construct of imagination and desires. Rorem seems to recommend that motivation draws upon this imaginative memory-- memories not built on real events but rather on the evocation of feelings, concepts, and possibilities that have not yet tangibly manifested in one's life. It refers to the abstract impressions and instinctive understandings that emerge from within or from external stimuli, which in some way feel familiar despite the fact that they are novel experiences.

Moreover, Rorem's conceptualization highlights the subconscious element of creativity. Motivation typically seems like a spontaneous revelation, an insight that appears to originate from a location beyond conscious thinking. It becomes a whisper from the depths of our psyche, fueled by a cumulative or personal unconsciousness bristling with stereotypical images, dreams, and prospective stories.

This quote also touches upon the universality and timelessness of human creativity. It suggests that through inspiration, individuals can tap into a shared repository of human emotion and experience. Even if one has never ever personally experienced what they are influenced to produce or imagine, the human capacity to understand, to picture, and to dream bridges that space, enabling the creation of works that resonate with others' real or imagined experiences, hence going beyond individual limits.