I came across this question somewhere in my literary travels. It got me to thinking about the creative process. Why do we create? And mind you, creativity doesn't just lie with artists or musicians or writers, et al, but it exists in all of us. I see creativity all over the place: in sports game posters, quilts, graffiti, and God knows MEMES! Literally everywhere.
Something exists where before there was nothing. I'll bet you have created things all the while never considering yourself an artist. Well, you are.
So why do I do this particular thing? These mostly strange images? I can only say that the process of bringing these into existence is one that truly makes me feel alive. I feel as if I'm a vehicle, as fanciful as that my sound, for these drawings to be born.
It's a little scary too, because it's easy to screw them up and "kill" them. Not knowing when to stop or going in the wrong direction. I panic and try to save them, but I'm not always successful and I suffer a kind of annoyed grief.
So do they think? Do they petition me to be born? Is this what they mean by the "muse"? The only thing I'm sure of is that when I get it right, it's a eureka moment, and I feel deeply proud. Will it sell? I don't know. The answer to that can be found in a quote by Martha Graham:
"It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open."
So there ya go.