“She wrote to him fairly regularly, from a paradise of triple exclamation points and inaccurate observations.”

Inspiration Rx : This series is a remedy for blank walls, sparse reading lists, & creative ruts.

This week’s prompt: MUSE

For Wes Anderson it’s Bill Murray, for Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe it was each other, for Theron Humphrey it’s Maddie the coonhound, & now it’s your turn. This week we’d like you to create something with your muse in mind. Think of a person, pet, place, type of food, even a specific time period, anything that draws you in like nothing/no one else. For me (& many other photographers), it’s light. Something as simple as shadows cast on a curtain, or morning light bouncing off the water in my shower can motivate me to pick up the camera. Muses are the ultimate collaborators, they are there to help spark your imagination & take it to places you may not have explored on your own.

If your muse is illusive, just look to Lulu in Elle Moss’ photo above, I’m sure she will be happy to help! Let’s say the Salinger passage is referring to her as well. Try to envision what her life is like, look for details both large & small. What was her most recent meal? Where does she live? What is her relationship with the photographer? Does she always wear black? You could even create a Pinterest board for her if you’d like to get better acquainted. Oh, I’d love to see those, please let us know if you put one together!

A few brave souls helped us break the ice last week! Lisa woke up early & found some treasures waiting for her in the fog. Melanie is trying her hand at a new medium & has some excellent reminders for those of us who have ever said “I can’t”. Ursula captured her daughter in a beautiful moment, & Moira’s heartfelt piece was both sweet & insightful.

Feeling Inspired?

It’s not too late to join in, start any time. Just be sure to share your creation before next Tuesday!

Options for Sharing:

Instagram /Twitter : use hashtag #INSPIRATIONRX

Your Blog/Flickr /Pinterest : please share a link in the comment section of this post.

For an invitation to our group Pinterest board, please leave a link to your Pinterest account in the comments, or email for an invite. *If you requested an invite to the group Pinterest board last week but have not seen an invitation, it’s because we mysteriously can’t add you.  Please send your email address to  Miss B & we’ll try it that way!

photo: Lulu ©  Elle Moss

passage: For Esme-with Love and Squalor by J.D. Salinger

Piqued your interest?

The relationship between artists & their muses provides rich material for novels, biographies, & movies. Did you know that Claude Monet’s wife continually inspired his work? Since reading about their life together & the effect it had on his work in Claude & Camille, I have to admit, I look at his work differently. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald is a fictional portrait of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s extraordinary wife & muse. It highlights their boisterous social life which directly influenced The Great Gatsby. If you are interested in Andy Warhol or just the 60’s art scene in general, you can take a peek into the life of muse Edie Sedgwick in Factory Girl.

Let’s not forget the fuzzy muses! For photographers, of course there’s William Wegman & his Weimaraners. Shaggy Muses explores the faithful companions of famous female writers including Virginia Woolf & Emily Dickinson.  I can never get enough of Maddie the coonhound, if you agree, follow @thiswildidea on Instagram & get ready to hit the like button repeatedly!

A death and birth, on the same day, at the same time. The question ‘why’ was functionally obsolete–there was no reason for it, yet it was obviously and abstrusely there serving no real purpose. Even if there was an answer, could it ever be a good enough one?  K. stared into the quiet abyss which was once her home. The familiar now unrecognizable felt more like a strange corner of her memory–foggy and soft, shifting in and out of the gray crevices of her brain folds, not quite emerging to the surface. She had become a stranger in her own world and wasn’t sure if she would ever be known to anyone again.

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