I recently read Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert in hopes it would kick me out of a creative funk- what I thought was its intended goal.
If you don’t know, this is the most recent title by the author of Eat, Pray, Love, another reflection on self-discovery.
Why I wanted to read it
Slowly, over the past few months, I have become stuck in what I consider a treading zone, where I’m just doing enough to keep my head above water, certainly not feeling productive or creative, just surviving, for now. It’s a lackluster way to get through the day and I wanted to get my creative mojo back. I wanted something to spark my inspiration. Which is really a tall order, because you never really know where inspiration will spark from.
What I got from it
This is also Ms. Gilbert’s message in Big Magic. While you could wait around for inspiration to spark something in you, she says you shouldn’t- you should let curiosity drive you instead. That we should be happy with creativity in whatever form we find it, that we don’t have to necessarily suffer to be creative.
That what we make matters, mostly to us, but at the same time, not at all. That we have to do the work, and keep doing the work, to allow inspiration to flow through us. Whether it’s through tricking ourselves or an idea, our creativity relies on us and how we embrace or acknowledge it, and not the other way around.
To accomplish a goal, we need to stop complaining and really, just start contemplating, how to find, keep, and share the happiness that is inside currently. That fear is boring, shallow, and a waste of time.
I know, easier said than done.
Her way of thinking is not easy, it’s actually a troublesome one to take on depending on your current state of mind, but I do think it’s possible. Sometimes you just need positivity and light to show you the positivity and light within.
What do you think? What is Ms. Gilbert’s message in Big Magic? How did the book affect you?
I love this book! My favorite passage (and so the one that pops into my head almost daily) is on page 25, and begins “Dearest Fear, creativity and I are about ro go on a road trip together…”. You know the one…. fear may come along, may offer suggestions, may have a voice…BUT FEAR CANNOT DRIVE. I think that one paragraph said more to me than anything else in the book.
The whole book is wonderful. (Shut up, fear, I’m driving. And don’t even THINK of changing the station.)
?
That is one of my favorite passages, too! This is a book I refer back to often, for many reasons. Thanks for sharing Beth!