The Muse is IN Blog

David Crosby as a Modern Day Muse

 From a recent NPR interview about his creative process, David Crosby shows he a disciple of the Modern Day Muse, Albert:

“’If you want to talk about something you can't go straight at it,’ he says. ‘It doesn't work that way. If you want to write about the Eiffel Tower you don't say, 'It's big and it's tall and it's made out of iron!' You don't. You look at the Eiffel Tower through somebody's eyes who's watching it in the mist over their lover's head. In Paris. On a quiet night. And then, you see the Eiffel Tower.’”

 When the Muses were upgraded to the Nine Modern Day Muses, Albert, the Muse of Thinking Differently became part of the pack, (named after Albert Einstein, one of our most innovative rule breakers).

Albert teaches that thinking differently is easier when contemplating what everyone else sees but using a different perspective,  trigger or trick to sacrifice the obvious in the name of the novel. Free associating, modifying what's in existence, deviating from the directions, defying the predictable, combining two unrelated concepts... this is the art of discovering a "different" often brilliant idea.

 Test-driving the Powers of the Modern Day Muse, Albert

• What's one way you can think differently about your next creative move? 
• Write about your creative project as if you were looking at it through someone else’s eyes: A child’s, an  intellectual, a down-to-earth hippie, someone greatly in need of whatever it is you are doing.

Joni Mitchell as a Modern Day Muse: Both Sides of Ideas

 

"Aha-phrodite" inspires mortals to pay attention.

She's a modern day Muse from my first book The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard): 10 Guides to Creative Inspiration which was about ten creative principles personified as nine new and improved Muses and the all-important, Bodyguard.  The Greek Muses were rendered obsolete because they couldn’t keep up with the modern day distractions including Netflix, Facebook, and computer solitaire so a new gaggle of Muses was required to get creative inspiration to mortals. That’s what Muses do. 

Each Muse has a story about how she or he, (yes... he) were part of the new Muse upgrade. Included in each of their chapters is their power to free the modern day mortal’s creative potential, hobbies, modes of transportation, quotes from great creative people inspired by each Muse, and a treasure trove of creative prompts that demonstrate their prowess and give you an opportunity to test drive their powers as your own.

Despite the whimsical humor, these are ten legitimately practical ways to go deeper with your creativity and move you through all the blockades to which mortals typically butt heads. When we listen to the voices of fear and ego we get stuck. Our creative voices empower us... if we pay attention to them. The modern day Muses are the voices of creativity. Those Muse principles are here.

What brings their principles alive in a way we can relate are stories from people who have been visited by these Muses (whether they know it or not), accompanied by questions that your creative mind will want to ponder in a way that makes someone else’s story a catalyst in your own journey.

I just heard such a story yesterday on NPR’s morning edition where Joni Mitchell was described as David Crosby's Aha-phrodite :

“Crosby says his habit of writing anything and everything down came from a lesson Joni Mitchell taught him.

"I said something to her and she said, 'Write that down,'" he recounts. "I said, 'Huh?' She said, 'Write that down!' I said, 'Why?' 'Because it was good! If you don't write it down, it didn't happen.'"

It seemed like such basic advice, but became an important part of Crosby's creative process.

In fact, he put Mitchell's lesson to use in a song called ‘Sell Me A Diamond.’ Its hook includes the lyric, ‘You said it was conflict free / Such a beautiful concept, that such a thing could be,’ which came from a phrase he heard that caught his ear.”

Writing down what you notice that can become fodder for creative alchemy requires PAYING ATTENTION. Joni Mitchell was Crosby's Aha-phrodite.

You hear interesting phrases or see something that triggers creative possibility?

Simple things out of context like Crosby’s example "conflict free" can be great springboards for titles, writings, lyrics, photographs, painting. Take a moment and think of what you might write and envision for those words.

Are you aware that you sometimes say and think things that are really “good” maybe even if you don’t think so? Write them down! Anne Lamott says, always have paper and pen and if you can’t have paper, at least have a pen because you can write on your hand.

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