For as long as I remember I have said these words. I am a Muse. I was put on this earth to inspire and facilitate the creative process. It’s my purpose; my mission statement. Some people feel the need to create. I feel the need to inspire. I have fulfilled this in many ways.
I was about 9 years old when I learned who were the muses. I don’t know what the lesson was about in school or why the teacher told us about them. I’m pretty sure it was Mrs. Mancino in third grade who first brought them to my attention. The moment I learned about them, they resonated with me. Their story touched the core of my being. Not anyone specific muse but the existence of them and that I was One.
In Greek mythology there were 9 inspirational goddesses who ruled over literature, arts and sciences. They were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the Titan goddess of memory. In several ancient traditions since then there are many other muses named in literature, sometimes 3, sometimes 4 or 7, but mostly 9. Interesting fact: the word museum is derived from muse as the place where the muses were worshipped.
The Way of the Muse
and in BRCvr as avatar, Aunt Athena.
Most recently, I was a co-founder of a virtual Burn Week experience called BRCvr, a recognized Universe of the Burning Man Multiverse. My soul sang through the stressful moments because I knew I was in service to the creation of an incredible array of artistic endeavors that were not bound by the laws of physics. Elation swept over me with each new World created. A World is a theme camp, sound camp, art installation, or art car. Each group creates their own World that are portaled to BRCvr. Just like at the physical Burning Man event, each group creates their creative communal effort and brings it to the event to share with the community…only this time it was all virtual. For most of the Burners, BRCvr required a huge learning curve in a very short period of time. BRCvr created educational programs which were published on Youtube and our website of live Zoom tutorials. Then we created a Discord for everyone to share knowledge and ideas. Together we created the learning platform needed for all to participate. Everyone did the planning, execution, sharing and participation from the comfort and safety of their own living rooms.
How the BRCvr opportunity fell into my lap actually comes from 15 years of organizing the Los Angeles Burner community. I went to Burning Man for the first time in 1999. I instantly fell in love with the community of artists. By 2002, I was organizing events for the Los Angeles Burner community. I was one of the founders of the LA Decompression Arts and Music Celebration and produced it from 2002-2016. My ability to bring people together as a team and create efficiencies for the success of a project allowed the artists to flourish and create art which inspired those who experienced it. After organizing and teaching many events including newbie orientations and film festivals about the Burning Man cultures, I was recognized as an official regional contact in 2009. That was when we founded the LA League of Arts and got our official 501c3 designation in 2011. Now we had a strong tool for helping artists get funding to bring their visions into reality. These efforts were all a volunteer labor of love in service to the art. My desire to inspire creativity fueled my efforts. I used my superpower of taking large amount of chaotic minutia and putting it in order to organize the creative energies of the LA Burners. In 2015, BRCvr was pitched to me by Greg Edwards. As with all ingenuitive ideas, my soul sings and I leap at the opportunity to help. But there was no immediate need for that experience and the technology was not where it needed to be for community collaboration. I retired from my Burning Man leadership duties in 2017. However in 2020, due to the pandemic and cancellation of the Burning Man event, BRCvr was brought back to life. Now it was needed. Due to social isolation caused by physically distancing to prevent the spread of the virus, we needed a safe place to come together and connect. BRCvr provided this place.
A Direct Form of Inspiration
Another way that I am a Muse is by directly working as a figure model for artists. I am literally the inspiration for art. I’ve been drawn, sculpted, animated, photographed and assemblaged. Disney Animation, Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, Film Roman, Sony, Gnomen, Art Center College of Design, CalArts, Otis, Leonard Nimoy, David Hockney, Lyndie Bensen, Jonathan Bickart, and countless workshops and private sessions. Below there is a gallery of art created by different artists that I posed for. I’ve had many people ask me if I’m a nudist or how I got involved with the naturalist community. I am neither. While I am comfortable being nude, that does not mean I an a nudist. I am a Muse who works as a model in service of inspiring art, with the hope that the art inspires creativity in others. There are many more photos of me posing for artists in the gallery below.
As a stripper, I inspired the flame of desire in men who came into the club and I inspired the other dancers to bring more creativity to their performances. I began doing fun burlesque routines that inspired the other dancers to create routines of their own. It was extremely entertaining for everyone and drew a large crowd into the club. My body as inspiration is a way for me to directly inspire art.
My presence is inspiring. As an actress, I fulfilled the creative image of the director, writer, and producer. I work with writers, reading scripts and book drafts soley for my overall interpretation. As a partnership coach, I inspire people to build strong partnerships in all aspects of their lives. As a production coordinator, I facilitate the creative process by doing the organizational tasks necessary to complete a project, thus allowing creativity to flourish. As a community organizer for Burning Man in Los Angeles, I laid out a pallet so others could paint, figuratively speaking. All the governmental bureaucracy needed to make a legal event happen, I managed, so the community of artists could share their work with the greater Los Angeles citizens at an event called LA Decom. And in turn inspired countless others who experienced their art. My purpose in producing and contributing to any of the these projects is so I give artists a platform to showcase their creativity so they in turn will inspire an audience of potential artists. It was a form of collaboration.
Other ways I found to inspire included running for City Council in my University town, Huntsville Texas. I was president of my high school band, temple youth group, and drama club. All for the purpose to inspire and facilitate the creative process. I am a Muse.
Now I am traveling, wandering, the globe connecting with people from all walks of life and providing a new breath of inspiration for them. As I produce the series Her Shoes about the lives of indigeous women, my goal is to spread their stories to inspire those who watch. And possibly in the telling of their stories, inspire the women as well towards their creative goals.
I am a Muse. I enjoy this identity greatly. It suits me. Its fulfillment brings happiness to my soul. It fills my tanks. It is my breath and my heartbeat.
I am a muse. I was put on this earth to inspire and facilitate the creative process.
Tell me, how do I inspire you? That answer fuels my soul. Tell me. What do you … will you now create?
2018 Art Gallery Show
Being a Muse
