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02 October 2009

Boy on the brain? Maybe; maybe.


Much to my excitement, my urge to write has returned! Hooray for my muse biting my butt. Writing is a good outlet for me; it affords me time to vent, think and imagine. So when I am in a slump and I can't write, I feel like an ugly duckling. But when the juices start flowing I feel like I am a beautiful swan. Whatever the reason for my creative juices to be working their magic, I hope it sticks around. I always wondered what causes the fluctuation between creativity and a block (writers block for me). I didn't invest too much thought into it, it was just curiosity.

I frequently read Psychology Today articles to see what of interest is being discussed. Well wouldn'tcha know it, Muses! In regards to creativity the article says, "Somehow just putting mating on the mind turns the colors up a notch." So is the reason that the muse has been whispering sweet nothings to me because I have boy on the mind? Or is it not that I have boy on the mind but that my brain chemicals are trying to tell me something? Tic-toc? Maybe... it could very well be; my brain says,"No kids." and my brain chemistry is saying, "What are you waiting for old maid?!"
Going back to PT it goes on to say, "Conscious or unconscious, it seems as though once the mating motive is activated, there is an automatic tendency for people to display their biological fitness. Fitness need not be limited to the physical realm. Mental traits can just as well reveal biological fitness. And in my view, creativity is mental fitness par excellence. Indeed, the evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller argues that creativity, like the Peacock's tail, evolved (at least in part) to display mental fitness because of the potential reproductive successes that can accrue from having a creative mind." Very interesting read indeed!

However, the article seems a bit biased. It generically is referring to a given muse as a female with the creative mind being the male. So is this to say that only a male can have a muse? Or is the study implying that women do not have their creativity sparked by the opposite (or even same) sex? Well this is what some researchers had to say about this bias, "They found that while men increased their creativity in every single condition, only women increased their creative output in one specific condition--after imagining wanting to attract a clearly trustworthy and committed long-term mate." This is where I start to get confused. So do I have a muse or what? Should I just say that my writers block is gone? I think I will stick to the muse idea, there is a difference between artistic ability and brimming with creative thought.

And no I don't need a committed long-term baby maker mate! No babies! No babies! And I am convinced my muse is a thought pattern in my mind, not some person. Maybe I am gaga over ideas and not people?


In other unrelated news, my DUI class is obviously a joke to me. Trust me I listen but I also doodle on cupcakes. It's the best I can do when the man teaching the class talks about some make believe drug called heroijuana.

[end transmission]

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