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I'm not sure if we are obsessed or possessed by our muse. Don't many artists exhibit signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

Muse ~ (definition) a woman, or a force personified as a woman, who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.

Now look, I know we're all as unique as snowflakes, but I sometimes wonder if there isn't a common thread of OCD running through this profession? I know I see the signs in myself and I've noticed these traits in many other artists.

We become obsessed with a subject, model, color, technique, or a place. Maybe what is referred to as our muse is really just our obsession. Some artists are able to harness their obsession and it allows them to produce powerful works that only a laser-like intensity could explain. Others flit from one brief obsession to another like hummingbirds, too distracted by the next shiny new thing to stick with anything long enough to master it.

I think that artists have found the perfect outlet for creative release of their obsessions. Like someone once said, "Everyone is crazy except you and me ...and I'm starting to wonder about you". The crazy artist cliche is still around, but it is art that tends to keep me somewhat sane and allows me to cope with life's ups and downs.

And as someone else much more knowledgeable said, "The painter's obsession with his subject is all that he needs to drive him to work". ~ Lucian Freud