Of Muses and Magic - Part 2

O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention. - William Shakespeare

In her prior post, Miz B eloquently shared her views on what makes working with a model transcend into muse magic.  I agree with all she shared and will only add my own few additions or nuanced ideas and comments.

First, all parties involved must be physically, emotionally, and creatively present and involved.  They must come in with an understanding of their own abilities, talents, tastes, boundaries, and a confidence in themselves along with a desire to push themselves and their art into new areas.  Without this combination of experience and desire to explore, magic rarely happens.

Rain DeGrey - 072913 - SideB

Second, all parties must develop trust in each other.  I will push a model to work and create in new ways that may be new and make potentially feel anxious, so I must earn her respect and trust in me first.  I must also allow myself to be pushed out of my comfort areas by her and the moment and trust her to push me.

Almost every professional model, and most of the amateur models, I've worked with have been a muse to me in their own ways.  Some are quiet influences that set a flow to the session where the greatness of the collaboration slowly evolves out of the shared time.  Others are like wild forces of nature where we keep kicking down boundaries and make edgy, rough stuff that will require hours and probably more sessions of collaboration to finish.  I greatly enjoy both of these types of inspiration.

I've been asked by a few if I have ever been physically intimate with one of my models, especially the nude models.   The answer is no.  The muse/artist relationship is its own type of intimacy that doesn't need a physical consumation for me to enjoy and need.  I am not saying that I don't get aroused by my models or the session, but the sexual arousal is just a small part of the greater arousal from creating something much grander than I could have made without her/his muse magic.