Inspiration is an emotional experience, something you feel. You cannot experience inspiration exclusively on an intellectual level. It is not possible. Synonyms given for the word indicate that inspiration is something more than merely a mental realisation: 'to infuse with confidence or resolution, or to fire with enthusiasm, as though a new and vibrant spirit were breathed into one's being...'

While inspiration can seem to result from an intellectual realisation, it is the emotional factors involved that provide the motivational force which gives inspiration its influence...