Evergreen Reads to Empower Your Mind
The Standard Sister
Issue no.8
The Muse Issue
Feb 21, 2025
Apollo and the muses by John Singer Sargent
Μοῦσαι or MUSE
One of the reasons we chose The Muse as the theme for our eighth issue is that, throughout history and across cultures, the muse has always been perceived as female. From ancient Greece to the Renaissance and even today, when we speak of a muse, we immediately envision a woman—a unique, one-of-a-kind figure with an almost supernatural ability to inspire and create something new. The Standard Sister wholeheartedly embraces this belief: in the power of strong women to inspire their own lives and influence those around them.
While we recognize that inspiration can be found everywhere and that, in the age of technology, creativity can be sparked by digital tools, we remain lo in our belief that nothing compares to the inspiration that comes from women.
From our deep sensitivity to our ability to give birth, create, and bring things together, to the hormonal rollercoaster we experience each month—these very elements make us capable of inspiring in the most extraordinary way.
If you find this uplifting, please share this link with a woman you love.
Calliope, plate eleven from Apollo and the Muses
Muse in History
History- Article by The Standard Sister
There is nothing TSS loves more than Greek mythology—rich with fairytales and romanticism—an ideal starting point to explore the true meaning of a muse. Originating in Greek mythology, the muse has journeyed through centuries, evolving from divine inspiration into a symbol of artistic passion and creativity.
In ancient Greece, the Muses—nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne—presided over the arts and sciences, each representing a form of creativity. Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, inspired works like Homer’s The Iliad, while Euterpe, the muse of music, shaped lyrical compositions. A myth about the musician Thamyris, who challenged the Muses and lost both his talent and vision, serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of pride and the divine nature of inspiration.
During the Renaissance, muses became more humanized, reflecting the era's focus on individuality. Artists often drew from real-life figures immortalized in their works. Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy was inspired by his muse, Beatrice, symbolizing divine love and guidance. Likewise, Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus is believed to depict his muse, Simonetta Vespucci. This period marked a shift from divine figures to human-centered muses embodying beauty, intellect, and spirit.
Today, muses extend beyond traditional art forms into fashion, film, and music. Figures like Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol’s muse, and Kate Moss, who inspired designers such as John Galliano, show how muses influence not only their artistic world but cultural trends. However, in the digital age, social media blurs the line between muse and creator. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok create endless feedback loops where creators inspire and influence one another, making it difficult to define who is the muse—or if a muse is even necessary in this self-curated era. Does social media content truly require a muse, or is the platform itself a catalyst for creativity?
Additionally, the modern muse breaks free from traditional gendered archetypes. Once seen as a female figure inspiring a male artist, the muse now defies boundaries. Creators often become their own muses, channeling personal experiences, struggles, and triumphs into their art. But this raises a question: Is a muse still a muse if they are also the creator? Or should we see the muse not as a figure, but as an inner guiding genius that ignites the creative spirit?
AI vs. Muse
Opinion- Article by The Standard Sister
For centuries, the muse has been a figure of divine female inspiration—whispering poetry into the ears of writers, guiding painters’ brushes, and shaping the melodies of musicians. But in our era, as artificial intelligence reshapes the boundaries of creativity, can we truly consider AI a new muse? Does it possess the essence of inspiration, or is it merely a sophisticated tool that can help us overcome creative blocks ? Can AI truly replace the human muse, or does it inherently lack the emotional depth that defines artistic influence?
Image From Pinterest
Artificial intelligence has woven itself into the fabric of artistic creation, acting as both collaborator and catalyst. Writers use AI-powered language models to generate unexpected narratives. Visual artists manipulate generative models like DALL·E and Midjourney, blending human intuition with machine-driven patterns. Musicians compose symphonies with AI, harmonizing human emotion with algorithmic precision.
With all these advancements, an essential question arises: what is the real difference between inspiration drawn from a muse—whether a person, an emotion, or a place—and inspiration derived from a technological tool that lacks consciousness and emotion, relying solely on algorithms? If AI can indeed serve as a source of inspiration, how does its quality compare to the traditional sources of inspiration we are familiar with?
Artificial intelligence generates content based on pre-existing patterns—it does not dream, feel, or yearn. While it can help us create new things, there is significant doubt as to whether it can serve as a truly original and authentic source of inspiration if it is merely a programmed tool. Perhaps the essence of a muse lies in the unpredictable, in emotional depth, in the ability to touch something intangible within the human soul. No matter how advanced AI becomes, for now, it lacks this crucial element. It reflects and calculates, but it does not imagine. And so, we must ask: is artificial intelligence truly a muse, or is it merely a mirror reflecting human ingenuity?
Image From Date with an Angel, 1987
The Real Deal
If we had to choose one muse that defined the 1960s, it would undoubtedly be Edie Sedgwick. Sedgwick didn’t just exist in the 1960s—she was the 1960s. The ultimate Factory Girl, she was a dazzling, chaotic force, moving effortlessly from Santa Barbara’s elite social circles to those of New York with magnetic energy. With her signature bleach-blonde pixie cut, kohl-rimmed eyes, and chandelier earrings that swung like disco balls, Edie was more than a muse—she was a phenomenon.
