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A Muse?

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A Muse?

I have often been asked what or who is my muse. Quite frankly, it was never more than a passing thought. I face the process of creating art as my job. As a student in University, I got up early in the morning and worked at honing my craft all day. That work discipline has never changed throughout my career.

There is something within me that needs the challenges that I wrote about in my last post. In recent years, since I have had the perspective to look back at a career that has spanned 4 decades, my inspiration (or muse, if you want to call it that) resides in the real world. No spiritual beings or spheres involved...just a stack of bills that need to get paid and creative expression that needs a voice.

So let's set this notion of needing a muse aside. In all reality, those waiting for a muse are either overthinking or procrastinating.

As a creative, you have a mission and a message. You approach this job like you would any other.

You discipline yourself to work whether the mood so strikes or not. Why would you add the pressure of discovering your muse to that mix? It's hard enough to work when you don't feel like it or when you don't think you have anything to say.

That said, if you want to be a starving artist in the proverbial attic, filled with angst, hold onto the notion that you need a muse. The angst you will feel will be self induced by the pressure you are putting on yourself.

Now, let's get back to these urban abstracts....When I wasn't able to paint, I could be out taking pictures. I was working toward something and I sensed early on that the images were not going to be the end all. I could snap a picture just about anywhere at any time. I toss nothing out because I don't know what I will see next week that may be a great complement to something I took last week or last year,

Which reminds me....I was going through the car wash this morning and snapped away and that noodles and suds on my windshield... I should go take a look at what I got!

My advice for this week, not asked for but about to be given anyway, is STOP feeling you need a muse. You just need to commit to honing your skills daily.
My latest Urban Abstracts series can be found at:
URBAN ABSTRACTS BY MARLENE BURNS