Territories, Not Hierarchies

Editor's Notes

1. Invocation of the Muse from Homer’s Odyssey, translated by T.E. Lawrence: O Divine PoesyGoddess-daughter of Zeus,Sustain for meThis song of the various-minded man,Who after he had plunderedThe innermost citadel of hallowed TroyWas made to stray grievouslyAbout the coasts of men,The sport of their customs good or bad,While his heartThrough all the seafaringAched in an agony to redeem himselfAnd bring his company safe home. Vain hope – for them!For his fellows he strove in vain,Their own witlessness cast them away;The fools,To destroy for meatThe oxen of the most exalted sun!Wherefore the sun-god blotted outThe day of their return. Make the tale live for usIn all its many bearings,O Muse.
2. The previous was the Invocation of the Muse from Homer’s Odyssey. Wikipedia: Homer – aka Homerus – is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. He was believed by the ancient Greeks to have been the first and greatest of the epic poets. Author of the first known literature of Europe, he had a lasting effect on the Western canon.
3. The Muses of Greek mythology inspired poets and promoted the arts and sciences. The fortunate person inspired by them was held in the highest esteem…and considered sacred Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm
4. They were said to be the daughters of Zeus (king of the Olympian gods) and Mnemosyne (goddess of memory – think “mnemonics”) – 9 Muses were born when Zeus laid with Mnemosyne for 9 consecutive nights…how did that happen?!?! According to early writers the Muses were the inspiring goddesses of poetry and songs, but they eventually were portrayed as divinities presiding over many different kinds of poetry, arts, and sciences. Let’s meet the 9 muses… Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm
5. Calliope – the leader of Muses and their oldest, Muse of Epic Poetry, and specifically who Homer invoked to inspire the Illiad and Odyssey Also: eloquence, philosophy, rhetoric, her name means “Beautiful Voice” Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
6. Clio, Muse of History Also: Historical and heroic poetry, discovered the guitar, her name means “Proclaimer” Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
7. Erato, Muse of Love and Erotic Poetry Also: lyric poetry, mimicry, protector of weddings, sometimes depicted with a bow and love arrows (like Cupid), her name means “Lovely” Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
8. Euterpe, Muse of Music or Song Also: lyric poetry, dialectic, invented the flute, her name means “Delight” Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
9. Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy Also: rhetoric speech, Melos, her name roughly translates to “Choir” Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
10. Of course you can’t have Tragedy without Thalia, the Muse of Comedy Also: favored rural pursuits, discovered geometry and agriculture, protector of symposiums Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
11. Polyhymnia, Muse of Sacred Hymns or Songs Also: protector of mimic art (?), invented geometry (also?) and grammar, often meditates and is quite serious, her name means “Many Songs” Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
12. Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Dance, who took great delight in dancing (“Terpo” means “amused” in Greek) Also: dramatic chorus, invented the harp and education, mother of the Sirens Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
13. Urania, Muse of Astronomy and Astrology Also: astrology and universal love, her name means “Heavenly” Excerpted and adapted from MythManiacs.com/Muses.htm and GreekMyths-GreekMythology.com
14. “They are all of one mind, their hearts are set upon song and their spirit is free from care. He is happy whom the Muses love. For though a man has sorrow and grief in his soul, yet  when the servant of the Muses sings, at once he forgets his dark thoughts and remembers not his troubles. Such is the holy gift of the Muses to men.” - Hesiod
15. Ancient Greek poet Hesiod (this is NOT a picture of Seneca) was quite fond of the Muses, and who can blame him – look at him on the left, looking haggard and crazy, but on the right when a Muse is giving him a lyre, he’s styling! His skin is healthy, the starts are bright, everything.
16. Even the word “Museum” comes from the word “Mouseion”, which means the Seat of the Muses. I’ve heard the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum is quite nice…
17. Clearly it involves a lot of humanity
18. More humanity, uncertainty, complexity – a robot can’t do this…a robot would never need to “reflect,” right?
19. Share your metaphors… Picture: Meet a Meaningless Metaphor, http://wakefelderman.blogspot.com
20. There are all kinds of reasons this is true, from lack of communication fidelity when the subject is ephemeral like software, the fact that very few real world systems have many – if at all any – specifications that can be checked with Formal Verification, etc.
21. So, here we are. You probably read something in the abstract that suggested I’d be talking about this book – and I will be. The War of Art – a clever ploy on Sun Tzu’s Art of War – is well-known to artists, especially with authors struggling with writer's block.  It's a bedrock inspirational tome, focused on the artist finding him or her true self, breaking through resistance, and contributing his or her unique gifts to the larger whole of society. In fact, I already have talked about this book. Homer’s Invocation of the Muse is Steven Pressfield’s preferred “prayer” before starting to work – his offering to the Muse, if you will, or his way to get into “the zone.” I put “prayer” into quotes just there, because Pressfield doesn’t care about your beliefs or lack thereof in a higher power – it doesn’t matter, you’re appealing to something outside of yourself, something larger than yourself, as a literal belief or as a metaphor, it doesn’t matter. Pressfield talks about the Muses as “angels,” but not literally, and the traits he describes would be more accurately identify “fairies” or something like that – fleeting things that float around, helpful, sometimes mischievous, but not religious, heavy, or dogmatic.
22. I’ll also be talking about two of his other core concepts: Resistance, and the Artist’s Orientation, of which there are two choices: hierarchical or territorial.
23. On his own turf, this peg leg coyote is invincible!!
24. Van Gogh did not sell a painting in his lifetime!
25. Are you familiar with Dan Pink?
26. Are you familiar with Dan Pink?
27. Divine Posey – Poesy is the art or composition of poetry – calling to a different, holier plane Goddess – asking for intervention at the highest level Sustain for me – not necessarily brilliance, just keep this thing going! This song – that covers everything, from the Oddysey to your new plumbing supply business Followed by a concise telling of Odysseus’ trials To destroy for meat the oxen of the most exalted Sun – his second crime is the employment of the sacred for profane means, soul destruction, prostitution Make this tale live for us in all its many bearings, O Muse – make it better than great, make it live, from multiple angles!