Me And The Muse
I love to do it myself. In fact, I'd rather "figure it out" myself than have someone show me how. This sometimes means needlessly "re-inventing the wheel", but in the end, I have much more of a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes, most times, my solution is unorthodox, but that's what makes [it] uniquely mine.
When I have a problem or I'm working on a project, and I hit a snag and can't come up with a solution, I'll stick with it as long as there's another option or some other possible approach. It's when I run out of options and still haven't "cracked it", that I resign in defeat ...at least temporarily.
Then, when I wake up the following day, the answer is there. It's as if my brain were working on the problem while I was asleep. Or perhaps, it's just that being mired neck-deep in the situation, I failed to "see the forest for the trees", and distancing myself allows me to approach it from a new perspective. In any event, I open my eyes, yawn, focus on the day, recall the project, and BAM! "Why didn't I think of that before? It's so obvious!"
Problem is that I have to address this right away. But, there's the hour it takes me to shower, and then the 15 minutes to brush my teeth, and then make the bed, wash last nights dishes, and oh, yes, there's no food in the house; I need to go to the grocers, and there's always laundry to do, and all kinds of other stuff that should be addressed. But I'm too excited and I can't put it on hold. I jump right outta bed, pausing only to make a pot of tea and perhaps answer nature's call, and dive head first into my project. "I'll just get this started, and then I'll do that other stuff." Problem is, when I finally reach that stopping point, it's three or four in the afternoon, and I'm still in night dress, unwashed, unkempt, and starting to feel the pangs of hunger.
This happens often enough to be problematic, so I say, I'll not answer the muse, until I've dealt with responsibilities and obligations. But the muse is such a nudge, right there, whispering in my ear, "...now if you try this, that will make it turn out like that ...and with a slight adjustment to this ....." End result, a lot of those other things don't get done.
For a very long time, I've been trying to adopt a more "responsible" approach to dealing with both my muse and life's other callings. But this collaboration [with her] is what I'm all about. Creating, (no matter what the subject matter), has always been at the very core of my "raison d'être". I need to produce ...not just crank out product, but that expession resulting from the divine spark of inspiration. I'll go as far as to say that this is one of the most important aspect of my being. The importance of "my ability to express myself through my own devices" is, for me, right up there with oxygen.
When I have a problem or I'm working on a project, and I hit a snag and can't come up with a solution, I'll stick with it as long as there's another option or some other possible approach. It's when I run out of options and still haven't "cracked it", that I resign in defeat ...at least temporarily.
Then, when I wake up the following day, the answer is there. It's as if my brain were working on the problem while I was asleep. Or perhaps, it's just that being mired neck-deep in the situation, I failed to "see the forest for the trees", and distancing myself allows me to approach it from a new perspective. In any event, I open my eyes, yawn, focus on the day, recall the project, and BAM! "Why didn't I think of that before? It's so obvious!"
Problem is that I have to address this right away. But, there's the hour it takes me to shower, and then the 15 minutes to brush my teeth, and then make the bed, wash last nights dishes, and oh, yes, there's no food in the house; I need to go to the grocers, and there's always laundry to do, and all kinds of other stuff that should be addressed. But I'm too excited and I can't put it on hold. I jump right outta bed, pausing only to make a pot of tea and perhaps answer nature's call, and dive head first into my project. "I'll just get this started, and then I'll do that other stuff." Problem is, when I finally reach that stopping point, it's three or four in the afternoon, and I'm still in night dress, unwashed, unkempt, and starting to feel the pangs of hunger.
This happens often enough to be problematic, so I say, I'll not answer the muse, until I've dealt with responsibilities and obligations. But the muse is such a nudge, right there, whispering in my ear, "...now if you try this, that will make it turn out like that ...and with a slight adjustment to this ....." End result, a lot of those other things don't get done.
For a very long time, I've been trying to adopt a more "responsible" approach to dealing with both my muse and life's other callings. But this collaboration [with her] is what I'm all about. Creating, (no matter what the subject matter), has always been at the very core of my "raison d'être". I need to produce ...not just crank out product, but that expession resulting from the divine spark of inspiration. I'll go as far as to say that this is one of the most important aspect of my being. The importance of "my ability to express myself through my own devices" is, for me, right up there with oxygen.
You hear the expression "my muse" quite often. Just who is (are) the muse(s) anyway. [They] were the Greek goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences. The Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Usually there is mention of nine muses: Clio (history), Euterpe (music, lyric poetry), Thalia (comedy, pastoral poetry), Melpomene (tragedy) Terpsichore (dancing and song), Erato (lyric and love poetry), Urania (astronomy), Calliope (epic poetry), and Polymnia -- aka. Polyhymnia (heroic hymns).
 | The Muses: Clio, Euterpe and Thalia by Eustache Le Sueur |
 | The Muses: Melpomene, Erato and Polymnia by Eustache Le Sueur |
 | The Muse: Terpsichore by Eustache Le Sueur |
 | The Muses: Urania and Calliope by Simon Vouet |
Quote of the Week: “O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention."
posted by gieau_sf (9:14:00 AM)
-- All non-relevant comments will be (have been) deleted!
13 Comment(s):
Come on, Joseph, who cares about all that other crap when The Muse is calling...She does't care that you are unkempt and/or perhaps, ahem, reek.. just don't wither away to nothing while answering her call. Invite her to dine..:)
I wholly agree with the sentiment, but there has to be a middle ground ...where [she] and I can "party" without trashing the place.
If I have conversations with God while we drink coffee in bed, maybe we could hear a conversation between you and your Muse?
Actually, it's not a dialogue so there's no way I could transcribe it. It come in flashes, and sensations, and a sort of "recognition" -- as when the light bulb goes off over you head and you "get it", not as something new, but something you've always known and are simply recalling.
Isn't there a muse of 'wanting to get the place cleaned up, right now, this very minute'? I get plenty of the other muse, but this one never seems to bother to come by.
ps: and i think lillie needs to post her conversations with God....while drinking coffee in bed.
There are muses for "wanting to get the place cleaned up, right now, this very minute" ...they're called guests. :)
Life would be so dull without Muses!
Good post. A number of times I have put a task aside because it was hard to accomplish, and taken it up again months or years later and discovered that I had found a new, better way of doing it. I have often wondered how that process works.
chortle...you are a funny man, joseph :)
Lee: True that!
Gary: I'm sure there's a part of the brain that continues to work on the problem subconsciously. I have nothing to back up that supposition, but it "is" fascinating how that works out.
Schaumi: Chortle, is that like a snort? Sweet :)
Yes, it's a combination of chuckle and snort. Lewis Carroll coined it.
chortle, chortle :)
something I can fully relate to.......and age takes care of the guilt you feel when you are younger and not getting everything done you feel that you need to do. By the time you are 50, you will just go with your muse and realize dishes can wait.
As to figuring out things while you sleep, I feel that I do this all the time. I often wake up with a full understanding of something that I was very confused about when I went to bed. So I know that I go over problems while I sleep. I have actually gotten up in the middle of the night and put things down on paper so as not to forget them in the morning.
Funny you should mention that. I used to keep a pad next to the bed for those times when I'd wake up in the middle of the night with great idea or solution. I'd want to write it down immediately for fear that I'd not remember it in the morning. I can't remember when or why I stopped doing it.
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