Ideas and Muses
Total words: 580
Estimated reading time: 3 mins
Listen to the Muses anon. They Have Been Trying to Tell You Something
I recently read "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield (thanks to Aditya for recommending it). A particular section of the book resonated deeply with me: the concept of muses. While the book is written mainly from a writer's perspective, Pressfield does mention applicability to other people in creative fields. I wanted to explore this idea a bit more in a post. So here it goes.
I. The Muses and Their Gifts
Pressfield describes a daily ritual of praying to the muses. He believes that every unique idea or thought that he has is a gift from these muses. They care for him and they deliver these ideas (about a piece he is working on) to him. Thus it is his duty to act on these idea or otherwise the muses will have to leave him. This concept extends to anyone engaged in creative pursuits, whether it's building a business, creating art, or innovating in any field.
II. A Personal Revelation
As someone who has long considered myself an "ideas person" but struggled with execution, this concept struck a chord. I realized I had been betraying my muses. They had been coming to me with amazing ideas, choosing me before anyone else, and I had consistently failed to act on them. I'm grateful they haven't lost faith in me entirely.
This realization has ignited a fire within me to put all my efforts into Cupric, an idea delivered by the muses. If I don't give it my best this time, I risk losing their trust forever. I cannot afford to do that.
III. Incorporating the Muses into Daily Life
The concept of muses has helped me build a model of my ideals and beliefs. I now "invoke the muses" regularly. My roommate Aditya and I use this concept to give our inner monologue and intuition a personality. We often discuss what our muses are telling us. Recently, when faced with a hiring decision for Cupric, we turned to our muses for guidance when I was struggling to justify a potential candidate that others seemed to favor.
IV. What Are the Muses?
It's important to note that in this context, muses aren't necessarily a religious concept. They represent your connection to something that is beyond our realm, to the infinite. Your muses can be a figure you admire, a deity you believe in, or something more abstract. My muses don't have a face or identity, but they do have a distinct voice. I listen to them regularly.
V. The Universal Nature of Muses
Everyone's muses are trying their best to push them towards achieving more. The question is: how faithful have you been to your muses? When you betray the muses, you're not only breaking their heart and their belief in you but also giving up on your shot at greatness.
Conclusion
Listen to the muses. They have been trying to tell you something important. Don't let their whispers go unheard or their gifts go to waste. As their gifts are your gifts. As Pressfield says in the book: "Don't cheat us of your contributions. Give us what you've got."
P.S. The book also explores other concepts like resistance and professionalism. I may write about those in the future. The book is a must-read, but if you're only interested in the section about muses, I'd be happy to share images I've taken of those pages. HMU.