Are Your Ideas Really Your Own or Are You Musing?

“Apollo and the Muses,” source: Wikimedia. Image is in the Public Domain.

If you’re an artist, at some point in time you’ve probably heard someone say, “Wow, I love your work!  Where do you come up with your ideas anyway?  Have you ever really thought significantly about your answer?  You might say something like you were inspired by someone else’s work, or you were bored one day and just whipped up whatever it is you created.  You might say you’d been planning to write the book/song/poem or make the work of art for some time, or perhaps you didn’t really even give the piece a whole lot of thought before you did it … and it just seemed to flow from you like you tapped into a magic well of inspiration.  So… are ideas your own or are you musing?  If our creative ideas belong to us, then how do we explain the child prodigy with talents the average individual take years to master?

See: “Young Prodigies Dazzle the Art World”

Child Prodigy Video Here: Whew! Deep questions…. And it seems there have been different suggested answers to the question of our creativity and where it comes from too.  But truth be told, we can only embrace what little science offers us in the way of an explanation and, of course, we have the option of embracing our own beliefs about it. Just to give you an idea of some of the different takes on creativity and where it comes from, consider the fact that in ancient Greece for example, there was no specific word for describing the act of “creating.” Plato did not believe that humans were capable of creation, and that we merely imitated our external environment… and as we attempt to imitate nature, we always fall short because what we create is a mere imitation of what we see.

Now bear in mind, the notion of where creativity stems has changed dramatically over the course of time, and I am only barely touching the different schools focusing on what the exact origins of creativity are, as I am only going as far as to give a good examination on how ancient Greeks viewed creativity and the Muses or Mousai: “Goddesses of dance, song, music of knowledge who remember all things that come to pass,” and who serve to inspire poets. When you think of the “well of inspiration,” you can certainly think of the muses as in ancient times these inspiring deities were once worshipped nearby wellsprings. Per the writings of Plutarch, the muses were often referred to a Mneiae meaning Remembrances. 

Therein lies another possibility when it comes to creativity .. is it possible that we are remembering something we have always known but have buried deep in our subconscious … some Divine connection that is re-connected through Memory and allowed to bubble up to the surface as creative ideas?

Now, while the Greeks had no word for “create” so they used the phrase “to make,” poiein, as can be seen in poietes (meaning “the maker” or poet) was the maker of poetry or poiesis. In the Judeo-Christian systems, creativity was, of course, divinely given. .  In Greece and in ancient Roman thought, a daemon or genius was an external energy linked with the divine was thought to be a source of inspiration as well. The ancient Greeks also called on female mediators between the Gods and Man for the inspiration they need to make things: These are none other than the nine muses, who are the Daughters of the Sky God Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne, The Goddess of Memory, and from where we derive the term mnemonics. Each muse ruled over some type of art or music.

The Nine Muses of Greek Myth

Calliope (Καλλιοπη), with a name meaning "beautiful voice," is the muse of epic poetry. She is usually depicted with a Lyre Stylus or Writing Tablet.

Clio (Κλειω), with a name meaning "make famous," is the Muse of History commonly portrayed with Scrolls, a Laurel wreath, cornet, and books.

Erato (Ερατω), with a name meaning "lovely beloved," is Muse of Love Poetry commonly depicted with the Cithara (similar to the lyre).

Euterpe (Ευτερπη), with a name meaning "Giving delight, the Muse of Lyric Poetry, Song, and Music, depicted with an Aulo (ancient flute) laurel wreath, and panpipes.

Melpomene (Μελπομενη), with a name meaning "Celebrate with Song," The Muse of Tragedy, depicted with Kothornos or boots, Club, a Sword, and a Tragedy Mask.

Urania (Ουρανιη), with a name meaning, "Heavenly One," the Muse of Astronomy with a compass and a globe.

Polyhymnia (Πολυμνια), with a name meaning, "Many hymns," is, of course, the Muse of Hymns, portrayed with grapes and a veil.

Terpsichore (Τερψιχορη), with a name meaning "Delighting in Dance," The Muse of Dance, depicted with a Plectrum and Lyre.

Thalia (Θαλεια), with a name meaning, "Blooming, rich festivity," The Muse of Comedy depicted with the Shepherd’s Crook (Called Thalia’s Hook), Ivy Wreath, and Comic Mask.

PARENTAGE

Now, many writings suggest the Muses are the nine children of Zeus and Mnemosyne, but there are at least two poets indicating Ouranos (Uranus) and Ge (Gaea) as the parentage of the nine inspirational deities.  Still alternative sources give the muses the parents of Aether and Gaia, Zeus and Minerva, Zeus and Plusia or Zeus and Moneta, wherein the Mourai are then called by the alternative name the Mneonides. The nurse of these nine goddesses is Eupheme – “a personified of eloquence and a goddess of triumph, praise, and accolades.”

Whatever the Muses are and whatever the case may be when it comes to our imaginings, herein lies an interesting musing if we, in fact, consider the Muses as personifications of different means of establishing memories or remembrances…

What we create, remember, imagine or learn (envision Zeus with sparks of lightning representing sparks of intellect or epiphanies) …

We so very often commit to our memory (Mnemosyne and memory) … and these learnings or understandings are far more memorable if …

We incorporate poetry or rhetoric (Calliope) …

Connect our understanding with the movement of the stars or as marking an important moment or passage of time (Orania)…

If we explore the ideas through a different lens, like the energy vibrations of specific words or numbers, but particularly with language that exalts an idea or lends praise to it … (Polyhymnia)

Or if we associate the learning with love and romantic prose (Erato) …

Or experience the learnings through the darkened lens of tragedy (Melpomene)…

Or we master the knowledge while purposefully moving the body (a Kinsenthetic learning experience of sorts) (Terpsichore)…

Or we learn new understandings through the light of humor (Thalia)…

Or we can express our new learnings through poetry, word, and song (Eurtepe) …

Or, if we can apply an important historical context to our learnings (Clio)…

Any of the above types of experience help us to gain and retain knowledge all while experiencing some aspect of the Divine (the combination of Zeus and Mnemosyne resulting in one of the nine muse paths).

So … Let us now return to our original question… Are your ideas really your own, or are you musing?  Are you picking up inspiration from an external source or is it something within?  Maybe it is both, or neither?  Or are we having remembrances of things from our past or even past lives if you believe in reincarnation…and those memories are coming into our consciousness as epiphanies or seemingly new insights?  As we ponder what in inspires us, may each of us of use be touched by the muses and find our creative endeavors richly rewarding…

Without further ado, I say:

“Sing in me muse, and through me let Universal understandings and expression manifest herein on the physical plane.  Use me as the vessel to tap into your divine inspiration so that I too may serve to inspire others.” 

*****

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Works Cited

Sources: An outstanding source on the history of the Muses: 

http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Mousai.html.