— I believe in the Muse. Across the centuries, artists, photographers, writers, painters, poets … ALL of them seem as baffled as anyone else by where their best ideas come from. So I figure we might as well attribute that creative spark to the classic divine source of all artistic inspiration …
And if the Muse is responsible for handing us all our best creative ideas, then our job is simple enough: we need to get out of her way and let her do her work.
But here’s the thing. She needs to know we’re serious.
She needs to know that she isn’t handing out her magic to someone who will treat the gift lightly.
Which is why we do well to develop regular office hours, as it were. Turning up around the same time and the same place every day — it’s almost as if we’re saying, “Hello? Yeah, well … This is where I’m going to be every day. Right here. With my camera. Or at my computer. I’ll be here. You can count on it. Just letting you know … So if you want to drop in … ”
In short, we show ourselves to be serious, dedicated to our craft, committed to it, through the thick and thin.
On good days we turn out work that excites us. On bad days we turn out work even when it sucks, even if it’s all garbage and we delete it all at the end. Ours is not to judge. Ours is to SHOW UP and put in the hours.
And in time we can trust that not only will we develop our skill and our capacities as artists … but also that we will show ourselves to be worthy of that miracle waiting just out of sight, watching us, seeing if we will quit when things get hard or if we will keep coming back again anyhow …
Believe me on this one. You must prove yourself worthy of the gifts your Muse will bestow.
You must keep turning up — no matter what. That’s how you get her attention.
I love this quotation by Elizabeth Gilbert, which goes straight to the point I’m making here:
“So I don’t sit around waiting to write until my genius decides to pay me a visit. If anything, I have come to believe that my genius spends a lot of time waiting around for ME — waiting to see if I’m truly serious about this line of work. I feel sometimes as if my genius sits in the corner and watches me at my desk, day after day, week after week, month after month, just to be sure I really mean it, just to be sure I’m really giving this creative endeavor my whole-hearted effort.”
And the good news is, your persistence and your dedication WILL be rewarded.
For example … The stunning image featured in this post is by “AWAKE” artist Caroline Julia Moore. And did she ever court her Muse. Caroline has grown tremendously as an artist the past two years — in large part because she simply keeps showing up at the studio, she keeps setting up model shoots, she keeps working with new ideas and trying new things. That persistence pays off. Her Muse now knows exactly where to find her. And as you can see, they get along famously.
What could YOU do on a regular basis to keep your creativity alive and show your Muse that you mean business?
— Could you take up writing in a creative journal every morning or every night before bed?
— Could you get in the habit of grabbing your camera and heading out every weekend?
— Could you block out a chunk of your calendar every day for time to spend working on a new composition?
Remember, consistency is the important thing here.
And don’t expect it to be easy.
Expect to put in the time and the work, and expect that some if it will turn out and some of it will suck.
No one creates masterpieces every day of the week. And many a masterpiece is the result of innumerable false starts and failed attempts, renewed efforts, and extensive revisions.
That’s all part of it.
But if you want more than anything to live a rich and imaginative artistic life and reach the place where you and your Muse are comfy together, and work happily alongside one another, turning out an endless stream of creative work — the only way to get there is to earn that familiarity.
You earn it by showing up every day and putting in the hours. It’s that constant showing up that commands attention.
Call it your Genius or call it your Muse … but DO call.
And above all else, be sure you call regularly, and often.
Trust me. She will notice.
– Sebastian