by Sima

In a world where we’re being bombarded with either ‘how to stand apart’ or ‘how to fit in’ with the crowd, how is a girl to get a handle on her own personal style of creative expression?

So much of youth culture is how much we are “like” our clique
and “unlike” everyone else. But within our “likeness” to those in our inner circle there is an individual creative Goddess within you that is forever looking for her WELCOME mat into the world. How do we show her the door from our inner world to the outer world?

My personal belief is to ‘Honor Your Inner Muse’. That perfect
expression of yourself that is inside, just under the surface. Where there is no judgment of not being good enough, pretty enough, popular enough, smart enough. Au Contraire Loca! This crazy cool girl inside of you is perfect in every way! Get to know her, listen to her, in silence or out in nature. In a world where we’re all so plugged in to technology, your IM is not in a bubble chat within the computer screen or on a blackberry or iPhone… she’s in your soul self and is constantly guiding your creativity even when you may not know it.

My IM is stimulated when I brush my teeth with my electric toothbrush. I’m convinced it’s something about stimulating my gums and looking at myself in the mirror. It’s been like this for years. Some of my best ideas for photo shoots, music videos and styling celebrity clients have come to me while brushing my teeth.

So for me, my IM’s conduit into the world is oral hygiene! Not what you may expect. Most people assume it’s while sitting in a café in Paris or looking through magazines in a bookstore in London. Not so! Once I was inspired by stepping in dog poop in very expensive designer heels one day in Milan during Fashion Week! That horror turned into a photo shoot for British Vogue, an idea I came up with while brushing my teeth and recalling the whole poopy affair! So be open to the unexpected. You just never know where your spark is going to ignite!

Creativity is a force with so much mystery that it can come to us with ideas about our Artist self, our Sisterhood self, our Philanthropic self, our Entrepreneurial self… you get my point I’m sure! Whatever your goal, creativity is a beautiful way to leave your stamp on the world. To let the world know “I am here”. Something happens when we connect with our Inner Muse. The glare and scrutiny which we feel so sharply of the world’s eyes upon us fades away and a purity surfaces that is magnificent. I know for me… it is in these moments when I can truly say “I like me!” and mean it. There is no air of pretense, no hidden agenda of wanting to please someone or gain something. It’s a simple act of tapping into my essence and trusting that my creative self is simply perfect, even with all her imperfections.

I like to treat my creativity like a baby. Babies are a work in progress. We don’t expect them to be perfect and beautiful and capable. With babies we can enjoy the stumbling, bumbling and gurgling. So why do we put the pressure of perfection on ourselves? My Inner Muse is very helpful at teaching me to be gentle. Because my IM is not as heady and tends not to over analyze everything to the point where my ideas get buried in a sea of insecurity and fear. My IM is every girl’s girl! She’s humble and wise and caring. She connects with everyone because she is fearless!

So whatever your method of expression is, don’t forget to celebrate the process. That’s what my IM allows me to do. We are so product obsessed in our society that we forget to trust the process. So much of our creativity takes shape there so even though “The Secret” tells us not to worry about the “How” … My Inner Muse says… “How about The How?” and “Whatever to the What!”

So whatever your mode of transport is, be it a sneaker pimp, skateboard seniorita, a high heeler with hootspa, two wheels or four wheels… Honor Your Inner Muse and go and Create to Relate!

About Sima

I moonlight as a fashion stylist, give creative ideas away for a price, am a reluctant writer and an aspiring yoga teacher. I keep a flat in Vancouver and my Heart in London. You can follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/simakumar or in twitter tweet @simakumar.