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Summoning the Muses to Support Your Creative Endeavours

Warning: This is a bit woo-woo, but it works.

Being an artist is tough. Being a successful one—both artistically and commercially—is even tougher. It requires you to engage a part of your brain that may not come naturally: being process-oriented, consistent with content marketing, and structured in how you manage your outreach.

Art Alone Is Not Enough

Pablo Picasso is estimated to have created around 147,800 works of art, including paintings, prints, sculptures, and ceramics. Here’s a breakdown:

• Paintings: Around 13,500
• Prints and engravings: Around 100,000
• Sculptures and ceramics: Around 300
• Illustrations: Around 34,000

It was a huge amount of work and it work:

Key milestones during his life:

• By age 20 (1901): He had his first major exhibition in Paris.
• By his Blue and Rose Periods (1901–1906): Critics and collectors were already taking notice.
• By Cubism (with Georges Braque, from 1907): He was considered a revolutionary.
• By the 1920s–30s: He was a global art star, collaborating with Ballets Russes and producing political works like Guernica (1937), which cemented his status.
• By mid-century: He was wealthy, infamous, prolific, and revered—his name synonymous with modern art.

He lived to 91 years old, died in 1973, and had retrospectives, books, films, and critical praise while alive. He even controlled much of the narrative around his legacy.

He got it right, he appealed to his people as much as he did the artistic work.

As a DJ or music producer, you can create mixes, tracks, and endless Instagram videos, but if they aren’t reaching the right audience, the work alone won’t be enough.

To thrive, you need to balance both creativity and process. The most valuable thing you can have isn’t just your art—it’s your book of contacts (or your email list).

Unless you are a super human, it’s likely you will need the help from a friend on the non-artist efforts to succeed.

Resistance vs. The Muses

If you’ve ever studied Classical mythology, you might have come across the concept of Resistance vs. The Muses, a powerful analogy from Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art.

Pressfield describes Resistance as an invisible force that actively works against artists. It’s that voice in your head telling you to procrastinate, to doubt yourself, or to play small. Resistance can be so powerful that it holds people back for decades.

But the antidote? The Muses.

In Greek mythology, the Nine Muses were goddesses of creativity, each presiding over a different domain of artistic and intellectual life. If you can push past Resistance, you invite not just one, but multiple forces of inspiration into your work.

Here’s how the Muses can help DJs and music producers:

• Calliope (Epic Poetry) – Storytelling: Use storytelling in your DJ sets and mixes to create a journey for your listeners.
• Clio (History) – Research: Study the history of electronic music to refine your sound and understand the evolution of the genre.
• Euterpe (Lyric Poetry and Music) – Musical Inspiration: Channel her to compose original tracks or improve your mixing technique.
• Thalia (Comedy) – Personality: Inject fun into your content and branding to engage your audience.
• Melpomene (Tragedy) – Emotional Depth: Draw from life experiences to create deeper, more meaningful music.
• Terpsichore (Dance) – Movement: Consider how your music makes people move and connect with their bodies.
• Erato (Love Poetry) – Emotion: Infuse emotion into your productions and performances.
• Polyhymnia (Sacred Poetry and Hymns) – Spiritual Connection: Some of the best music has a transcendent quality—tap into this.
• Urania (Astronomy and Universal Truths) – Vision: Think long-term about your artistry and career direction.

The SPA Framework: Your Daily Ritual for Overcoming Resistance

If Resistance is what holds you back, structure is what keeps you moving forward. I use a simple framework I call SPA:

1. Structure – Have a plan. Write it down. Identify milestones and work towards them.
2. Process – Break it down into daily actions. Track your tasks every single day.
3. Accountability – Make your efforts public. Share your progress and review it weekly.

When you avoid Resistance and work with the Muses, you become a vessel for creativity. A friend recently said, “It’s better to be doing than thinking” and I agree, doing is much easier on the brain.

And they’re right. The best way to sustain your creativity? Work every day, no matter how you feel.

Rise above your emotions.