When asked to enlighten others by describing a facet of my terribly dull personality, I first think about what would reveal the most of who I am as a person. Truly, I am not often regarded as a person of exceptional talents, nor do I fancy myself as much of an entertainer that others flock to the company of. I am simply a budding scientist and a thinker, creative and insatiably curious about everything. These aspects of my personality, however, would be nothing if not for the muses that keep them active and ambitious. There are a handful of qualities in this world which provide the inspiration I need to fuel my creative endeavors and keep my curiosity alive, and these muses of mine reveal who I am as an individual more than any other characteristic of my being.
I find that the greatest mental freedom comes with solitude. Tucked away in my workshop or my basement study at all hours of the night, I am blessed with the company of only my thoughts, my ideas, my books and my tools. Away from the stifling and disapproving swarm of social gnats who can rarely converse about any subject other than pop culture, I need not worry that my ideas may offend, irritate, or disturb as they emerge. Simply put, I find little mental growth in being a party animal, and I find that keeping company with a horde of drunken or lifeless idiots is about as emotionally uplifting as losing my wallet on the bus. That is not to say that I find all human contact repulsive. There is great inspiration to be found in the occasional company of one or two other individuals with whom I can share my thoughts, findings, and creations. They, in turn, can offer insightful feedback, constructive criticism, and intelligent supporting ideas. Barring actual human contact, I still find the written company of intellectual minds such as Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking to be equally fulfilling.
There are flat, apathetic periods in my thought process that require more than just solitude or intelligent company to revive. When I find myself in such an uninteresting state, my first instinct is to find my muse away from the bustle of the city. I will often flee to the mountains for a handful of days in hopes that my love for the wilderness will re-ignite that awe and curiosity that keep my mind active and full of wonder. Time spent in the mountains is equally relevant to my studies in environmental science as it is emotionally revitalizing, and soon after arriving in the wild my ideas resurface and my apathy resides. It is difficult for me not to find comfort in a place so far away from the cacophony of cell phones, city traffic, and the bumbling idiocy of today’s disaster-obsessed media.
The last of my great muses is my most important companion in just about every mental task that I undertake- music. I am shamelessly obsessed with the kind of music that can send chills through my veins and conjure the most vivid and brilliant emotions, images, ideas, and daydreams. I refer not to the bitter, watered-down mockery of music that is so commonly heard on radio stations, but to the atmospheric and emotional sounds that reassure me that music is still one of the most incredible and inspiring forms of art in existence. Music fuels my mind and adds vibrancy to my ideas as well as to the journeys that I take and the limited company that I keep. Without it, the emotion and drive behind my thoughts would be devoid of the awe and curiosity that I find as important as breathing.
I will wager a guess that few people think about what inspires them and how those muses are a reflection of who they truly are and how they affect their perspective on life, for I hear very few people speak of their muses with the kind of reverence they deserve, if they speak of them at all. That which fuels a person’s greatest ambitions should not be easily discarded as insignificant rubbish, for I believe it tells me more about a person than a simple list of hobbies or something as shallow as what kind of car they drive or how much their house is worth. When asked to enlighten others by describing a trait of my personality, I chose to describe my muses because I find them to be the most important and most beneficial part of who I am, and more importantly, who everyone is at their very core.