Was just asked an interesting interview question about muses. I think it is for a sort of round-up article about a bunch of folks’ thoughts on muses, but, after talking about muses, the question included a part on lovers. I think (hope) the main point was about muses, but it made me wonder about how many photographers or writers seem like they are making art, when they are really just on the make. Wouldn’t it be easier to just put on a cool outfit and do dinner and movie? This just in: I’m alienated. If the article turns out interesting overall, perhaps I’ll share the link here 🙂 This is what my answer to the question is:
"The best muses for me are really unique, vibrant, adventuresome, and flamboyant individuals who seek to express similar sentiments compatible with those I am interested in. I wrote my thesis on Cross-Cultural and Historical Vampire Legends as a Paradigm for Aggressive Human Sexuality and I’ve photographed more than three thousand people, many of them in nude and erotic scenarios. So, although I am obviously interested in exploring sexuality through art, for me, sexual interest and artistic attraction are in no way intertwined. I can’t speak to anyone else’s creative process, but, for me, as an artist, I don’t feel motivated to have a sexual or romantic relationship with someone just because they inspire me creatively. I could be shooting something nude or explicit of a person, or writing something with an erotic aspect, but the process is all about creating something beautiful, or something which expresses something, or ideally both. I guess I’ve thankfully been very fortunate in the dating department, but, if I want to date someone, I don’t bust out a camera or a keyboard; I just, ya know, date them."
–Amelia G, editor/writer/photographer, BlueBloodPhoto.com
Is my perspective unusual?
PS I still have a cold.