Beutelevision

I have three plush toys that sit behind my keyboard, Prickles the hedgehog, Spike the stingray, and Scarlet the octopus. They are muses of sorts and help me as I work.

Prickles represents persistence and helps me to stay focused even when the work gets difficult. Prickles has a very earnest face. It is the one I talk to when I need to explain a programming conundrum. Most often, just the act of explaining something helps me find the solution or see a bug that I wasn’t seeing before.

Spike represents creativity and I call on it for creative encouragement. Spike has an assertive look and is brightly patterned almost like a leopard. It reminds me set my inner critic aside and look at the world in new and different ways. Its motto is there is more than one way to do it.

Scarlet represents permission and I call on her when I’m truly blocked or I’m feeling a lot of resistance. I imagine her squeezing through small spaces and able to go anywhere she wants to. She reminds me to give myself permission to proceed and to be vulnerable.

Together these three help me move forward with my work. I’m curious to know if any of you have muses that sit with you while you work.