Muse: the invisible other

People have heard of the muse in writing but regard it as a psychological anomaly, trafficking in an artist’s inspiration.

I can’t help but try to pin down the creature, to understand what it truly is. Sure, it would be easy to classify the muse as an angel or demon, as it rests upon your shoulder—feeding words into your ear. But does it match such a polarizing description? Is it an archetype of platonic idealism, or is it as unique as every artist it captures?

What’s most fascinating is how so many artists speak of it and how it gives them abilities they would have otherwise never possessed. Below are a couple of videos referring to the invisible other.

“I don’t know how I got to write those songs…those early songs were like almost magically written.” -Bob Dylan

“...if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself.” -Charles Bukowski