Artist In Residence
Recently, I was the subject of an interview regarding my first novel, Raven Diablo: Agent of Kali. I was asked, from where I get my ideas and the question completely stymied me. Because I have absolutely no idea from where I get my ideas. From where does any artist get his/her ideas? It’s a question that’s been pondered for thousands of years.
In Greek and Roman mythology, the muses were nine goddesses of artistic inspiration. Each one was associated with a particular art, i.e., music, poetry dancing, etc. Any place dedicated to them was called a mouseion, the source of the word museum. Traditionally, an artist would invoke the name of the appropriate muse for guidance and assistance in his/her creative pursuit. The invocation was a prayer. It was believed that the artist did not create art but was only a channel through which the divine muse could speak.
For me, the muses are not myth but fact. I always feel the presence of powerful forces beyond myself; guiding and assisting me in my artistic pursuits. And I’m convinced that they’re female. My talents are marginal at best, but my muses are perhaps impressed by my tenacity. They take pity upon me, use me as a vessel and enable me to create art I could never create on my own.
One thing I’ve consistently found about the muses is that they demand hard work. They only give inspiration after perspiration.