the creative minimalist

darren r hill : writer, minstrel and journal keeper

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This minstrel’s muse is back

music file on the MacI have been in a state of creative purgatory. This time last year I was at a low point. I was unsure what to do. I was at a crossroad but there were no signs or even obvious roads or paths to take. I made a few decisions, chopped through the undergrowth and headed forward.

Now I find myself in a more creative place. The view is still hazy, the roads are not clear but the muse is travelling with me. I don’t worry about having imaginary friends as long as they are creative. Although depending on your spirituality you may feel that the muse is no more imaginary than truth, justice and the honesty of those who work in financial institutions. I digress.

The image above is a folder on my Mac. It contains 247 music projects in various stages of completion. As I type I realise there are another six elsewhere. Over 250 pieces of music that I will work on and begin to share. For over a year I haven’t been able to make any headway on these tracks, now I can.

It is the same for other creative projects. From writing to image creation, the muse is leading me on… in a nice way. I think she (yes she, but that isn’t to say that’s the gender of all muses) wants a word now so I’d best pay attention. But one last thing…

… this blog post was touch typed. I am finally getting around to learning to do that as well. You never know, I might post more!

 

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox
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Five ways to rediscover your muse

Five ways to rediscover your muse

tree and clouds and sky

There are times when we struggle to be creative. We make excuses and will often blame our muse for leaving us. This poor, mythical (really Darren?) creature gets blamed for so much. Yet, so often, it is down to us. Stephen King suggests it is all down to us,

You have to do all the grunt labor … while the muse sits and smokes cigars and admires his bowling trophies and pretends to ignore you. Stephen King – On writing

He may very well be right, he has a lot more experience than most of us. However, it got me thinking about what we can do when we feel the ‘muse’ has gone away and when the creative ideas just don’t seem to flow.

So here are five quick ways to rediscover your muse if she, he, or it, has gone away.

Open your eyes

It is very easy to crawl into our own creative ghetto and keep putting out. That eventually leads to creative burnout. Find others who use a similar creative genre and look at what they are doing, immerse yourself in their creativity for a while.

See the ‘real’ world

Nature is organic and as such provides us with limitless inspiration. It isn’t bound by our human ideas and reaches beyond what we can imagine. Tap into that creativity by taking a look at what is beyond the concrete. It also gives you any excuse to get out of the studio!

Close your eyes

Sometimes you simply need to down tools for a while. Simply close your eyes and get away from the paper, paint, materials or music, and relax. It is surprising how often the muse will return when you stop looking.

Make a list

Our brains fill up quickly with junk distracting us. One of the best tried and tested methods of helping the poor brain during these times is to make lists. Even if you don’t do anything with them, just getting it out of your head helps, and gives space for the muse to move back in.

Fall in love

Find your soul mate, spark up the relationship and voila. Okay, that is easier said than done, but what you are looking for here are strong emotions. Emotional energy has a big impact on creativity, so if your creative levels are down, perhaps you need to hold an emotional audit.

I’d love to hear any other ideas you may have to woo the muse back into your life, so please add them to the comments.

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