Creative Solutions and Inspirations from the Modern Day Muses

Muse Profile: Spills

Excerpted from the book The Nine Modern Day Muses and a Bodyguard: 10 Guides to Creative Inspiration for Artists, Poets, Lovers, and Other Mortals Wanting to Live a Dazzling Existence by Jill Badonsky, M.Ed.

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Spills

MUSE OF
Practice, process, & imperfection

MEANING OF NAME
Don't be afraid to make a mistake

DOMAIN
Releasing perfection, enjoying the process, knowing the power of practice and patience

SYMBOL

HOW SPILLS CAN MUSE YOU
The Beauty of ImperFection

THE SELECTION of SPILLS

Spills came into being purely by mistake. The Muses were playing with the attributes they thought that the next Muse should embody. They kept saying things they really didn’t mean to say, but which actually seemed clever anyway. They drew blueprints with lot of fumbles, yet each blunder led to an insight, that led to a consideration of something new, that made them laugh about the serendipity of ideas, that made the process uncommon, that gave them the next Muse. “Mistakes! That’s it. Oops, no, that’s not it,” one of them said, and then corrected herself. She had said that by mistake. Here’s what was important: they were engaged in the process and not just thinking, avoiding and fearing it. The result: discovery.

The serendipity of mistakes is part of the magic of the creative process. Within the process, spills, mistakes and imperfections are a method of discovery. So Spills, the Imp was created. Since she’s on the uncoordinated side of things they thought making her an imp would be endearing.

BOTTOM LINE

Life and creativity are a process to experience, not to judge. Spills, the Imp manifests her energy as the inner part of us relishes the discoveries that take place in our imperfect approach to the world. We evolve only when we participate, not when we sit on the sidelines fearing inadequacy. And the more we act, the more wisdom, confidence and excellence we receive. Trusting the process leads to peace and contentment. Release impatience. Dive in, you will rise to the top. Instead of focusing on the final product ask yourself how you are becoming a better person by immersing in this divine process. •

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Copyright © Jill Badonsky, 2001. All rights reserved.

About the Author | More by Jill Badonsky
Jill Badonsky, M.Ed. is a nationally recognized workshop leader, artist, performer, humorist, and author of the book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard): 10 Guides to Creative Inspiration for Artists, Poets, Lovers and Other Mortals Wanting to Live a Dazzling Existence. She teaches creativity lovers to facilitate classes and workshops based on her book and along with UCLA psychologist, Robert Maurer, she trains people to be Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaches. She can be found lurking at www.themuseisin.com.

03/14/07