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How's your love affair with your Muse?

That's right, your Muse. Your creative source. Your inspiration for all the kooky, creative things you do. The voice that whispers, *Hey, why don't you try encaustic painting? That looks like fun!*

Or maybe your voice has a more, well, cranky tone. Maybe your Muse's voice gets snarky when she sees others creating. Maybe she feels abandoned in the corner, tucked away behind the towering to-do lists.

It could be time for a relationship check-in. My boyfriend and I do these periodically. We take a walk and discuss the state of our relationship. These conversations clear out any resentments that have been piling up. They offer a safe forum for checking in with our shared dream. And, these tete-a-tetes invariably bring us closer.

Try this with your Muse. Plan a few minutes of quiet time to get connected to your creative source. Use your journal to deepen the connection and listen to what your creative source has to say. Let your pen move on the page and don't censor anything that comes up.

Interview your Muse. Ask the kind of questions that you would ask a really fascinating person that you have always wanted to meet. What motivates you? What do you love? What do you do for fun?

Ask what your Muse wants. Find out if there are any gifts, real or energetic, that she needs. Let her explain whatever she needs. What she writes may be a rant; if you haven't been listening to your creative impulses, she may have some resentment stored up.

Make requests of your Muse. You may ask her for help with finishing projects, rather than confetting you with more ideas, more inspiration, more projects.

Redesign your alliance. What would a really fabulous year with your Muse look like? What do you want to celebrate with your Muse at the end of the year? Look at what kind of relationship would make you eager to get to the studio or the writing desk. Brainstorm how much time you would spend together, where and when you*d meet, what you*d do when you got together.

Complete the check-in with some kind of celebration. Go to a museum or gallery, or a shop devoted to your craft. Take your Muse to tea or happy hour, just the two of you, and giggle together over your plans.

Using these prompts is a great start to cultivating a deeper connection to your creative source. But an ongoing dialogue truly feeds you and your Muse. Make sure that you give yourself this very vital relationship. One of the side benefits of doing so is better relationships with the others in your life.

Other benefits include feeling more fulfilled, completing projects that have been shelved for too long, and gaining a sense of self-confidence and satisfaction from having a truly dynamic creative life.

Sounds good, doesn't it? So take some time to connect with your Muse and see what she has to offer.