RE: muses

[permetaform]

th_nightengale mentioned muse-independant v. muse-dependant creation of artwork, and wondered about the possible demographics of creators who might or might not work with a muse.

[Poll #480760]
Personally, I work independant of a muse but keep on hearing about them occasionally in that other people use them. musesfool helped me clarify the idea of a muse in that the way I'm addressing them here is specifically as a separate individual entity.

If you do work with a muse, what form do they take and/or look like? Do you know what they look like? Do they change depending on your project?

Also, could this be at all culturally motivated? ie. more of an emphasis from western cultures who have a tradition (from the Greeks) of muses? OR could it be more prominent from cultures who do not like to accept the idea that inspiration/creativitiy/intelligence comes from oneself? (versus a higher being? or an alternate being?)

[edit] This also brings up interesting issues around sources of inspiration, and faith; can/should/could inspiration be attributed to outside sources? Common western psychological thought is that outside voices are simply hallucinations. But other lines of argument argue that creativity is simply a perception of more levels of possibility than those that occur in our current realm of existence...

[interesting threads]
- here (started by karose)
- here (started by sorchafyre)
- here (started by karotsamused)
- here (started by ranalore)
- here (started by aliaswestgate)
- here (started by billradish)
- here (started by th_nightengale)

[interesting followup post]
Muses and Friends - a poll and some discussion about a possible link between muses and the use of imaginary friends

[NOTE] The purpose of this post is to present a friendly forum for discussion. Please keep the discussion friendly and open? Concern is valid, so is criticism; but please keep an open mind. ::hugs flist:: Cool beans?

Comments

[wildelamassu.livejournal.com]

I don't even think I understand the "muse" concept--i.e., the independent being who informs one's creative work. I can 'hear' the characters when I write, yes, but they don't exist separately for me.

[permetaform]

that's why I was wondering if it might be culturally based to be resistent to the idea of creating something by oneself...

[wildelamassu.livejournal.com]

I always understood the Greek definition of a "muse" to be internal inspiration as given divinely, though--I think the fannish definition is an actual independent being that speaks to you, wants things from you, etc., but I'm not sure I've got the concept down. The Greek concept was more of an inspirational citation, whereas from what I understand, the fandom ones are tangible?

[nightengale.livejournal.com]

Well don't quote me. Apparently i was *way* off base with the primary example I gave you. Maybe it's just my ego, but i put myself in a majority much more than I ought to have.

However, I never understood the Greek muse idea myself. I mean, if they're just an "inspirational citation," as you said--an excuse to "pin" the inspiration on, perhaps--then why delineate the idea of a muse at all?

I'm *really* wondering about the cultural aspect. Maybe the general source concept of totem animals as protectors/guides could factor in somewhere...?