Image From Pinterest
Few figures embody the fleeting, chaotic beauty of the era quite like Edie Sedgwick—a socialite, model, and actress who captivated an entire generation. But beyond the silver-screen mystique and muse persona was a woman shaped by privilege and tragedy, battling lifelong bulimia and anorexia while desperately searching for identity.
Edie Sedgwick was the seventh of eight children, born in California to Alice Delano de Forest and Francis Minturn Sedgwick, a cattle rancher and artist. Francis was part of the centuries-old Sedgwick family that originated from Massachusetts. Despite her family’s riches and prominence in society, Edie’s childhood was difficult. She was homeschooled and became introverted by the age of 13. When she finally attended school in San Francisco at that age, she was dismissed due to her developing an eating disorder. Because of this, her father drastically limited her autonomy.
She became the face of Andy Warhol’s Factory scene, captivating everyone with her fragile charm and effortless glamour after inheriting a small fortune from her grandmother’s estate on her 21st birthday—the moment she became financially independent and moved to NYC. One of the key aspects of Edie’s influence—and what made her Warhol’s ultimate muse—was the contrast between her aristocratic background and her descent into the underground art world. Although born into a wealthy but troubled family, she found herself drawn to the avant-garde chaos of New York’s art scene. Her privileged upbringing made her particularly fascinating to Warhol, who himself was the son of working-class immigrants from Pittsburgh. Despite his own meteoric rise to fame, Warhol was always drawn to the social elite, perhaps as a way of infiltrating a world that had long been out of reach for him.
Warhol and Sedgwick’s relationship was as iconic as it was destructive. Edie starred in several of his films, most famously Poor Little Rich Girl (1965), which was essentially a cinematic reflection of her own life. She became the face of the Factory, embodying Warhol’s ideal of detached, otherworldly beauty. But the relationship soured as her drug use spiraled out of control, and as Warhol’s interest in her waned, she found herself adrift, searching for purpose beyond the camera flashes and silver paint.
She was a paradox—both incredibly strong-willed and deeply fragile, a woman who inspired some of the most iconic figures of her time, such as Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger, yet struggled to define herself outside of their gaze.. Her story has been explored in countless articles, films, and retrospectives, including this fascinating deep dive by The Collector, which traces her rise, fall, and lasting impact.
Edie’s legacy is a reminder that muses are more than just passive inspirations—they are real people, with their own struggles and stories. Edie Sedgwick died on November 16, 1971, at the age of 28. The official cause of death was acute barbiturate intoxication (overdose), which was ruled as accidental/suicidal.
Q&A with Babi Rose
Babi is the visionary designer behind Sand to Sand. She graduated from Shenkar School of Art & Design, earning her degree in Industrial Design in 2019. Throughout her life, Babi has been drawn to various design fields, including interior design, illustration, and product design. She has centered her multidisciplinary practice around an ecological and playful universe, informed by both art and design. Growing up by the Mediterranean coast, Sand has always been a source of inspiration. Her idea for creating sand-based objects emerged during her time studying at Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, where she was introduced to the "Designed to Disappear" philosophy—products designed to serve their purpose and then naturally fade away. For Babi, sand was the perfect material to embody this concept. Her first creation was a single-use beach toy for children, crafted from sand that dissolves in water within a few hours, returning seamlessly to its natural environment—the beach. Expanding on this idea, she began designing indoor sand objects, starting with a lucky sand coin inspired by the ancient tradition of tossing coins into fountains for luck. Describing her practice as an exploration of environmentally friendly materials and sustainable design, Babi has ventured into creating housewares inspired by Mediterranean traditions and lifestyle. Using patented technologies, she carefully curates sand-based pieces that resonate with the Earth’s natural rhythms and gratitude.
Q: Which quality/ word define your past?
A: Diverse
Q: Which quality/ word defining your present?
A: Evolution
Q: Which quality/ word will define your future?
A: Adventurous
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
A: drink warm water.
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
A: A friend of my father once told me never to make important decisions in the evening. Everything is always clearer and brighter in the morning.
Q: If you could be anywhere in the world in a second, where would it be?
A: Somewhere where it's summer all year round.
Q: What turns you on?
A: Knowledge
Q: What makes you feel at home when you’re away from home?
A: My candles and incense.
Q: If you could meet any woman, living or dead, who would it be and why?
A: My childhood dream was to meet Princess Diana and it stayed that way.
Q: How do you express love?
A: With small gestures
Q: What’s your favorite word?
A: Rose
Q: Who is your hero/heroine in real life?
A: Definitely my mom. She is both a career woman (she is a judge!) and a mother of three children and manages to balance everything perfectly.
Q: Which fear you will give up to be invincible?
A: The fear of failure
Q: What will you say to the woman next to you?
A: You can love and appreciate yourself and still be humble. I feel like as a child I was raised not to show off or be happy about my achievements so as not to come across as arrogant. Today I think knowing my worth is just as important.
