‘A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life.’ — Elizabeth Gilbert
I couldn’t have started 2023 with a better book — ‘Big Magic’, by Elizabeth Gilbert, has not only been a delightful read, but it has also been an unexpected revelation. It has been the best way to finish 2022 and enter the first hours of 2023. A fantastic collection of lessons and truths on creativity that has both inspired and reassured me.
Gilbert writes about our place as human beings in the whole complex and enigmatic creative process based on her experience as a writer; shares her own vows and observations, and reveals the harsh truths about the business, or rather, the craft of making. She touches on concepts of fear and courage, idea generation and magical thinking, self-awareness and entitlement, permission to create, discipline, persistence, trust, curiosity, and faith.
Big Magic is, above all, a roadmap to a creative life. There are plenty of insights to digest in the book, and I do encourage paying a read and discovering them for yourself. I rather not go into detail to give my opinion of it — I’ll let Gilbert’s words take the spotlight and do the work —, these are a few quotes from the book that have resonated the most with me and that could well be timeless lessons for a creative life:
‘Creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?’
‘You are allowed to be here (…) you are allowed to have a voice and vision of your own.’
‘I believe the creative process is both magical and magic.’
‘Most things have already been done — but they have not yet been done by you.’
‘Your own reasons to create are reason enough.’
‘If you are alive, you are a creative person.’
‘An abiding stereotype of creativity is that it turns people crazy. I disagree: Not expressing creativity turns people crazy.’
‘“Done is better than good” (…) mere completion is a rather honorable achievement in its own right. What’s more, it’s a rare one.’
‘Choose your delusion (…) If you’re going to live your life based on delusions (and you are, because we all do), then why not at least select a delusion that is helpful?’
‘“Pick a card, any card!” (…) The trickster (in all his cleverness) understands the one great cosmic truth that the martyr (in all his seriousness) can never grasp: It’s all just a game.’
‘Curiosity is the secret. Curiosity is the truth and the way of creative living.’
‘Do something else’ (…) ‘“combinatory play” — the act of opening up one mental channel by dabbling in another.’
‘What would you do even if you knew that you might very well fail? What do you love doing so much that the words failure and success essentially become irrelevant?’
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Happy sketching!
Ana
Have you been drawing recently? It would be great to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your thoughts :)