Finding A New Muse

When it comes to my musical endeavors, I always find I need some form of non-musical inspiration to spark that creative fire in me. A muse, if you will. What form that muse takes each time is wildly varied. For a while it was Spooky, The Thing What Sqeuaks. He served me well for several songs. At one point, it was having the movie Amelie playing muted over and over on my DVD player while I worked on one song. The view across the west end of Cleveland from an 18th story window played the muse for a while. A DJ mix I did once was influenced by an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer playing muted in the background. Sometimes (rarely) it even comes from listening to music and finding a groove or a feel I like, and working from there. As I said, it comes in many forms and I’m never sure where the next bit of inspiration might come from.

Lately, I’ve been without a muse (in fact, I’ve had a few anti-muses that make me feel less inspired and suck the creative energy from me.) To say that I’ve been in a rut would be an understatement. I haven’t actually finished a song in over eight months. Eight months. My folder for works in progress is littered with unfinished songs and unrealized ideas. Much of it I can go back and listen to and hear some potential there, they’re ideas that could one day be fully explored and finished. There’s also quite a lot that I go back and listen to and hate, it’s just plain crap and headed for the trash bin.