Every time you start a project, or even start a day's writing, you will be faced with a blank page and usually an overwhelming urge to crawl back into bed. It is at times like these you need to pull out your secret weapon. Used for millennia before we become too smart for it, your best friend in getting over that initial fear is your Muse.
What is a Muse? Well, in its most basic form, it is someone else to blame. And sometimes that is enough.
If you're a fan of Greek mythology, you'll recognise Muses from the nine Muses of the ancient Greek world. Though often portrayed as scantily clad women, their primary purpose was not to inspire through the arousal of sexual desire. Rather, they were the embodiment and sponsors of all arts. The Muses would bless you the necessary skills and inspiration; then, and only then would you be able to produce truly great art.
Muses have maintained their place throughout history in various forms, used ever as an entity that bestows inspiration and passion upon an individual (rather than arousing it within them). This is a critical distinction of roles. This way, it's your responsibility to be open and willing to work when the inspiration is given, but it is her/his/its responsibility to give you that inspiration. If you sit down and work, and yet nothing good comes out, well that's not your fault. Your Muse is throwing a sick day. You are, of course, responsible for doing all you can to win over the Fairest Muse of All, but you can't expect any more from yourself than this.
Having to internalise and take responsibility for this purely creative element is one of the reasons for the idea of the tortured artist, so evident in contemporary culture. It is now the writer's fault if they cannot produce inspired work on demand. This is incredibly stressful, enough to make anyone curl up and whimper. It both instils and magnifies the fear of failure that can utterly cripple a writer, that which causes a lot of the writer's block in the world. As Elizabeth Gilbert said in an engaging TED Talk, ("Your elusive creative genius"), "I think that allowing somebody, one mere person to believe that he or she is like, the vessel, like the font and the essence and the source of all divine, creative, unknowable, eternal mystery is just a smidge too much responsibility to put on one fragile, human psyche... and I think the pressure of that has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years."
As such, one of the most important and effective exercises for the developing writer is to find and identify your Muse. Something external to yourself that has the ability to grant you inspiration when it wants, and only requires that you sit down and faithfully work (perhaps directing it a sonnet or two in thanks). Then, unseen, it will infuse its inspirations into your work, and together you will create something great. If the work you produce is not great? Well, your Muse was clearly away at the time of construction.
Take a moment and discover your Muse. My personal faith works pretty well for me, and you need to find out whatever works for you. If you are at all imaginative, give it personality, characteristics with which you can interact. Make a deal with it: your part is to turn up and start writing on demand, their part is to bless the process and take responsibility for the outcome.
I have found that cats make good Muses. There is something in their air that suggests they have the ability to grant inspiration. It also explains why they love sitting on keyboards so much. Generally, they have egos big enough to take your successes or failures in their stride.
Perhaps your Muse is the spirit of your favourite writer, or Botticelli's Venus, the spirit of new-born art. Whoever (or whatever) it is, their role is to be an external being, there to assure you of some higher meaning to your work, and to remind you to relax and let the words flow.
As unusual as it sounds, I urge you to undertake this activity right now. Search for an answer that will work for you and has a strong personal meaning. Either real or imaginary, designate someone else to take the pressure and stress of the creative process, so you can just enjoy having fun in your writing. Who knows what it might bring?
What is a Muse? Well, in its most basic form, it is someone else to blame. And sometimes that is enough.
If you're a fan of Greek mythology, you'll recognise Muses from the nine Muses of the ancient Greek world. Though often portrayed as scantily clad women, their primary purpose was not to inspire through the arousal of sexual desire. Rather, they were the embodiment and sponsors of all arts. The Muses would bless you the necessary skills and inspiration; then, and only then would you be able to produce truly great art.
Muses have maintained their place throughout history in various forms, used ever as an entity that bestows inspiration and passion upon an individual (rather than arousing it within them). This is a critical distinction of roles. This way, it's your responsibility to be open and willing to work when the inspiration is given, but it is her/his/its responsibility to give you that inspiration. If you sit down and work, and yet nothing good comes out, well that's not your fault. Your Muse is throwing a sick day. You are, of course, responsible for doing all you can to win over the Fairest Muse of All, but you can't expect any more from yourself than this.
Having to internalise and take responsibility for this purely creative element is one of the reasons for the idea of the tortured artist, so evident in contemporary culture. It is now the writer's fault if they cannot produce inspired work on demand. This is incredibly stressful, enough to make anyone curl up and whimper. It both instils and magnifies the fear of failure that can utterly cripple a writer, that which causes a lot of the writer's block in the world. As Elizabeth Gilbert said in an engaging TED Talk, ("Your elusive creative genius"), "I think that allowing somebody, one mere person to believe that he or she is like, the vessel, like the font and the essence and the source of all divine, creative, unknowable, eternal mystery is just a smidge too much responsibility to put on one fragile, human psyche... and I think the pressure of that has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years."
As such, one of the most important and effective exercises for the developing writer is to find and identify your Muse. Something external to yourself that has the ability to grant you inspiration when it wants, and only requires that you sit down and faithfully work (perhaps directing it a sonnet or two in thanks). Then, unseen, it will infuse its inspirations into your work, and together you will create something great. If the work you produce is not great? Well, your Muse was clearly away at the time of construction.
Take a moment and discover your Muse. My personal faith works pretty well for me, and you need to find out whatever works for you. If you are at all imaginative, give it personality, characteristics with which you can interact. Make a deal with it: your part is to turn up and start writing on demand, their part is to bless the process and take responsibility for the outcome.
I have found that cats make good Muses. There is something in their air that suggests they have the ability to grant inspiration. It also explains why they love sitting on keyboards so much. Generally, they have egos big enough to take your successes or failures in their stride.
Perhaps your Muse is the spirit of your favourite writer, or Botticelli's Venus, the spirit of new-born art. Whoever (or whatever) it is, their role is to be an external being, there to assure you of some higher meaning to your work, and to remind you to relax and let the words flow.
As unusual as it sounds, I urge you to undertake this activity right now. Search for an answer that will work for you and has a strong personal meaning. Either real or imaginary, designate someone else to take the pressure and stress of the creative process, so you can just enjoy having fun in your writing. Who knows what it might bring?
About the Author:
This is an excerpt from Buffy Greentree's book 'The Five Day Writer's Retreat', available now on Amazon Five_day_Writer_Retreat
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