The Creative Muse

Tien, I was going to send you a private message about this, but then I figured that others might like to see this inspiring presentation, too.

This video is fantastic. Elizabeth Gilbert has a fantastic ability to communicate deep and complex ideas in an engaging way that keeps it safe while firmly striking home, at least for me...

I've written about this idea before, the idea that I can't take all the credit for the creativity that flows through me. Sometimes I stand back and look at what I've done and I can't believe that my mind and hands are solely responsible for the results.

As a spiritual person, I've always chalked it up to a spirit that's separate from me, moving through me to create beautiful things. I also embrace dichotomy - believing in a thing and simultaneously not believing in it. In this presentation, she tells us from a rational standpoint why it's healthy and maybe even necessary for artists to distance themselves from the positive and negative reactions to their work.

So, yeah, I'm going to keep believing what I do - that I need to humbly share the credit for my work with my daemon, genius, muse, whatever you want to call it. When aspects of failure appear, I can shield my psyche by sharing the responsibility, too. "Hey, Spirit, I showed up and did the work. Where were you!?"