Episode 19: Artists, the "Muse," and the Story of the Twirling Girl

Welcome to the Carousel of Happiness Podcast. 

On today’s episode, we continue the conversation about the creative process by focusing on the Muse. How do Muses inspire creativity? Who was Scott’s Muse? Host, Allie Wagner, introduces you to the Twirling Girl and the other “hitchhikers” of the carousel – animals who’ve hitch a ride on the carousel in the wooden sweeps and metal supports above.

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The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online (https://carouselofhappiness.org/), on social media (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness), or in real life; or consider donating (https://carouselofhappiness.app.neoncrm.com/forms/general-donation) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round.

If you have a story to share, please reach out to Allie Wagner at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org

Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose (https://darrylpurpose.com/), for sharing his song, "Next Time Around," as our theme song.

Transcript

Welcome to the Carousel of Happiness Podcast. I’m your host, Allie Wagner. 

On last week’s episode, you met Carousel Operator, Burt Rashbaum. Burt is one of only a handful of people who have the distinct privilege of operating the carousel. In addition, he’s a multi-hyphenate artist who has spent his entire life soaking up the details of his life, and processing them through his work. You heard about his creative process, why he loves the carousel, and how a personal tragedy forced him to be transformed by the carousel just like its visitors.

On today’s episode, we continue the conversation about the creative process by focusing on the Muse. How do Muses inspire creativity? Who was Scott’s Muse? On today’s episode, I’ll introduce you to the Twirling Girl and the other “hitchhikers,” animals who’ve hitch a ride on the carousel in the wooden sweeps and metal supports above.

Let us begin with today’s story.

GONG

My husband and I went to Accudetox last night at the carousel. And when we arrived, Rebecca asked me about this week’s podcast episode.

“I don’t know anything about it,” I told her.

“You’re not recording an episode?” she asked.

“Oh, I am. I just don’t know what it’s about yet.”

Garth was standing nearby, looking at the top of the carousel. He said, “you should do an episode about the animals up in the rafters.”

“You mean the hitchhikers?” I asked.

“Yeah, the hitchhikers.” That’s the name Scott came up with to describe the non-riding animals on the carousel who are hanging among the carousel sweeps and metal supports, “just along for the ride.”

Rebecca put our acupuncture needles in and we walked around the carousel, exploring the animals. That’s the coolest thing about going to Accudetox on Monday nights, by the way. The carousel is closed and you’ve got the unique opportunity to experience the animals up close without being rushed. So Garth and I went around noticing little details about this animal and that one. 

Have you noticed the ostrich lately? She has long beautiful lashes, courtesy of carousel operator, front desk admin, and resident butterfly, Amy Hazelwood. Have you ever noticed the mouse who rides on the back of the Rabbit? Chances are you might have missed it.

So, we explore the animals and chat with Rebecca and then it’s time to come home. 

Later, at dinner, I asked Garth why he thought I should do a podcast episode about the hitchhikers. 

He looked at me and shrugged, and said, “they told me so.”

*

Back in 1999, before the carousel house was even built, before there was even a frame for it, Scott Harrison diligently carved animals. One by one, night by night, in his shop. Alone. After work. After the kids went to bed. After his wife went to bed. Scott Harrison diligently carved animals. Because it felt good. Because he knew how. Because, even though he couldn’t see how it would all come together, he knew if he took it step by step, one at a time, he’d get there. Wherever it was he was going.

And, one day, Scott saw a picture on the cover of the Daily Camera newspaper that caught his eye.

It was a picture of a girl, around 4 years old, dancing at a festival that had happened that weekend. The little girl’s arms sweep out in front of her, her legs are braced, and she’s suspended – mid-twirl – in a moment of infinite bliss. When Scott saw the expression on the girl’s face, when he saw the exuberance of her circular dance he knew that energy – of this girl, in this moment – was the kind of energy his future carousel needed to radiate.

It was in that moment, when he saw that image, that he knew. Scott had found his Muse. 

Scott clipped the photo out of the newspaper and hung it by his desk. As a reminder of the direction he should keep. As a reminder of the true nature of his project. 

*

In Greek and Roman mythology, the Muses were the nine daughters of Zeus and the Goddess of Memory, Mnemosyne (neh mow zeen). They lived on Mt. Helicon and devoted themselves entirely to the arts and sciences. Each of the daughters was responsible for a particular discipline, like poetry or music, and for turning mortals into vessels of divine inspiration. 

