Does inspiration ever arrive?

(image from here)

imho inspiration is not the prime mover;  "showing up" -- putting that foot out the door --- wins every time. It's a matter of getting going - making something/anything - thinking with your hands ... and then the inspiration comes.

Perhaps we should remove that word "inspiration" from our vocabulary. What does it mean?

The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative

• - Helen had one of her flashes of inspiration
• - the history of fashion has provided designers with invaluable inspiration

The quality of having been so stimulated, esp. when evident in something

• - a rare moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display

A person or thing that stimulates in this way

• - he is an inspiration to everyone

A sudden brilliant, creative, or timely idea

• - then I had an inspiration

The divine influence believed to have led to the writing of the Bible

The drawing in of breath; inhalation

An act of breathing in; an inhalation

From those definitions, I think we're talking about no.4 here -- being struck by The Muse or whatever. That's the meaning I'm talking about eliminating. Yet there are other definitions (some are nuances?) that I find less irritating. The "drawing in of breath" (no.6) - that could apply to being in the studio and getting inspiration - from the repetitions and the ambience, as we repeatedly draw in air to keep us alive. OK, maybe that's a metaphor toooo far!

Probably something will sneak up and say, "I'm here now, please pay attention to me!" rather than be presented on a platter by The Muse, don't you think? Though sometimes there are those Wonderful Moments when not only do you have a good idea but time stands still, and within 5 or 10 seconds it all falls into place and you go away and Just Do It and it really does work out .... and all the time you're working on it you feel so calm and happy. That's happened maybe twice for me, how about you'all? Did it come out of the blue or was there a sequence leading up to it?