By Definition, a “Muse” is one of the Nine Sister Goddesses, each residing over a specific domain of theater or art. They were once said to inspire their chose craft and those craftsmen so devoted.
Its also a band, but we really won’t delve to much into that right now.
But even if Calliope, Thalia, Urania and their sisters aren’t your thing or you come up bare when thinking of them, that doesn’t mean that you won’t find inspiration else where. In fact, we’ll help you get over that!
Everybody has their share of ideas – both good and bad. Some more good than others… some more bad than others, but that is entirely to be expected. And when it comes to art, ideas are fuel. They drive our passions forward and our passions drive our ideas.
We all have our Muses. All of us. Each one is different though, for each and everyone of us. What one person sees as absolultly inspiring, another will just look at with half-hearted interest. It can’t be helped – and in fact, its actually a good thing.
And who is to say that I Muse has to be something tangeble, something coporeal? Why not think a little broader – the options really could open up to so much more.
One person may find inspiration in that of a beautiful woman, as what one would typically think of as a Muse. Another may find their creativity unfrul at the sight of her lips. Another may find interest in nature, the leaves or a flowers around them, right out their vary window. Another might even see the window as inspiration itself, opening up new thoughts. Another person may find music inspiring, compelling them to create what they hear, driving them forward with a few lines of music.
Other things, invisible things are even vast wellsprings for inspiration – time, something you can’t visibly see can be inspiring, capturing thoughts of mortality, of adventure and the unknown. Seasons, while not quite time, are very inspiring for some. They conjure up well known and ingraned thoughts of the times, of the weather, of holidays and festivals. I myself find Autumn to be very invigorating.
A simple Fall afternoon with a cool breeze during sundown, just when the light hits the bare trees right. I can’t really think of a more inspiring time for myself. But others may have other seasons, other thoughts and other things that drive them.
And believe it or not, lack of inspiration has actually been inspiration before. Some works of art come about solely from the sheer lack of ideas for something else, an act of desperation in some fashion. A head on the piano isn’t all that uncommon when a muscian can’t think of anything, a blank stare on a photographers face, a brush just resting in cleaner, or even a sheet of stark white paper. People have made their lack of ideas work for them – in esscense, an idea from the lack of ideas. How it works, I’m not entirely sure and I wouldn’t entirely rule out the whole Quantum Mechanics thing – but I never specialized in Theoretical Physics…
If you don’t feel inspired, then maybe you just haven’t found your muse yet. You’ll know it when you see it.
Indelible Ink Workshop 