I wanted a muse, I interviewed one once but it seems she had one version of what a muse does and I had another. I expected her to motivate me by calling with either suggestions or saying she wants to shoot. I guess she thought I was supposed to call her when I came up with an idea for a shoot.

If you have a muse, how do you use them ?  What is their responsibility in the relationship and what is yours ?  Who initiates ?  If the muse just waits for a call from me then she's just an always available model and I expect/need more than that ?

So, after you muse on the question... what are your thoughts ?

My muses have no idea that they're my muses. I have two currently, and one in the past that helped me get started.  Both developed into a muse after the first initial shoot, and sometime during the 2nd- and each offers something different.

They didn't do anything aside from shoot with me-- and for some strange reason, no matter the weather and what it is, we make (made) magic.  Over time and many, many shoots they just sort of developed into a muse for me. Someone I enjoy shooting with, someone who looks beautiful through my camera lens; I see something and I think "oh, --- would look lovely in that! Will have to bookmark for later". When i'm having a rough time creatively, they shoot with me. They know me so darn well, instead of showing up with a huge wardrobe, they show up without make up and say "lets do headshots!".

and, yet, they have no idea of their influence on me. I prefer it to stay that way; no pressure, no expectations, just a creative relationship. Both of them found me, instead of me finding them. I always initiate. Sometimes, they approach me to shoot too, but it goes both ways.

My expectation would be a more organic relationship.  Neither feels obligated but more willing, interested and able to explore ideas with each other.

I have never had a muse, but I don't think it would be possible to 'interview'  for one in the conventional sense.

I suppose if for you the archetype of a beautiful and inspirational woman is one who calls you then the answer is yes.

Works for me if I call, she can be entrancing without working the phone.

well, a muse is supposed to be a source of inspiration so if you aren't feeling inspired ...

for me it's easier if the model has the idea. they are more invested in it, have wardrobe for it (or are willing to get wardrobe for it), etc. but sometimes i have particular things i want to try (different lighting styles, for example). so usually we shoot a set of her idea and then a set for me where i get to try out some new technique.

"Muse" gets overused here on MM.  It's right up there with "edgy" in terms of how often and badly it's missed.

Muses help inspire and stretch creativity.  But to many photographers, a muse is a "house model" who's always available, or someone you get great results with, or someone who is easy to work with, or a model that is fun and makes your life easy.  Bullsh*t!

A real muse is likely to be a pain in the ass to work with.  She may be mercurial.  She may challenge you, taunt you, show contempt for your work, dismiss your ideas as beneath her, look at work you're proud of and go "that's it?", and generally get you questioning why you work with her.  If someone makes it easy for you, I'd argue that she probably isn't a muse.  She may be a really good person and a great model.  But making it easy for you generally isn't what muses do. If being creative was easy, than everyone would be a magnificent artist.  There is a reason that so many great creative geniuses went through tremendous pain or had significant personality issues.  There are lots of ways that muses can work but a big part of it involves pushing you past barriers or in directions you don't want to go.   That includes not tolerating stuff that is "good" or even "very good" but instead demanding better.  Or refusing to shoot what you want to shoot b/c it's too common.

Creativity isn't a light switch you just flick on and "ta-dah, we've got great art!".  It isn't something that just comes.  Even when you get "flow" (check out Mike Csikszentmihalyi on this topic), it occurs b/c of work and preparation and sweat that all happens prior to it.

I've had a muse.  She was a major pain in the butt at times.  I had multiple times where I questioned if I should continue to work with her.  But I grew as a photographer of artistic nudes b/c of my work with her.  Now, she was also not the best model I ever worked with.

Do not confuse a really good model who's fun to work with or always shows up on time ready to work.  A muse is someone who grows your skills, insight, and talent.  And sometimes the best ways to do that are to frustrate you, not do what you want to do, not accept your standards, or be difficult and untraditional to manage.

Ed

I always laugh when models' profiles say things like "I'm not a model, I'm a muse," or "I will be your muse."

You can't make muse happen. It just does.

I worked with a model once a week for several months.  She had a series of events from her life that she wanted to work through artistically.  We'd discuss a concept and then put together a concept shoot.  It was some of the best work I've worked on and was a creatively growing experience. 

After several months we started to have differences in opinions and discontinued to work together after that.  She didn't want any of the pics to be in public.  We had a contract allowing each of us to use the pics but I didn't want a huge fight over it.  I'm grateful for the intensely creative boot camp the project was but learned to always have control over the files.