Not only did the Muses inspire morals with brilliant ideas about music or dance, but they also were actively involved in guiding and assisting human beings in their creative pursuits.

According to Greek and Roman mythology, the Muses provided artists with the creative spark, and the artists, in turn, honored and celebrated the goddesses in their work.

*

I didn’t know any of this before this morning. Before I sat at my desk and started working on this episode. 

The only thing I had was Garth’s suggestion – do an episode about the hitchhikers.

And since I didn’t have any better ideas, I pulled out a copy of Scott’s new book, Carousel Soul, and flipped to the hitchhiker section. 

In this book, by the way, Scott goes through the details of how he carved each and every animal at the carousel. He explains what drew him to the animal, what he discovered about the animal along the way, and how he sees it fitting into the carousel as a whole. 

So when Garth told me that the hitchhikers wanted an episode about them, that book was the first place I looked.

In addition to the Twirling Girl at the top of the carousel, there are 9 other groupings of creatures – three cherubs, the “transformational series” – swan, frog, and girl, Raccoon and Skunk, the Orangutans, the Fox, Koala, Macaw, the Bees, and the Sloth and Two Butterflies.

And three sentences into reading about the Twirling Girl, I read  the following, “In Greek and Roman mythology the Muses were 9 goddesses who symbolized the arts and sciences.”

9 Muses. 9 Hitchhikers.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. 

*

In 2004, five years after seeing the Twirling Girl’s photo in the newspaper, five years after using her image as the inspiration for how to build his carousel, Scott Harrision decided to carve his Muse and place her 20 feet in the air, on the top of the carousel’s center pole. 

He carved her in the same pose she held in the newspaper clipping – with her knees bent and her arms spread wide – and when he put her on top of the carousel Scott noticed something.

To his surprise and delight, the Twirling Girl’s original pose was the perfect one for the carousel. She looks exactly like she was intended to be there all along. Orchestrating the joy below from her place in the heavens.

In July 2008, construction on the carousel house was set to break ground and Scott wanted to find his Muse and invite her to the ceremony. After six months of searching, he found her. Her name is Eliana Dreyfus and, at the time, she was living in Switzerland. She was now 12 years old.

Before arriving at the groundbreaking ceremony, Eliana had the opportunity to look at Scott’s carving of her. She only had one comment for the artist  – make her smile bigger.

*

3 CHERUBS

Just below the Twirling Girl, you’ll find three cherubs. Cherubs, which are present in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature, are celestial, winged beings who serve as throne bearers of a deity. Traditionally, they are considered protective creatures of the heavens who guard places of interest, such as at the Garden of Eden. 

In our case, the three cherubs safeguard the carousel machinery, and make sure everything runs properly. They also, coincidentally, hide an ugly 2” x 4” up there that was really bugging Scott. He’s pretty sure he’s the only one who could see it, but he’s happy to have the cherubs up there hiding it too. 

You can see the three cherubs best from the overlook window upstairs in the puppet theater. Scott insists that while they do look like they’re goofing off up there, they take their job very, very seriously.

*

TRANSFORMATIONAL SERIES – SWAN, FROG, & GIRL

Also viewed best from the puppet theater, on the outside rounding boards, you’ll see what’s called the “transformational series.” As the carousel spins round and round, you’ll watch a girl rise from an egg, that then changes into a swan, which transforms into a frog. The series was inspired by a photo essay called “The Family of Man,” which celebrates the universal aspects of the human experience.

For Scott, the egg represents birth and rebirth. The swan and the frog were chosen because these animals often represented transformational figures in children’s stories. Plus, it’s another thing to look at as the carousel moves round and round.

*

RACCOON & SKUNK

Clinging to a wooden sweep, and also a bouquet of flowers, you’ll find a raccoon trying to woo a skunk with some flowers. Why?

Because, why not?

*

TWO ORANGUTANS

Nearby, holding on to one of the metal support poles, you’ll see a baby orangutan. Scott claims not to remember carving it. Apparently, it just showed up in his shop one morning grasping tight to one of the brass poles he had stored there. According to Scott, the orangutan was afraid he’d be left out of this whole carousel thing. So, he decided to keep it and just assume he carved it.

There’s also another adolescent orangutan sitting on the top of the Story Catcher booth. She’s holding a cup of marbles and hoping someone will wave at her.

*

FOX

On the wooden sweep next to the orangutan, you’ll see a fox. 

