A blog has me thinking about the myths of muses. Long ago, when an artist looked for inspiration, they looked to personified spirits outside themselves. Inspiration came from the outside. If nothing came, it was no failing of your own. The muses simply hadn't blessed you that day.
But now, in a rational world, we expect inspiration to come from within. That's a lot of pressure. That's a lot of self-help books! A lot of mourning routine-ing and bullet point journaling (borrowing the phrase) to a state of maximum productivity.
I love what is written here:
"Inspiration to create art can come from a wide variety of places and feelings, sometimes from current events and other times from personal feelings or thoughts. There are many reasons and ways to create, but for many artists, regardless of media, inspiration to create art is often found through a passion outside of creating art itself."
I love how this takes the responsibility off ourselves focuses on the external world again - inspiration comes from out there. Still, you have to be paying attention to it. You have to be sensitive to imagined omens. The blog then followed up by asking 3 great questions.
What non-art things are you passionate about?
Psychology. Sub-atomic physics. Mythology. History. Anthropology. Human connection.
Do you find the things you’re passionate about impact the art you create?
I love writing erotica. My fascination with the human mind, the human state, definitely connects to my interest in sexuality. It is the part of ourselves we are most embarrassed by. None will ever know all the secrets that lie inside a person’s sexual psyche. That is utterly fascinating to me. That is definitely linked to my interest in psychology and anthropology. Even history, as our sensibilities and ideas about sex, gender roles are so different across the span of time and culture. There is no form of human connection as intensely profound as sex - but that can also make it a very lonely experience when there is no connection. And a horrifying experience when it is used to wound. Mythology always finds its way into my stories. There is always a famous mythological god or sprite disguised as an ordinary character. I like to play with absurd physics humour in my fantasy realms.
If so, how? Does your passion for art impact the other things you are passionate about?
I am passionate about the English language. About painting with words. Nothing brings me greater joy. This has made me curious about calligraphy. What if I could make beautiful words, look gorgeous? I love this idea. I find it very romantic.
My most profound human connections are with letter writers. Many of them people I know in real life, but who appreciate the indulgent art of writing an actual letter. Thoughts come out in whole paragraphs, sometimes for pages. It's really a very intimate way to get to know someone. A missive is a chance to speak and reply uninterrupted, with time to think about what you're saying, a chance to be clearer and more precise than with real-time oral speech.
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