You dont interview or hire a muse it just kinda happens...

looking for a muse is futile...
you don't find a muse, a muse finds you....
if a muse finds you and you don't keep her happy, she'll be gone

there are no rules when it comes to 'muses'.

I have never thought of a muse as one who gives you ideas.  If that were the case then what would the must need you for?  I oft thought of the muse as a source of tangential thought, perspective and feelings on the things we ordinarily don't consider extraordinary. 

So the muse is not your source of new thought, but the inspiration.

A couple of years ago I was cruzing MM and saw a model from Chicago that I thought "she has an amazing and unique face but she lives too far away".  Six months later she contacted me about a shoot and let me know she actually only lives 15 minutes away.  We've done several amazing shoots together.  Whenever I see her around she says, "Let me know when you have an idea". She's easy to work with and ALWAYS photographs great.   I'm hoping to shoot an art video with her soon.

How can there be plans, interviews, supposed-to-be's, expectations, specifications & delivery dates for sources of inspiration?

When something outside of yourself moves your sense of aesthetics enough, does not inspiration arise on its own from the center of your being human?

A creator being amused by another person enough to call her/him a muse is one thing. But, shouldn't the other person feel, on their own , a similar wonderment about the creator's work and workings enough to want to be the creative fuel in such a wondrous process?

I had no idea the term "muse" was an actual job title with a defined job description or that you could advertise for a muse.

What would that CareerBuilder job posting look like?

I think muses just sort of happen. 

It's the mutually positive, creative energy between the photographer and model..or whomever.   I've had art directors who were like a muse as well.

To me a muse is someone who inspires and may even push you to new heights..

"Interviewing" for a muse makes as much sense, to me, as interviewing for a spouse.

I don't think you can go look for someone to be your muse. I've been lucky enough to have several muses over the years and they all just happened because we found out after working together the first time, we really liked working with each other and we trusted each other to experiment.

I've been working with my favorite muse for 10 years now. She continues to surprise and inspire me. I can see why you would want a muse, but I don't think you can force it.

You don't go looking for a muse, when you're in need of one they'll show up.
I've had the great fortune to work with several over the years, some have inspired me for years and continue to do so while others for maybe just a few hours.  It's all about having a creative chemistry that just brings out the best in you and drives you to create better than you ever had before.
Sometimes it can be from a clash of ideas that fuel a passion to make it work instead of a crash and burn.  Other times it's just a perfect fit that seems as if you're both thinking the same exact thoughts and amplifying them to be more than either could accomplish alone.
There are muses I've worked with where I've been driven to create the defining image of who they are (at least in my opinion of who they are).  And other times I've been challenged to expand my skills to match what they have in mind.  It all depends on if it's an explosive or solidifying mix, both are good in their own way.
Never get an idea in your head of what a muse should be, you'll never find it.  Instead, be open to being inspired by everything around you and you'll see that the muse you need (not necessarily the one you want) has been hiding in plain sight all the time.

I would consider a muse to be someone who inspires the artist to create and conversely is inspired to be part of that creative process.

poor OP - not a clue!

i thought a muse just happened, not planned out and interviewed.

This:

No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen. - Minor White

Photographers:

If you don't have your own concepts to pursue, ...
   ...  Then you are a technician,
   ...  You are not an artist.

If you just work on other people's concepts, what is your contribution?  Figuring out exposure?  Fine tuning the crop?

I think it works both ways. You inspire each other. I had someone I worked with for a couple of years and either one of us would come up with an idea or several and bounce them off each other and usually improved the original concept. She is one of the few people I've ever met that was a perfect match for me creatively. A few times we just got together to see what would happen. It always seemed to work out great. At the time I didn't even consider the word "muse" but if ever I had one, she was it. She moved a couple of thousand miles away and I never even considered trying to replace her. We stay in touch and she is still the first one I think of when I come up with an idea that would make most people say WTF? I really miss her.

If one needs to inquire what a muse is for, then you haven't had one, and may not recognize one that might come your way.

My impression is that the term is often misused simply to convey self-importance.

Terminology appropriated from other forms of visual art are likewise tossed about to seem cool, usually by those with no understanding of meaning, like a recent mayhem photographers boast that "I shoot in the chiruscuro style."

Step by step instructions :-)

http://findingyourmuseonlineclass.blogspot.com/