Born from the intention of Zeus and and Imagination of Mnemosyne mothered 9 daughters which became the muses Calliope, the Goddess of eloquence, epic poetry, drama, performance, communication, transmission and storytelling; Clio the muse of history and writing; Erato, the muse of four aspects of love-Agape-Eros-Libido & Philia; Euterpe, the muse of music and lyric poetry; Melpomene, the muse of tragedy; Polyhmnia the muse of oratory, sacred hymns and poetry; Terpsichore, the muse of dance; Thalia, the muse of comedy and play; Urania, the muse of Astronomy and Mathematics. Muses inspire you to take action. I have been having a block and looking over the Muses I realized that I was missing the muse of Thalia. I was forgetting how to play and have fun with my art. I usually call it artwork. Don’t want to even call it that anymore. I might start calling it artplay. Yesterday I received my large pallet knives I ordered, going to play with thick juicy paint. I am also going to prepare 50 blank canvases, and paint with no reference. The child in me got excited. It didn’t want to come out before, the parent in me was making it too serious. The child wants to explore and do art for the sake of art. I definitely feel a shift. You know there are no rules about a muse, how they should look or be. Gender, age, appearance and character are variable, but one thing for sure muses are like angels. Muses can set you into a deeper journey of discovery, joy, beauty and just plain loving the experience of creating. Who is your Muse?
Interesting, when we are in that parental mode towards ourselves, creativity does not flow; although my work looks playful I have battled this my entire career.
I hope that you keep us updated on your progress… happy painting!
Hello Janet!
I found you on Twitter via @lmk88.
I’ve been playing with my muse when I write. It makes the process of creating less daunting. I got the ‘message’ that I needed to be more playful. See? you’re not the only one!
nice to meet you!
Maryse
Beatrice, Thank you for your comment. It is so interesting to hear that you have the same problem. And yes it is in contrast to your playful creations. How do you overcome this? Can you give me any suggestions or is this a frame of mind?
Maryse, so nice to meet you and now following you. It seems the playful muse may be one of the highlites for creating. The inner child is probably one of the most creative aspects of ourself.
The inner child tells the censor to be quiet and allows the imagination to take hold. Thanks for helping me get in touch with that also. Hope you subscribe to my blog. Thank you.
Janet I believe that having the awareness of the problem is step number one; now when I go in the studio I set my mind on “play” mode and try to have fun with it; constantly adjusting my state of mind. I believe that the purest and natural state is “flow”, the other thoughts are negative learned crap. After spending time playing sports I am always in flow mode…
I thought you being in nature and playing sports was a big aspect and asset to helping be loose and playful. Thanks Beatrice
One of my most important muses is the social web: Twitter, Flickr and of course blogs. To see/ hear/ experience what other people do and to be able to talk with them directly is definitely shaping my own creativity in a positive way. Instant feedback helps me to sharpen my own identity, to find my very own part in a harmonious concert of many voices.
Which of the 9 muses would correspond with the social web? I think it’s Erato.
Detlef, what a creative way to interpet your muse. Erato, the Godess of love. I did hear the other day that more people are creative when in love. You did mean Erato didn’t you and not Clio the muse of writing. I like you love the response of Twitter, the quick feedback and also a different perspective. I also love seeing other artists creations, that also is very inspirational, especially yours. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
Thank you for asking, Janet. Yes, I think Erato might be the muse of the social web. But I would not define “Love” in the sense of “being flirtatious” here. You write about the 4 aspects of love in ancient Greek culture and I would set the priority on “Philia”: friendship between equals sharing common values.
A 5th aspect, Xenia, hospitality, comes to my mind. If you visit a blog and comment it’s like visiting a person’s home. Like you, Janet, being the host here, creating a warm athmosphere where everyone is invited to speak her/ his mind.
Thank you for your Xenia 😉
Thanks for that. I moved away from Greece when I was really young, and I really want to rediscover my heritage. I’ve been trying out a lot of random greek recipes, and the best I’ve found yet is this greek recipe – it totally remind me of my childhood. I dont remember much of it except for the spicy smells and tasty food on every street.
It comes from everywhere – but mostly from the child within – If I allow him to be unique he shines, but if I try to make him do something he revolts and does everything but. I really like this one. 🙂