I've been thinking more about this idea about the care and feeding of muses...probably because I'm in a really creative streak (for me) right now.

In addition to listening, writing, and playing, here are three other things that seem to stimulate MY Muse (YOUR Muses, of course, will no doubt have other stimulants!)

1. Stress: if I have too much to do and think about, that's when my Muse is most productive.

2. New Instruments: my Muse seems to get lots of ideas when I'm noodling around making noises on instruments I have no idea how to play.

3. Sleep: I keep a pad and pen near the bed, and I have taught myself how to write legibly in the dark, because my Muse often comes up with really good ideas when I'm dozing off or waking up. Sometimes ideas are presented to me in dreams--I got one whole song (5 verses, chorus, and melody) that way. As an aside, does anybody know why I can play both the guitar and the pennywhistle flawlessly in my dreams, adding embellishments at will, when in real life I don't even come close to that standard of proficiency? Most frustrating!

My $0.02--your mileage, of course, may vary!

V