Part 1: Backstory

Let’s talk about my muse. I call her Lucille, AKA Lucy. She’s unpredictable, loud, somewhat judgy, and has no respect for traditional art supplies or personal space. Kinda like me–except for the judgy part. And the loud. And…and… well, maybe all of that.

She’s also not real–as in the corporeal sense. And I’m well aware of that. I’m an artist, not delusional. Lucille lives in my imagination with the sole purpose of lighting creative fires under my ass.

There’s nothing subtle about my muse. She doesn’t whisper inspiration into my ear, she kicks down the studio door and yells, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? THIS IS BORING. LET’S MAKE A MESS.”

And the thing is—she’s always right.

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Part 2: The Raid

So there I was, stuck on a painting. Stuck in the middle, just like the song. Feelin’ sorry for myself. Whaa-whaa-whaa…

Lucille shows up. I say help me, I’m stuck. And she says, “Put your brush down and go raid the kitchen.”

Which instantly puts me in a great mood. Raid the kitchen? I’m ALWAYS up for that!

So I’m in the pantry reaching for the Flamin’ Hot Doritos–which I shouldn’t buy but I do because willpower is NOT my middle name– when Lucille smacks the bag outta my hand–pretty impressive considering she doesn’t have hands– yelling something about saving me from orange fingers. And myself.

You want creative salvation? This is where you’ll find it. She steers me towards the must-have-in-every-kitchen junk drawer. You know that drawer–I bet you’ve got one yourself, filled with.mismatched mystery tools and shit stuff you swear you didn’t buy?

You gotta think outside the box, she says. Your new favorite art tool is in here somewhere. When you find it, you’ll know.

So I rummaged around. I skipped over the tongs, gave the cheese grater a hard pass (Note to self–take a second look at that cheese grater. Might be a decent texture tool), finally landing on an old silicone bowl scraper.

Lucille goes, “Perfect.” Of course she does, she’s never gonna cook with it.

Part 3: Result

I used that bowl scraper to spread some paint. Squish it flat. Move it around. And suddenly I felt more alive, more engaged than I had all day. Because I couldn’t be precise. Couldn’t fuss. Couldn’t overthink. All I could do was move, swipe, smear, respond.

It was actually kind of meditative. That’s what Lucille wanted all along.

And it worked. It unstuck me. It brought the joy back. And honestly? It looked pretty damn good.

And even now, years after this incident, it’s one of my favorite tools.

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Say NO to safe art

Every so often I get the urge to paint safe. To paint something that checks all the ‘good’ boxes. But Lucille isn’t impressed by beige or balance or “nice work.” She wants chaos–at least in the early layers. She wants the artistic equivalent of wearing leopard print leggings and sparkly whatevers to jury duty.

I can hear you now–But Susan, what about those paintings you do that are so calm. So meditative?

Well, they don’t start out that way. They all begin life Lucille crazy. Loud. Chaotic. Leopard print. And then gradually, layer by layer, the crazy gets covered over. Get’s calmed down.

You won’t see crazy at first glance but it’s there, lingering beneath the surface. Adding mystery and history to the finished painting.

That’s the Lucille Magic.

Your turn

When the Muse shows up with a wild idea—listen.

Will it feel ridiculous? Yep. Will it make you nervous? Probably. Will it teach you something, make you laugh, shake you loose, and pull you back into that electric, anything-is-possible headspace?

Yes. Every time.

So raid your kitchen drawer. Grab the spatula, the spoon, the whisk that never really worked right. Throw it in some paint and see what happens.

Disclaimer: This tool will now become part of your studio arsenal. Don’t attempt to cook with it again!

This Week’s Prompt

Say yes. Just say YES to that crazy idea. The one you’ve been pretending not to hear. Use the tool you “shouldn’t.” Mix the colors that “clash.” Let the Muse be messy and loud and a little ridiculous.

Give it 30 minutes.

Don’t aim for brilliance. Aim for YEE-HAW–now I’m cookin’!!!

Have fun with it. The brilliance sneaks in later. And if it doesn’t–well, you’ve got yourself another layer.

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What’s your favorite non-art art making tool? Do share in the comments below.

Till next week–