This is my muse.
His name is Ivan.
Ivan is a Russian bear and here’s how our relationship works:
Every day we wrestle.
I win, he gives me some inspiration.
He wins, I get mauled.
Some complications arise in our collaboration, of course. For one, he speaks Russian. I do not. Also, when he’s feeling sad, he has a tendency to indulge a bit too much with a certain drink brewed from fermented potatoes, and this makes him kind of belligerent. And you know what they say: a sad, belligerent Russian bear who's had too much to drink can be a real jerkwad, so you best watch yourself around one.
Ah, but most of the time, we have good laughs together! Life is beautiful!
Sometimes when he's in a certain mood, however, he recites his impenetrable Russian bear poetry to me. That stuff is bleak, let me tell you, but I always compliment him on it. Because what else am I going to say? He’s huge and he doesn’t like criticism.
It’s all about the creative journey, isn’t it? And the occasional mauling.