Local cartoonist, carousel collaborator, and Scott’s former neighbor, George Blevins, at one time befriended a local fox, who he fed directly out of his hand. When Scott finished the carving of his fox, he thought it would be interesting to test his carving on George’s fox friend. Did Scott’s fox look like a fox to an actual fox? 

One morning, when Scott’s fox was complete, the two men set it on George’s driveway with a couple of pieces of dog food. They then went and hid in Scott’s truck and waited to see if the real fox would appear.

As it would happen, the real fox didn’t show up that morning, but a raven did. It noticed the pieces of dog food in front of the carved fox and started hopping around. It wanted the food, but was afraid of the fox. Scott and George watched it for a few minutes, as it eventually gathered up enough courage to swoop in and pick up a bite or two in front of Scott’s fox. But the raven dropped the food out of fearr of the fox that hadn’t moved.

The bird flew away, and Scott installed his fox on the wooden sweep next to the orangutan that very morning.

*

KOALA

Right next to the gong, in the center of the carousel, on one of the diagonal wooden timbers that support the center pole, you’ll find a koala. 

Several years ago, a good friend of Scott’s, a PTSD therapist who managed meetings of a group of veterans, including Scott, suffered the tragic loss of her first daughter. Scott asked if he could acknowledge her loss with an animal carving. They agreed on a koala and placed the remains of her stillborn daughter inside the carving. They held a private ceremony and installed the koala a year later.

Each year, Scott’s friend, with her two children in tow, visits the carousel and says hi to Elyse on her birthday.

*

MACAW

After the death of their beloved pet macaw, longtime friends of the carousel Susan and Wes Schneider suggested the addition of a full-sized macaw to the carousel. Scott could not disagree.

So, now perched above the riders you’ll see a macaw swinging above.

*

BEES

Spiritually, bees are linked with rejuvenation, divinity, and the mysteries of the natural world. They’re viewed as divine messengers who navigate between the physical and spiritual realms. Our bees are made out of basswood, just like the other animals, but their wings are made of mica, a gemstone that is believed to help people reflect on individual qualities. Mica helps us recognize our flaws without self-condemnation so that we may improve ourselves.

*

THREE-TOED SLOTH & TWO BUTTERFLIES

Scott decided to carve the three toed sloth in the wooden sweeps after watching a documentary about sloths on TV. He likes the sloth’s “Mona Lisa” smile. He thinks she’s telling everyone to slow down just a bit. 

Because of the pose he chose to put her in, the soth was carved in three pieces and installed right into the sweep. Scott finished carving and painting her while up on a ladder.

But, then, he decided she was lonely and needed some friends up there. So, Scott asked his friend, Robert Bellows from the Warrior Storyfield, for two butterflies. Listeners of the podcast will remember Robert from Episode 13. 

Now, the sloth and the butterflies enjoy one other’s company. And no one is in a rush to go anywhere.

*

Human beings have been fascinated by the creative process since it’s existed. Where do good ideas come from and how can we be in the vicinity of them when they arrive? Artists, musicians, and creatives have found a multitude of ways to be ready for the Muse when she arrives. Some meditate. Others exercise. Burt cleans his fish tank. Some insist on using lucky pens or circling their desks counterclockwise before sitting down. Jack Kerouac would touch the ground nine times before he sat to write.    

And I went to Accudetox. Knowing it would calm my nervous system and make it easier for me to hear her call. Turns out, she was pretty direct in this week’s case. 

Our lives are filled with messages. They are filled with signs. They are filled with synchronicities. Begging us, come this way. Please, make this thing.

And many times we overlook them. We discount the ideas as silly or impractical. But what would happen if we followed them? What would happen if we answered the call and said, yes. Yes, I will make a carousel. Yes, I will make a podcast.

And, what if we said yes, knowing we’re not doing it alone. Knowing there are beings high in the rafters watching over us, giving us inspiration. What if the ideas were never really ours to begin with, but were ours to play with in this game we call life.

I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I do know it’s fun to say, “yes.” Even if you don’t know where you’re going, even if you don’t know how to get there. It’s fun to believe you’re collaborating with something larger than yourself. It’s exciting to believe everything is a sign.

So, if you need some artistic inspiration this week, maybe circle your desk nine times. Or go for a walk. Or, perhaps, come to the carousel and take a peek above. At our nine little Muses, and the Twirling Girl who orchestrates it from above. 

In the meantime, take care. Be well. And, as we like to say at the Carousel of Happiness, “don’t delay joy.” And we’ll see you next time around.