My muse

I don’t often speak about what inspires me.  It is very hard to explain.  Its that quiet voice in the back of your head that whispers insights into your ear.  It fills your brain with a burning desire to write them down, research more, and express yourself creatively.  I have personified it into my personal muse – just like the ancient epic poets would dedicate their works to one of the Muses, I sometimes believe I have a personal spirit who’s sole purpose in life is to provide me with inspiration.

My only problem is that she (and yes, I believe the spirit is a she, both because the ancient muses were female, and because it only seems appropriate to have soft words of inspiration whispered to you by a person of the opposite sex)  she is a bitch.  She has no respect for time of day, responsibilities, or even civility.  When she whispers, it is deep within the recesses of my brain, and she demands instant action.  

Unfortunately, not having accumulated a private fortune that would allow me to spend unbroken hours in libraries in pursuit of knowledge to feed her, we do get into conflict.  over the years, I have noticed a pattern – when I ignore her, she either torments me, or goes into a pout.  I hate it when she pouts because she can go silent for a long time until I coax her out.  When she torments me, its like she’s screaming in my subconscious, distracting me from social situations, work, and sleep.  I am bidden to get up, and transcribe her works onto a medium, any medium, and failure to do so is dangerous.

I do confess, my muse was very helpful when it came to writing essays in University.  I type super fast, so I am able to record her inspirations very quickly and efficiently (although they usually need some editing, I blame that on my own skill rather than the inspiration itself)  and my muse continues to be of great help to me.  This blog is a testament to her.  There are times I only have a half hour or less to bang off something that I hope will amuse others, and my muse is usually more than happy to cooperate.  30 minutes later, I have 1800 words ready to go, sometimes in a direction that I didn’t intend when I started off.

So, here I am at 5:20 AM, being bidden by my muse to write a short paragraph about her.  I do hope everyone out there has a muse (hopefully one with a little more manners than my own) and that they learn how to work with them.  it is wonderful when the ideas are jumping off your fingers onto the screen, and there is a magic synergy that feels like you are conducting a bolt of lightning.  A surge of idea and intellect that seems to come from beyond.

Indulge your creative side.  Dry some leaves, and arrange them in a frame.  Learn to play an instrument.  Sing a song you invented.  It can be anything.  But, mental exercise is critical to the development of a balanced mind.  Learn where your inspiration comes from, and let it guide you down its paths, because what you will discover will surprise and enlighten you.  Even if it just involves sitting in a quiet place, and seeing where your mind wanders too, it was well worth the effort. 

Don’t believe me, please.  Try it.  Do it, and see how fulfilling your life can be.  This site and others are full of people who have allowed their muses to speak, and are now finding themselves in all sorts of situations they never would have imagined.  The world needs creativity, and freedom, and I invite you all to continue to express yourselves in any way you see fit.  (Any legal way, this blog does not condone any activity that might be illegal in your country – check your local laws before pursuing artistic expression that might be risque)  

On the subject of laws, i have always pondered the idea of non-consentual art.  The basic idea would be to take a tasteful garden statue, or similar ornament and leave it in a public place to see how long it would stay there.  In a crowded shopping mall, a local government office, or park, it might even become part of the place, and accepted as part of the decor.  I have long toyed with this idea in my head, but, have never had the time, money, or ability to set it up as an experiment and monitor it.  I’m passing it along now, hoping someone, somewhere will try it, and report back.  

To finalize, from my muse to yours – happy creating!