In Greek Mythology, there were 9 goddesses who were considered to be the source of inspiration for arts, science, and stuff like that.
Nowadays the term kind of describes a person who inspires an artist. Kind of.
We artists find inspiration in the most unlikely of places (or situations.) It’s not just other works of art that inspire us to create art, but also places, events, people.
But I’ve always considered a muse to be more than all that.
Most artists would agree with the following statement: they create art because they want to make something so beautiful that it has a chance of lasting forever.
But what happens when you just want to capture something that’s already beautiful? And you want to make it last forever.
That’s what I think a muse is.
Beauty inspires, there’s no doubt about it. And beauty inspires because it always dies. Sooner or later, but it always does so. Gorgeous people grow old, flowers wither away…
I’ve had a couple of muses along the years. I’ve been inspired by beautiful women, some of whom I’ve never even talked to.
I believe this to be a pretty vague concept. A construct of the mind, a muse is often unreachable for the artist. Maybe it’s just me and my unrequited love stories, but the truth is that we write about other human beings. Art is not just about introspection, or about what we see, but also about what we want to see.
We hope. That’s one of our redeeming qualities: we hope. And thus we write, and we paint, and we sculpt, and we sing. About other people. About those who love us or those who don’t, about those who we see worthy of becoming more than just flesh and blood.
Ink and paper maybe…
They say you’ll never die if a writer falls in love with you.
Art is just… by the people, for the people, and about people.
That’s all, folks!
You know that legend Chuck Palahniuk writes about in the first chapter of Choke? If you don’t know it, let me tell you about it. In Ancient Greece there was this girl who was in love with a boy. But he had to leave, so on their last night together the girl brought a lamp and set it so it threw the lover’s shadow on the wall. She traced the outline of her lover’s shadow so she would never forget how he looked like. The next day, the boy was gone, but that outline was still there.
Apparently that’s how painting was invented.
Because we hope things are going to last for much, much longer than it is possible. Because we want to leave something behind.
It’s what we do. Making art is just some people’s way of shouting inside a crowded room. And sometimes the echoes never stops reverberating…
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brilliant
Muses
Muses are fickle
They seduce with wild abandon
Then leave in the middle of the night
Take flight
Leaving nothing but scent and stain
So you pick up your favorite writing tool
Whisper a prayer
Hope for a benediction
When inspiration doesn’t flow
You force yourself to spread the words
Sordidly
But a forced poem is like an arranged marriage
Awkward
Unknown
Artificial
As for love it may grow over time
Didn’t carry you to the altar though
Better to wait for that floozy
Who runs around inspiring the neighbors
Leaving you to wear horns
Knowing that she’ll return
With a poetically transmitted disease
And an encouraging word
Amen
David Trudel © 2012
Just beautiful…I too think that Muse's take many shapes…it's whatever inspires us ;)
[...] What's a muse?. [...]
Interesting musings Cristian. Yes, it is said, that people write to insure their immortality. Leaving ones words behind is indeed one way to live on after you're gone. For me, writing, and getting feedback, is a way to grow and not stagnate within my own thoughts. I love learning from people even when I don't necessarily agree with their premise.
marilyn
What was the Muse that inspired Irevuo?
Speaking of which, I just read the magazine. Very nicely done on the articles. I hope my submission can get in there some day.
Perfect last paragraph.
This is a romantic post!
This is some of your best work. :) Right here, in this article. I can feel the passion behind it. You were definitely born to do this. Never, ever give up. ;)
This is a truly beautiful piece. I love it. Thank you for the inspiration and blessed be!
really enjoyed this piece…curios though what about those that create art without muse but create art as an instrument of change or for educational reasons…my question is must all art be muse inspired?
Not at all. There was no muse when I wrote "The Writer." Art is many things and can be used to do a lot of stuff.
Enjoyed this. May our echoes never stop reverberating.
I don't think I'm quite up to the art level. But you are well on your way.
Reblogged this on Poetry and Misery and commented:
Written by one of the artists I admire…
Zeus would be proud. You are a very insightful writer and I love reading your work. Thankyou.
I believe you nailed it. Very beautifully written!
Spot on, as always.
As a photographer who is on a holy quest to capture forever that which is vanishing…your words found deep resonance in my soul…thank you!
Insightful and inspiring post!
Beautiful.
Beautiful words!
Great read and finally now I know how painting was invented. I never knew this…
I love this so much..
Great post!
I really liked this post. I'm not a writer nor artist, but it struck a chord in me…
This reminds me of the poem Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats. The fact that beauty is ephemeral, making it even more beautiful. And how art is immortal.
Damn. I really liked this post.
Very well written, I couldn't have said it better myself. Perfect!
Love the last paragraph – really beautiful and what a great image to hold as we create.
I was just wondering about the picture, who's it by? It's beautiful I'd like to learn more about it. Thank you :)
The painting's called "Hesiod Listening to the Inspiration of the Muse" and it's by a French painter named Edmond Aman-Jean.
Thank you for such a beautiful post. I totally agree about how the muse inspires and makes something that's mortal and temporary as permanent as permanent can be. And immortal, too.
Thank you, truly. I am in love with this painting.
Have you read Steven Pressfield's "The War of Art"? He contends that all art is inspired by the divine (muses, angels, whathaveyou, and while I'm not sure I agree with him, I was wondering if you had a take on this?
It's an interesting idea, but much like the idea that talent is something that's been given to us (something we don't control in any way), I'm not very fond of it.
People make art, by using brains and fingers and other parts of their bodies. That's all there is to it.
Lovely post, I think we all need to find our muses and hold on to them.
Interesting thoughts
I would offer that a muse is only seen after the fact as the inciting factor that made the art. The struggle to find meaning is the penultimate purpose for all artists/writers/dreamers. The ultimate purpose is to be true.
You know who my latest muse is – a guy i had dated in the past. He had one of the most complicated lives that i have ever seen and whenever i run out of things to write about, i sometimes think about our conversations and pick up a theme from there!
BTW loved the story about how painting was invented :), thanks for sharing
Digest every sentence – cuts both ways
Reblogged this on Mirela Dumitrescu and commented:
Make for yourself lucky hit with this beautiful article.
The ultimate question is, of course, can you be a muse.