Creative people always need a muse and sometimes, they come in feline form. We’re constantly seeing how cats transform the lives of people around them in pawsitive ways. The act of rescuing a cat tends to bring a wave of luck and renewed inspurrration as they remind us to make time to be present and not take life so seriously. Once we do, even long-stagnant well of creativity might begin to flow again!
Artist’s Muse: Fig Newton the Rescued Cat
Artist Becca Snyder credits her rescued cats, Flurff and Fig Newton, with rekindling her artistic side after a decade of not feeling very creative. But then she shared an example of her artwork featuring Fig, a striking black and white kitty taken in from friends who found her hiding under a parked car.
“I have a new cat named Fig Newton (pictured here!) who my friends found on the streets of Brooklyn (I am forever a sucker for a street cat). She reminds me daily to stay silly, appreciate the little things, and not work too much because that takes away from giving her head scratches,” she shared.
Becca with Fig Newton and a wall of artwork inspired by her feline muses. Images and media via Instagram/Becca By Hand
From Nightmare to Nightmeow
Like the beloved Flurff who came before her, Fig became the artist’s muse for her art. In this case, Snyder took a ‘creepy’ print she found called The Nightmare and, with Fig’s inspiration, turned it into The Nightmeow!
The print of an 18th-century painting by Henry Fuseli had a dark feeling about it. But with Fig as the muse, it transformed into something hilariously light-hearted. And it perfectly suits the subject!
A Beautiful Nightmeow at 5:00 AM
The painting features a goblin weighing down a woman on a bed. But with some artistic skills and creativity, it’s replaced by Fig. The kitty’s early morning antics make her a “beautiful nightmare” to wake up to at 5:00 am each morning, Snyder explains.
“The Nightmeow, inspired by Fig’s morning wake-up routine to get me to fill her food bowl (and it works every time)
,” she wrote.
Video via Instagram/beccabyhand
Flurff the OG Feline Muse
Before adopting Fig in 2023, Snyder spent a year drawing and painting another beloved rescue: Flurff, who used to live on the streets of Brooklyn. When Flurff started struggling, Good Home Pet Adoptions took him in, and Snyder became his foster mom.
Flurff with one of the many paintings and sketch he inspired.
It took time for Flurff to warm up to her, but in time, they became inseparable. Saying goodbye wasn’t pawsible at that point, and Snyder adopted him.
“He fell in love with chin scratches and I fell in love with him,” she explained.
Video via Instagram/beccabyhand
A Flurff of Inspurration After a Decade
After a decade of feeling uninspired, the charismatic Flurff inspired Mom to take up drawing and painting again. His imperfect snaggletooth and adorable character became the purrfect subject for a series of portraits over a full year.
What started as casual sketches blossomed into creative meowsterpieces. Flurff helped Snyder realize that artwork doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it’s those imperfections that make our lives and what we create unique, personal, and meaningful. The little things are what make life worthwhile. In a world becoming run by AI, it’s a lesson we all probably need to hear more of right meow!
Flurff remained Mom’s daily muse until the project’s completion and sadly crossed the rainbow bridge a few months later. But, to her surprise, she decided to open her heart again and found new inspurration by adopting Fig, a tough little lady with a “mobster face.”
“I’m so grateful that I got to share that final year with him,” she said of Flurff.
Video via Instagram/beccabyhand
‘Random Cats of Kindness’
While her creativity continues to bloom, the artist has been inspired by cats in the neighborhood. Painting cats she observes in the city windows has become an ameowzing way to connect with their humans through her “Random Cats of Kindness” series. She recently gifted a family with a portrait of their kitty who, like Flurff and Fig, inspired her to paint his portrait.
Can you imagine being the recipient of such a thoughtful and unexpected gift? It’s a reminder there are still kind-hearted, good people out there, and they love animals and cats like we do!
Thank you to Becca Snyder for sharing your wonderful story and artwork with the world. You can see more at Becca By Hand on Instagram and TikTok.
“Just your neighborhood cat lady doing over-the-top cat lady stuff
,” she said after gifting a family a wonderful painting of their kitty Sardine.
