my life as a muse ❧ – Page 2 – Anna Blueberry Digital Media

Providing Inspiration is ONE Thing –

December 1, 2024 by annakruse

Results aren’t always what you’d expect.

Not too different from My Day Job, being a muse can be full of surprises sometimes. I thought with my poet it was pretty obvious what I was getting into this time around, marrying a novelist and all.

Novelists, as everyone knows, always need muses otherwise they flounder about rather unsuccessfully and die bitter old men. Like old drunk Hemingway. Or was it Faulkner? Must have been Faulkner. Anyhow I was thinking: All right! Easy and clear cut, sweet! I love it. Shoo my honey into his office to “go write your novel now” while off I go with hours at my leisure to do my own thing. I really couldn’t have found a better gig. At least, that’s what I was thinking.

But the gods will have their laughs. Lots of changes in just only the last couple hundred years, gotta get up to speed. Because, turns out I inspire my boy the best in the room with the big white things. You know, the one with all the yummy delicious food? La Cocina. Die Küche. Si.

Yes. That was a bit of a pause for me too. But then I figured oh that’s all right, that’s no skin off my nose. After all a muse’s job is essentially the same regardless the end result, si? Sit around, look pretty — and inspire, of course. Inspire what? Well that’s precisely what keeps life interesting.

Providing inspiration is one thing. Predicting what it’ll lead to? That’s a whole another laughing matter entirely. As I said, keeps life interesting. So while maybe there’ll be no credit for inspiring the boy’s next great novel, all right, but goodness me, I eat impossibly delicious cuisine every day. It’s quite a delectable life. I had no idea I was this good. You see why I like being a muse?

My Day Job

November 19, 2024 by annakruse

Mostly I’m a muse all the time, but gad, that could get boring. So, I have what I affectionately call “my day job.” See, I pretend to be this ultra-multi-talented graphic designer. These days now, I’ve done my fair share of muddling along -one couldn’t just start right off as famous right away you know, had to build up some of that street creed ‘first and all, yo man.

It’s easy — time and again I find I need to let my boy muddle on his own for a while whether it be in his office or in the room with the big shiny stainless steel things, no matter to me, I go and play at my day job, this one, at Anna Blueberry Digital Media, which is where you found this blog in the first place. Being a muse may be all grand and heady, but the bills still gotta be paid.

I’ve been plodding along as a designer for a little-ish-long while. From since as a little girl when I designed and created rather than played, into my teens when so often did I rearrange all the furniture it was predicted I’d be an interior designer, till by the time I hit adult hood, it logically become the “career” to chose since around here these days, one apparently must have one. I totally played by the rules, went back to school, and bemusedly graduated with an expensive BS degree in Visual (Design / Business) Communications just as the job economy has a major collapse. Sheesh.

So what did I do? I started out playing according to the script: beg for jobs. Heck, I’d even do some for free. Mostly I was scared of wasting a 70k overly priced college education. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot, and coupled with my natural giftedness, I am: really good at what I do. I would have only picked a less expensive approach next time around. But since it was so expensive, I wasn’t in a hurry to forget my learning, so I begged, I practiced, heck, I even worked for free, branched out into web development, gained more confidence in managing.

I still remember now, that initial thrill, after our neighbor popped over to tell us the “mean hornet” logo I designed for his local youth rugby team had been put up on their website, printed up on t-shirts and bumper stickers… when I actually SAW one of those mentioned bumper sticker pull out in front of me on a van directly ahead of me. What a pick-me-up moment that was when I realized my work’s actually hitting the street.

I’ve seen since, more of my work decorating vehicles in the neighborhood. It’s nice knowing I’ve helped those individuals/local businesses communicate themselves as well as become more visible in the community.

Yo, I’ve definitely got street creds these days.

Don’t Be So Serious

November 1, 2024 by annakruse

Don’t be so serious.

Before I was a muse, I was very, very serious. Play by the rules. Follow the Plan. Ducks in a Row. But you know what? I’m done with that now. I have absolutely no doubt that if I keep toeing the line, one day when I’m 96 years old I’ll win a million-dollar design contract. Could you just imagine? Actually, I’d probably croak before I got to see the job done and that would really, really suck then.

But what am I doing setting up a blog here in the first place? I’m a muse, I’m a designer, a communication specialist, now also a website designer & developer. I’m many things; and writing is definitely not high up on my list. In fact it’s actually my poet’s department (or so I thought). The short and simple answer is that for some weird reason I’ve been feeling like I ought to.

And logically I ought to write about my day job, which is what this website is about. Which means discussing design related topics and/or bragging up my projects in order to puff up my creditability and land a multi-million-dollar designing ad campaign. You know, following the script.

But you know what? I’m done with being serious.

I tell my poet this, he who has always been a wonder when it comes to names and titles. And he comes up with a great idea (he always does). My Life as a Muse.

Of course, this entails a discussion. Which is when I find out that according to him all I do is merely glance his way and inspire him on the spot with the answer to the burning question on his mind. He’s awfully curious how I do that. Really. Hopeless romantics these poets are sometimes. That’s not exactly how this gig goes.

Ok well, maybe. A little. But still it’s more involved than it looks. Gosh, you know you’re good when everyone thinks the job you do looks fantastically easy and effortless. I’ll take it as a compliment.

❧

So what’s involved in being a Muse? Perhaps I’ll use this blog to explore this topic among others. I’m still deciding.

But to set the record straight, it’s not that simple. Before you get to be any good, there’s a lot of work to get to that ah-but-naturally level. And then some more before you even get to be ah-but-naturally all the time. But I can certainly tell you this:

There’s a lot of giving up.

There’s a lot of letting go.

And that it’s extremely hard to be a muse when you’re so very serious. And so, naturally, that’s one of the things you gotta let go. Then it’s easier.