He may look like just a creepy clay guy to you, but to me he represents the silliness and fun side of my creative spirit. I made him with my own two hands. Two apparently untalented hands when it comes to molding clay but, hey, I did my best.

Edgar rose to existence thanks to a recent meeting of my local Sisters in Crime chapter. The topic was derived from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way books, and the idea was to take a lump of clay and have fun with it, creating what would essentially become a muse of sorts, springing from the internal artist inside.

The lady who was seated to my right made a ballerina from her lump of clay. It was a study in movement, a beautiful dancing girl with flowing hair. When asked about her obvious sculpting talents she said, “Oh, goodness. I’ve never done this before. First time.”

I don’t have a dancing girl. I have Edgar. Here he is in profile.

Adorable, right? Or maybe just a face only a mother could love.

To be fair, Edgar is an improvement over my original creation, which was a square block. Honestly, it was all I could come up with. But the notion that my internal artist is . . . square . . . compared with the ballerina next to me was enough to spur me on and allow my inner artist to fly free. Thus was Edgar born.

What does it say about me that while there are a billion different things I might have fashioned from clay—hearts and flowers, a starfish, a mermaid—I produced Edgar?

Edgar is cute in his own way. He’s got an adorable tonsure, a goofy smile, and a little button nose. I almost tossed him (shhh, don’t tell him) after I got home, but the more I looked at the little fellow the more I liked him. He’ll never win any prizes for beauty, but as a muse he gets the job done. He keeps me company while I’m working, smiling and staring at me with those googly eyes. But he’s more than just an odd looking clay watchamathingy. I unwittingly fashioned him to look like a monk—or at least monk-ish—but my subconscious knew what it was doing because, like Robin Hood’s Friar Tuck, Edgar has a serious side beneath his otherwise playful veneer. He may look like Yoda gone all sorts of wrong, but make no mistake, Edgar is a guardian of secrets good and wise. Furthermore, while he is proof I’ll never earn a living as a sculptor, he does remind me to have fun even when I’m elbow deep in revisions and edits. Most importantly, Edgar reminds me that I still have the power to surprise myself. This, more than anything else, will keep my fingers on the keyboard and my imagination swirling around new tales to tell.

Another thing about Edgar is that he gets along great with my other writing companion.

Luna isn’t impressed by Edgar, and he is smart enough to let her think he’s just an old lump of clay. But we know better, Edgar and I.

And now you know it, too.

Thanks for being here. Before you go, please tell me in the comments about the goofiest thing you’ve ever created, why you made it, and why you’ve held onto it. Do you have an Edgar? A ceramic ashtray? A macrame plant holder? Share your art!

Have a great Wednesday, and I’ll see you next week!

Romance is good for your heart! To purchase your copy of Love Built to Last, Love to Believe, Love to Win, or The Write Man click the book cover on this blog’s sidebar. Autographed copies are available for purchase on my HOME page. The audio versions of Love Built to Last, Love to Believe, and Love to Win are available HERE now!