How to Be a Muse
Spend time with artists., Discuss original ideas., Be uninhibited., Be sexual., Have original style., Make your own art.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Spend time with artists.
Not every artist needs a muse, but throughout time many painters, photographers, writers, filmmakers and choreographers have attributed their best work to inspiration from someone special, often a fellow artist.
Whether or not you make art yourself, if your social circle is full of creative types, you may end up becoming someone’s muse.
Find out where the writers, artists and musicians in your town spend time and start becoming a regular there.
For example, the actress Edie Sedgwick hung around with Andy Warhol at his studio, The Factory, and they became very close friends.
He was so struck by her beauty and presence that he created a series of films for her to star in and dubbed her his "superstar." -
Step 2: Discuss original ideas.
Although there are examples of muses whose beauty alone served as inspiration (Vermeer’s anonymous Girl with the Pearl Earring, for example), muses are often just as creative as the artists they inspire.
A muse is someone who engages the artist on an intellectual level, spurring him or her to run with creative ideas that someone else wouldn’t really understand.
To be a muse, encourage the artist to explore more deeply, rather than pulling back.
No discussion should be off-limits.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were each other's muses in part because they were intellectually in sync.
They had the same political goals and they believed the best way to reach people and change the world was through art.
Thanks in part to their relationship, they gave the world some of the most innovative music, performance and visual art it had ever seen., Rules, restrictions, and social norms can put a damper on creativity.
It's impossible to think outside the box when you're constantly reminded of its perimeters.
A muse helps the artist think beyond the confines of everyday life.
When an artist is with his or her muse, things like financial constraints and social obligations go out the window, because what matters is creating something new.
If you want to be a muse, help the artist let go of the baggage that weighs us down as humans and explore a different plane.
Many muses throughout history have had a carefree, wild spirit that captivates those around them.
This was the case with Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, another pair of mutual muses who lived together in the East Village during the tumultuous 1970s.
Smith's music and performance art and Mapplethorpe's photography changed the cultural landscape. , Though anyone can be a muse, the classic muse archetype is a beauty, a flirtatious, feminine spirit with an insatiable sex drive.
Sexual arousal can help spur creativity, since it lowers inhibitions and charges the body and brain with erotic energy.
From Gala Dali to Georgia O’Keefe, countless muses have used the power of their sexuality to drive artists wild and inspire some of their most beautiful work.
In many cases, the muse is years younger than the artist she inspires. , You can be a muse without having a perfectly-proportioned body and a pretty face.
Whatever it is that makes you different, play it up.
An artist’s quest is to create something the world has never seen, something truly original.
An artist’s muse is not just a model or mannequin, but a source of original energy and life.
For example, Pablo Picasso's series of muses, including Dora Maar and Marie-Therese Walter, helped him see the human body in a new way and inspired him to share his insights with the world. , If you create your own art, you know what it means to harness an idea or feeling and express it through painting, words, dance, and so on.
You understand the emptiness that comes with having a creative block, and the release when it’s lifted and you can finally create again with the help of outside inspiration.
When you’re intimately familiar with how creativity ebbs and flows you can help someone else who is struggling.
August Rodin's muse was a fellow sculptor, Camille Claudel.
He made some of his best and most famous works in her presence, feeling inspired by their shared passion.
Unfortunately, Claudel didn't achieve the same fame and success as Rodin. -
Step 3: Be uninhibited.
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Step 4: Be sexual.
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Step 5: Have original style.
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Step 6: Make your own art.
Detailed Guide
Not every artist needs a muse, but throughout time many painters, photographers, writers, filmmakers and choreographers have attributed their best work to inspiration from someone special, often a fellow artist.
Whether or not you make art yourself, if your social circle is full of creative types, you may end up becoming someone’s muse.
Find out where the writers, artists and musicians in your town spend time and start becoming a regular there.
For example, the actress Edie Sedgwick hung around with Andy Warhol at his studio, The Factory, and they became very close friends.
He was so struck by her beauty and presence that he created a series of films for her to star in and dubbed her his "superstar."
Although there are examples of muses whose beauty alone served as inspiration (Vermeer’s anonymous Girl with the Pearl Earring, for example), muses are often just as creative as the artists they inspire.
A muse is someone who engages the artist on an intellectual level, spurring him or her to run with creative ideas that someone else wouldn’t really understand.
To be a muse, encourage the artist to explore more deeply, rather than pulling back.
No discussion should be off-limits.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were each other's muses in part because they were intellectually in sync.
They had the same political goals and they believed the best way to reach people and change the world was through art.
Thanks in part to their relationship, they gave the world some of the most innovative music, performance and visual art it had ever seen., Rules, restrictions, and social norms can put a damper on creativity.
It's impossible to think outside the box when you're constantly reminded of its perimeters.
A muse helps the artist think beyond the confines of everyday life.
When an artist is with his or her muse, things like financial constraints and social obligations go out the window, because what matters is creating something new.
If you want to be a muse, help the artist let go of the baggage that weighs us down as humans and explore a different plane.
Many muses throughout history have had a carefree, wild spirit that captivates those around them.
This was the case with Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, another pair of mutual muses who lived together in the East Village during the tumultuous 1970s.
Smith's music and performance art and Mapplethorpe's photography changed the cultural landscape. , Though anyone can be a muse, the classic muse archetype is a beauty, a flirtatious, feminine spirit with an insatiable sex drive.
Sexual arousal can help spur creativity, since it lowers inhibitions and charges the body and brain with erotic energy.
From Gala Dali to Georgia O’Keefe, countless muses have used the power of their sexuality to drive artists wild and inspire some of their most beautiful work.
In many cases, the muse is years younger than the artist she inspires. , You can be a muse without having a perfectly-proportioned body and a pretty face.
Whatever it is that makes you different, play it up.
An artist’s quest is to create something the world has never seen, something truly original.
An artist’s muse is not just a model or mannequin, but a source of original energy and life.
For example, Pablo Picasso's series of muses, including Dora Maar and Marie-Therese Walter, helped him see the human body in a new way and inspired him to share his insights with the world. , If you create your own art, you know what it means to harness an idea or feeling and express it through painting, words, dance, and so on.
You understand the emptiness that comes with having a creative block, and the release when it’s lifted and you can finally create again with the help of outside inspiration.
When you’re intimately familiar with how creativity ebbs and flows you can help someone else who is struggling.
August Rodin's muse was a fellow sculptor, Camille Claudel.
He made some of his best and most famous works in her presence, feeling inspired by their shared passion.
Unfortunately, Claudel didn't achieve the same fame and success as Rodin.
About the Author
Melissa Mendoza
Writer and educator with a focus on practical organization knowledge.
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