Mediating between 1 Running head: BETWEEN THE MUSE AND THE MASSES Mediating between the Muse and the masses: Inspiration and the actualization of creative ideas Todd M. Thrash & Laura A. Maruskin College of William and Mary Scott E. Cassidy Penn State University James W. Fryer St. Lawrence University Richard M. Ryan University of Rochester This copy is not the copy of record. For the final published version, see: Thrash, T. M., Maruskin, L. A., Cassidy, S. E., Fryer, J. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). Mediating between the muse and the masses: Inspiration and the actualization of creative ideas. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98, 469-487. doi: 10.1037/a0017907