Lyons Leadership

Has it ever happened that you suddenly feel like making something out of nothing? Have you ever had the feeling of wanting to piece together something that starts out in your head into something tangible and physical? That is called the artistic spirit, and it is a desire that is innate in all of humankind.

I’ve been missing my muse for a really long time now. The past few months have been without creativity and inspiration and my feeble attempts at creating something have always turned out something that is way beneath what I wanted it to be. It lacked spirit, it lacked personality, and it lacked that stand out quality great pieces have.

My (young and urban) professional life has taken quite a bit from my crafting skills. As I tried to make enough to get my family and I by, I sorely neglected my artistic passions. I began a search to entice my missing muse back, so I made plans to go visit the noteworthy sites around Indiana. I went to different parks, went on hiking trips and even scheduled a fishing trip with my husband. Everywhere I went, I had a small notebook and pencil handy, so I could doodle and sketch whatever took my fancy at the moment during the day.

Nothing seemed to work. I tried a lot of techniques to hopefully get my muse back, but I didn’t seem to be getting any better at my craft. I could occasionally finish a sculpture, but every time it lacked that artistic spark. It didn’t have finesse. I was prepared to resign myself to the fact that I will never craft something artistic again.

After that, I simply stopped trying. I tried to convince myself that there were more important matters to deal with. I needed to direct my focus on my day job so I could go on supporting my growing children. And that’s when it hit me: When I wasn’t looking for my muse, she suddenly popped up out of nowhere. Like a set of missing keys, she showed up just when you have given up looking for her.

In just a few minutes, I took up my old sculpting tool which were scattered around the study and immediately began to work on my new masterpiece. Masterpiece, of course, being an exaggeration, but I believe this current one I’m making will now be to my expectations.