Today, I went to the 17th annual Painters at Painters celebration of the arts in Campbell River. One of the presentations was called ‘Amusing the muse’, conducted by painters (and sisters) Janice Robertson and Suzanne Northcott. They gave their thoughts on what the muse meant to them and their work. What they had to say not only applies to art, but also applies to writing and any other artistic expression. 
Janice finds her muse in nature. She referred to her love of birds, and because of that, she’s inspired to paint the crow, seagulls and chickens.
They discussed how the muse doesn’t like comfort. In essence, they said, if you’re always sure, you’re not growing.
Suzanne talked about the mystery of the muse, that undefinable something that propels you to create, to let something come through you. She talked about having a 
wild mind, allowing anything to come. She illustrated this beautifully in her piece called A Place in Mind.
Brilliance in artistic endeavors often comes when we get out of our own way. I recall hearing a story about Laurence Olivier. He had just come off stage to thunderous applause and a standing ovation (at a time when those were rare). Though he understood he’d done well, he was frustrated as he didn’t know how he got there.
What he was describing was this organic process, where the artist allows the muse to flow through. There is no time for judgment or concern with what is being produced. He got out of his own way.
I know I am doing my best work, when I allow my characters to tell me where they want to go and I follow their lead. When I do that, the characters surprise me, as they do the reader. There is a texture then in the work that is not contrived or manipulated. It’s not that I don’t have a plan. I do, but it’s not rigid. If I’m too tight, then my voice can’t get through. And what I’m looking for is purity. A pure voice. When that happens and I follow the muse, it’s magic.
