An Intellectual Hug for Creatives from Elizabeth Gilbert

I've recently finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear - and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is one those wonderful "it's not just me" books, but also expands on the ideas of where creativity comes from that Elizabeth shared in one of my all-time favourite TED Talks.Like my review of The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer, I will say that if you are a creative person you should read this book. Why? Because, like her TED Talk, Elizabeth provides her theory about creativity and where it comes from. She reassures people who embrace creativity that it shouldn't be a negative or destructive force in our lives; that it is something magical that lives outside the artist; and so many other lovely messages about how to be creative in a healthy and accepting way.

The mechanics

Elizabeth does this by discussing the six traits that people need to embrace to live a creative life - or to have a healthier relationship with their creativity and the big magic of inspiration. Simply put, this is what I took away from the stories and wisdom she shares for each of these traits:

• Courage - you need to have the courage to embrace your fear and allow it to come along on the journey, but never allow it to control the destination.
• Enchantment - an expansion on the mysticism of Big Magic, and the idea that it is an force external to the artist. Embracing the enchantment allows you to protect your ego when that force isn't showing up to help.
• Permission - allow yourself to continue to create in whatever way feeds your soul, whether you are successful or not. This section also discusses the fact that what you create can be your everything, but you also need to remember it is not your everything - I love the paradox discussion. I also love the quote below from this section:

...often what keeps you from creative living is your self-absorption (your self-doubt, your self-disgust, your self-judgment, your crushing sense of self-protection). The arrogance of belonging pulls you out of the darkest depths of self-hatred - not by saying "I am the greatest!" but merely by saying "I am here!"

• Persistence - if you want to live a creative life then you need to do the work to create. It doesn't need to be perfect (it never will be); but if you are serious about it you will put rigour around the process and keep at it.
• Trust - don't become a martyr to your creativity, approach it as a trickster instead (I love this part). Trust yourself, and the magic; don't back away when that doubt or fear hits you.
• Divinity - only a couple of pages long, it is one story to explain that there is a divinity in the creative process, but don't imbue it with too much seriousness and awe.

The message

My takeaway from this book is much like my takeaway from her wonderful TED Talk - well both of them actually, since she revisited the TED stage in 2014 to talk about how she continued to write after her "greatest success". It is simply that pursuing a creative life, if that is something you wish to do, requires bravery, self-compassion, a requirement to try very hard not to care what others think, and a willingness to embrace a mysticism in the creative process.Mostly, this book contributes to a range of voices (largely female when I think about it) in my world that reassure me I am not as broken and alone as I might think. That someone who has written for her entire life, and has enjoyed so much success, still has this internal dialogue:

You know the nasty dialogue I mean, right? I'm talking about the nasty dialogue that goes like this: "Who the hell do you think you are, trying to be creative? You suck, you're stupid, you have no talent, and you serve no purpose. Get back in your hole."

Well, it helps me deal with my own thoughts of inadequacy and negativity about publishing Do Share Inspire; all of my writing, if I'm being frank; the jewellery and other products I make; and any other time I try to do something creative.It's like a big, intellectual hug to help sure up the bravery I don't always have for myself - thank you Liz. Have you read Big Magic? What did you think? Are there any other books you would recommend like this?