[Steppes] FW: Calling Your Muse

[Mike C. Baker]

Following article forwarded with permission from the author (thank you
again, Odriana!)

Adieu, Amra / ttfn - Mike / Pax ... Kihe

Mike C. Baker
SCA: al-Sayyid Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra, F.O.B, OSCA
"Other": Reverend Kihe Blackeagle PULC (the DreamSinger Bard)
Opinions? I'm FULL of 'em
alt. e-mail: KiheBard at hotmail.com  OR MCBaker216 at cs.com
   Buy my writings!:   http://www.lulu.com/WizardsDen
   http://www.livejournal.com/users/kihebard/

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jennifer Strobel [mailto:jstrobel at psc.edu] 
> A&S 101: Calling Your Muse
> by Vrouwe Odriana vander Brugghe
> 
> This is the third article in an increasingly frequent series 
> about various aspects of Arts and Sciences in the context of 
> the Society for Creative Anachronism.
> 
> 	I've been giving my dear husband a hard time for years 
> because when his muse comes to call, it's usually not just a 
> gentle nudge, it's a full-on body slam (we call his muse 
> "Reggie" after the late, great Packers defensive end Reggie 
> White).  He ends up composing prolifically for a couple of 
> weeks or a month and then afterwards has some dribs and drabs 
> come to him until the next time Reggie comes to call.
> 	Most artists, performers, and other creative people 
> will find themselves in a situation where they need an idea 
> or an inspiration and come up blank.  There are ways to 
> engage your creativity without the full-on muse bomb with 
> that fully formed idea or concept that you seemingly just 
> channel from the ethers.  Not to say that it won't happen any 
> longer, or that you will somehow mess up that particular 
> "force", you will simply be able to generate ideas and 
> inspiration under your own steam.
> 	The technique of calling your muse is more about 
> discipline and practice than it is anything else.  They are 
> tools and their only value is that they can be used to fix a 
> problem, but I can't promise that they will work 100% of the 
> time, just that they will work.
> 
> Brainstorm.  Let your mind wander and kick out as many 
> possibilities as it possibly can.  Not every idea in a 
> brainstorming session is going to be a winner, but you may 
> find a thread of an idea that you can use to begin building 
> more solid ideas on.
> 
> Define your problem. Grab a sheet of paper, electronic 
> notebook, computer or whatever you use to make notes, and 
> define your problem in detail.
> You'll probably find ideas positively spewing out once you've 
> done this.
> (Baumgartner, 2003)
> 
> If you can't think, go for a walk. A change of atmosphere is 
> good for you and gentle exercise helps shake up the brain 
> cells. (Baumgartner, 2003)
> 
> Create a discipline.  Take 15 minutes of every day to do 
> whatever it is that you do.  Writers - write, Painters - 
> paint, Musicians - music!  That
> 15 minutes will give you the ability to go through and force 
> your brain into a creative mode on a daily basis.  Even if 
> all you do is go over something you're in the process of 
> already doing, it's 15 minutes that you brain knows that it's 
> "time to be creative" which can help when you need it to do 
> so at a moment's notice.
> 
> Read as much as you can about everything possible. Books 
> exercise your brain, provide inspiration and fill you with 
> information that allows you to make creative connections 
> easily. (Baumgartner, 2003)
> 
> Exercise your brain. Brains, like bodies, need exercise to 
> keep fit. If you don't exercise your brain, it will get 
> flabby and useless. Exercise your brain by reading a lot (see 
> above), talking to clever people and disagreeing with people 
> - arguing can be a terrific way to give your brain cells a 
> workout. But note, arguing about politics or film directors 
> is good for you; bickering over who should clean the dishes is not.
> (Baumgartner, 2003)
> 
> Subscribe to mailing lists, periodicals, etc. that relate to 
> your creative field.  Seeing what other people are doing, and 
> having people with similar interests gives you a pool of 
> individuals that can help you move forward when you're stuck 
> through either direct suggestion, or providing inspiration 
> from what they are doing.
> 
> Find a website like 
> http://www.mycoted.com/creativity/techniques/ that has a 
> number of creativity techniques and find out what inspires 
> you.  Since there are a number of different exercises, you 
> will find that different things work at different times and 
> some exercises just don't fit with how you think.  That's 
> okay.  Just find what works.
> 
> Creativity is an ongoing process, rather than an accidental 
> happening and learning the skills and disciplines necessary 
> to create an environment where you can be creative when you 
> need to be will only benefit you and your art or science.
> 
> References
> Baumgartner, J. (2003) 10 steps for boosting creativity. 
> Retrieved from http://www.jpb.com/creative/creative.php on 
> February 7, 2006.