An ever-increasing segment of the population is becoming aware of and interested in the muse-based or genius-based model of creativity. More and more people are discovering the idea that creativity can rightly and fruitfully be viewed as an external or independent force that influences and works through a person in the manner of the classical muse, that divine spirit — or, for the ancient Greeks, the several divine spirits — whose function is to whisper inspiration directly into the human mind and soul.
And this all leads, eventually, to a crucial question: What exactly are we talking about? Is it more correct to say that creativity really is an independent and autonomous force, or that it can be viewed as such?
In short, is the muse real? Read the rest of this entry »
