Do You Have A Muse?

Day 24/366 days of writing and publishing pieces in 2024.

I had a fellow creator reach out to me today frustrated. She was taking on the opinions of others and told me she was having a hard time with critics.

“This is why you need a muse,” I said. Especially in the beginning. My muse is Prince. He had so many people criticizing him. Too sexual. Too many mixed genres. Not white enough. Not black enough. And the list goes on and on and on.

I told my friend this…. Don’t make art for others. Just express yourself. If you remember you aren’t making art for others but you’re just expressing yourself, the opinions of others dissolve.

I also told her my most expressive pieces tend to not sell but the ones that bore me do. Creatively, I just look at it like everyone is boring. They aren’t ready for some of my levels of expression and that’s okay. I’m abstract and unconventional. I told her if that’s happening she can make a mix. But not to conform to please anyone.

I told her if anything, get louder. Make a more outrageous piece now. She said people are telling her to be more traditional. I told her no. Push the limits more. Make them get uncomfortable. It’s their problem, not yours.

I wrote a piece last year for Soulacy Magazine in the April issue because it was the 7th anniversary of Prince’s death. I was going to revamp it come April around the 8th anniversary, but with my friend messaging me today, it felt right to do it now. I loved that article. The problem with it, though, is that unless you have a subscription to that magazine, you can’t read it. And I want more people to have access to it. Because the truth is, we all need muses. People to remind us to keep going when we want to stop.

Do you have a muse?

A recent quote by Annie Finch recently made me want to write on this topic.

It goes like this…

“I found the muse in myself and I loved her fiercely.”

I find this has been happening in my life the last few years, especially as I deepen my relationship with respecting myself and my creative gifts.

I’m becoming my own muse, but I also have other muses.

By having a muse, they help to re-ignite the flow process, and therefore can aid in creativity simultaneously. You may also find that there is more inspired genius coming through in your life as a result of having a muse. A muse can be imaginary, a real person, or even a space or place that inspires you.

While life coaching is my full-time career, some of you know I have an art studio at home and paint and write pretty much daily.

While I am embracing this idea of becoming my own muse, I also have several “muses” if you will that inspire my work, and I think it’s fun to really think about that.

Prince is one of my main muses. And with this conversation this morning with my frustrated fellow creative friend, I wanted to write about some of the greatest things about his energy that inspire me on a regular basis and keep his magnetism alive. Maybe you’ll find he inspires you too, or perhaps this article will help you to recognize someone who could be that in your own life and projects.

Three things my muse reminds me:

Don't limit yourself.

This is a significant lesson for me, especially since my birth chart reveals that my muse and I share the same Mercury placement in Gemini. Your Mercury placement determines how you express and communicate yourself and your gifts to the world. Both my muse and I have a multi-faceted, multidimensional approach.

Prince never confined himself to one genre. In fact, he holds the unique distinction of being featured on the cover of Drum, Guitar, Keyboard, and Bass Magazines - all four of them. He proves to me that it is perfectly fine to be extremely diverse with your creative outlets.

He had chart-topping hits in R&B, rock, funk, soul, and pop. Prince reminds me that we can have it all and express ourselves in any way we desire.

Prince also teaches me that we can change at any time, depending on the season we are in. He had a season of hypersexuality, followed by a season of becoming a Jehovah's Witness. Seasons are part of our nature, and we don't have to be confined to a single identity because others hold onto past versions of us. When I approach my work, I remember this about him.

Prince encourages me to break the barriers of what's considered normal, to push the boundaries of trends, and create our own. This is the energy of a true visionary and creative leader. Maybe you prefer to observe trends and incorporate them into your process - that's also valid. You are your own muse, but you can also draw inspiration from energies that resonate with how you work. Understanding your human design pattern can also aid in this process.

When I embark on a creative project, I often think of Prince before I begin. Sometimes, I even play his music. I do the same when I want to push the limits with my fashion. I remind myself that I can be as wild as I desire. Prince had a penchant for eccentric and unconventional fashion, and people adored him for it. An outfit I wore to a club back in September was inspired by one of his. From this issue.

This outfit

inspired my outfit

Prince reminds me that devotion and discipline to my craft are the highest form of self-respect. He went above and beyond to hone his craft, surpassing what most people ever attempt to achieve in order to fully express his gifts. I think of him when I decline certain commitments to invest more time in myself. It’s not unusual for me to go into full hermit creative artist mode. You’ll only find me out if an event is an 11 from 1-10. Hardly ever will I get together with anyone if it’s just for the hell of it. I’d rather be at home listening to music and painting on my canvas.

Having one or two muses can empower you to create from a place of power, purpose, and inspiration.

Prince has been my muse for a long time, and I will continue to learn everything I can about him and consume his work. Last year I was consuming his music to help me with a particular painting that had a lot of purple in it.

And then to my surprise, vocal posted a writing challenge called “Under The Purple Clouds” around the same time. They gave us a prompt to create from with the first sentence being this ”Every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky.” A story inspired by him flowed out of me and I entered that challenge. You can read it here. Because I was so consumed by his art then, I found myself going down a rabbit hole. Listening to his music even more, watching old interviews of him, reading about him. Before I knew it tons of art was coming out of me inspired by him. It was no surprise that he was even my most listened to artist when I got my Spotify wrapped results.

I strongly believe that having a muse can greatly benefit an artrepreneur’s inspiration. A muse can help you delve deep within yourself and bring forth what was hidden, but what the world needs to see.

So, who is your muse? Have you ever taken the time to truly ask yourself this question?

“A strong spirit transcends rules.” -Prince

RIP Prince Rogers Nelson

This is one of my favorite playlists I created on Spotify that has all music by him. I love listening to it while I drive, paint, and workout. Listen here.

And all the paintings that have come out of his music. Video of Prince inspired art.

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