THE MODERN MUSE

Call it a circumnavigation of my mind if you wish

So I hate to admit this incredibly cred-stripping fact, but lately I have been developing a penchant for the old art and practice of scrapbooking (I know! I know! Say nothing) And when I talk about scrapbookings, I am talking about the old school rip, clip and paste kind. Not the fancy new make-your-own hardcover book with puff paint and stickered embellishment type.

And what I discovered in this cut and paste frenzy is that there is a great deal to be said, or rather that is currently unsaid about the modern muse. What historically is considered to be (according to dictionary.com and Greek Mythology) "any goddess presiding over particular art" has somehow developed into a far more intangible concept rather than simply a being.

By this I mean that, up to my ears in magazine clippings, yellowing pieces of paper and polaroid pictures, I discovered that the modern muse is in fact, many things. It can be described as a sound, an item, a brand, a thought, a general feeling, words, pictures, music. Get where I am coming from? To attempt to define a muse or something muse-worthy would probably create a chasm of never-ending adjectives. I wonder if this is where the word amusing came from?

So, surrounded by all that I find muse-worthy, I decided it appropriate to start a collection (aka aforementioned scrapbook) of all these things to refer to in future bouts of uninspired thought. This collection includes some of the following oddities:

A spotted and fluffy feather

Several polaroid pictures

Yellowed and curled stickytape

A piece of brown felt

Glossy magazine clippings of Zippora Seven

These things along with many other strange but wonderful items and clippings adhered to blank pages with the assistance of a tube of uhu glue make the perfect one-stop-shop when it comes to inspiration. 

Take the picture I have posted here as an example. Its a photo of Natasha Poly, taking a photo. Not that Natasha is the defining quality that makes this photo something to muse upon. The beauty of this image is the fill-in-the-gaps experience that one gets while viewing it and the interpretations which eventuate as a result. What is she taking a photo of? Who is she? What does she look like? What is she feeling? All these questions simply make me think. On the other side of things, I am involved in a deep and enduring love affair with the muted tones of this picture. It makes me think of buttery cupcake icing, summers at the seaside, and brings back memories of my holiday in New York.

To this end, I have decided that the modern muse is in fact all seeing, all doing, all knowing, nothing saying... kind of god-like or budda-esque if you will. The moern muse is at once intangible, unreachable and indefinable.