Creative process and the Muse
After a brief conversation with a fellow doll artist I felt it was time to reexamine the concept of "Muse". She is feeling stuck and went to the old catch phase about the "muse" not being there.
The Muses /ˈmjuːzᵻz/ (Ancient Greek: Μοῦσαι, Moũsai; perhaps from the o-grade of the Proto-Indo-European root *men- "think"[1]) in Greek mythology are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in these ancient cultures. Wikipedia.
I have several ideas about the muse, and have read lots of Masters thoughts on it.
Let me start by saying, that I think.... there is no Muse. Nope.......IT...doesn't exsist. IT is like the Pan or a Gorgon, a conveniant way to put a name and face on a feeling that is you, your "self". One of the hundreds parts of the creative brain. Its like the angel and the devil on your shoulders, all of it is within you. We dont want it to be within, because than who do you blame for the procrastination, ill use of time, bad sculpts, crooked seams, ordinary doll that we all come up with from time to time? We would have to own up to it ourselves, instead we get to say, "no, the muse wasn't there." And it protects our delicate, sensitive artist ego.
Why I think there is no muse is as a Art doll artist, (I have said this before in magazine articles), we straddle two worlds. Fine Art and fine Craft. Those Art Doll Artist that strive for more, it is a blend of a fine craft that has turned the corner into Art.
Inspiration is not a Muse. Don't confuse your creative spirit. When someone says, "my wife is my muse". What they are really saying is, their wife is their inspiration. Fine craft and artist find inspiration everywhere. Mastering one technique leads to another. That leads to the inspiration of another piece. As do the mistakes. Many artist say you learn more from the mistakes than the successes. True words!
When they aren't inspired they take a walk, go to a museum, work in a different material, read a book, bake cookies, sing a song, or stand on your head. The first 6 inspiration ideas were discussed in our article
The Muses /ˈmjuːzᵻz/ (Ancient Greek: Μοῦσαι, Moũsai; perhaps from the o-grade of the Proto-Indo-European root *men- "think"[1]) in Greek mythology are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in these ancient cultures. Wikipedia. Let me start by saying, that I think.... there is no Muse. Nope.......IT...doesn't exsist. IT is like the Pan or a Gorgon, a conveniant way to put a name and face on a feeling that is you, your "self". One of the hundreds parts of the creative brain. Its like the angel and the devil on your shoulders, all of it is within you. We dont want it to be within, because than who do you blame for the procrastination, ill use of time, bad sculpts, crooked seams, ordinary doll that we all come up with from time to time? We would have to own up to it ourselves, instead we get to say, "no, the muse wasn't there." And it protects our delicate, sensitive artist ego.
Why I think there is no muse is as a Art doll artist, (I have said this before in magazine articles), we straddle two worlds. Fine Art and fine Craft. Those Art Doll Artist that strive for more, it is a blend of a fine craft that has turned the corner into Art.
 |
| Source deviant art http://tbdoll.deviantart.com |
I believe there is no place in the world of fine craft for the Muse, the concept is foreign in this world. Fine craft persons and master don't have time to wait for the muse. The only way to get better at your craft is by working at it. Years spent learning how to turn wood into a bowl, starts with a crafts person learning one wood from another. The flick of the potters hand to make a spout, is the result of years with mud in their nails. The delicate filigree of gold on the earring is because the Craft person studied, for months and years on that technique, and wasted thousands in materials until they got it right. The all show up to their craft and spend the time learning the materials and techniques until it is good enough to apply to their work. Than they work more, longer, and deeper into it. They don't sit and wait for some external force to guide the hand. They train, day in day out!
Inspiration is not a Muse. Don't confuse your creative spirit. When someone says, "my wife is my muse". What they are really saying is, their wife is their inspiration. Fine craft and artist find inspiration everywhere. Mastering one technique leads to another. That leads to the inspiration of another piece. As do the mistakes. Many artist say you learn more from the mistakes than the successes. True words!
When they aren't inspired they take a walk, go to a museum, work in a different material, read a book, bake cookies, sing a song, or stand on your head. The first 6 inspiration ideas were discussed in our article
- Examine your culture- What is you ancestry?
- Reminisce about early childhood-What was the color of your favorite pet?
- Consistently use a sketchbook-Doddles are great to free you up!
- Create numerous artworks simultaneously-Something not working move to something else!
- Look at the art of other artists online and in person-In person is best, the sight sound and smell of a gallery will help!
- Try out a new artistic medium-Switch clays or make a rag doll.
- Do not Always Focus on Good Ideas-make an intentional bad piece, we learn from our mistakes!
So, If your feeling stuck try one of these! Time to go the muse is waiting.
 |
| https://www.flickr.com/photos/maechevrette |
Comments
Post a Comment