On Mood as Muse (or maybe The Moody Muse): How our mood affects our work and what we can do about it
Like it or not, our mood affects our daily lives–personal and professional. I believe that mood has an even greater impact on our creative work. That’s because as creatives, we must make art from the heart, and also soul. Otherwise we end up with a soul-less piece of work that does not, cannot, define us, as creatives, nor can it resonate with a potential audience or clients.
As creatives we learn early on that it is necessary to find or develop a “voice” or style that, in turn, will define us and our artwork. While mood often inspires us, acting as a muse, mood also becomes an intrinsic part of our creative voice. But maintaining a certain mood, style or voice can be difficult, in particular when working on a body of work, especially a full-length book or a portfolio for a solo photography show. And even more, we need to maintain that mood, style or creative voice throughout the entire process–from choosing a title, to creating the first draft, all the way through the final edits, packaging and presentation of the final product.
It is a long and thorough process that takes time. It ensures not only a bond between the artist and his or her artwork, but also a certain kind of consistency usually associated with an expected level of professionalism. The more time we spend with our work, the more difficult it is to maintain that voice.
Finding your voice, as a creative, and maintaining it is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. And you have to always show up on a regular basis, in order to continue that marathon day in and day out. Pretty soon, your artist voice will be the only voice that you will “speak” as an artist. And others will ‘hear’ it too, and know it’s you.
As always, thanks for stopping by!
Alina Oswald 