BIG MAGIC: Creative Living Beyond Fear

I borrowed this book, by Elizabeth Gilbert, from Jill. I didn't love it enough to want to buy it, but there were some ideas I wanted to remember. I decided that my blog was as good a place as any to write them down.

CREATIVITY is the relationship between a human being and the mystery of inspiration.

Creative Living is not always easy but it is always possible. The essential ingredients are not time, money and talent. They are courage, enchantment, permission, persistence and trust. (p.158)

KEYS to CREATIVE LIVING

1. Live in a state of "Uninterrupted Marvel."

2. Do something because it delights you.

3. Be Brave. (Brave is doing something scary. Fear-less is not understanding scary... We need fear for survival and we make space for fear so we can choose to be creative. Fear is triggered by creativity because creativity asks you to enter realms of uncertain outcomes. p.19-23)

4. Be Curious. (Creative living is being driven by curiosity more than fear. p.9)

5. Be Authentic. (You don't have to be original and what you do doesn't have to be important. Make things because you like to and because it interests you.)

6. Do it for yourself. (Don't do it for others. That may be the result but shouldn't be the motivation. And living off your art can burden inspiration, so choose it as a vocation carefully.)

7. There is no "top" to reach for. (Such thinking assumes that the mysteries of inspiration operate on the same scale that we do- on a limited human scale of success and failure, of winning and losing, of comparison and competition, of commerce and reputation, of units sold and influence wielded. Such thinking assumes that you must be constantly victorious- not only against your peers, but also against an earlier version of your own poor self. Most dangerously of all, such thinking assumes that if you cannot win, then you must not continue to play... What does any of that have to do with love, magic, faith or making things? p.70)

8. Feel entitled to be creative. (A little arrogance allows you to more fully engage in creativity and disregard self doubt, self disgust and self judgement. p.92)

9. Debt hurts creativity.

10. Take Risks. (Risk is not the same as gambling.)

11. Sacrifice is required. (Anguish and suffering are not.) (People don't do this kind of thing because they have all kinds of extra time and energy for it; they do this kind of thing because their creativity matters to them enough that they are willing to make all kinds of extra sacrifices for it. p.156)

12. Stop Complaining. (You chose this. You can choose to stop. Creativity is difficult. Complaining about your choice scares away inspiration. p.117)

13. Remember, the REACTION doesn't belong to you.

14. Frustration is part of the process, learn to handle it. And remember the process is more sacred than the finished project.

15. Start any time. (Your education isn't over until you say it's over. p.134)

16. PRACTICE! (Don't sit around waiting for your genius to come... show it your committed by practice and work. p.74)

17. Give up PERFECT to FINISH. (Perfectionism, especially when it prevents you from starting, is a corrosive waste of time. p.169) 

18. Don't dwell on failures. Own the disappointment. Acknowledge it for what it is. Move on.

19. Engage in "Combinatory Play." (Einstein defined it as the act of opening up one mental channel by dabbling in another. p.253)

20. DO something. (Do anything! Motion beats inertia and draws inspiration. p.253)

21. Have an affair with your creative en-devour. (Dress for and seduce creative thoughts. Steal time with your creativity. p.160)

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

When was the last time you felt light, joyous, creative?

What do you do to feel beauty and transcendence?

When an idea gets your attention, you have two choices-
No. Make sure it is no for a good reason because when you say no, it leaves. Or-

Yes. Now- how can you cooperate with the idea and show gratitude for getting to use it?

How does ISOLATION play a role in your creative ability?

What FEARS inhibit your creativity? (Lack talent... criticism... rejection... ridicule... someone did it already... someone did it better... not important enough... p.13-15)(Ego feels criticism, outrage, defensiveness, indignation... Not our soul! It desires wonder.)

***What are you passionate enough about to endure the most disagreeable aspects of?!!

What would you do if you knew it was likely you would fail?

Inspiration is always trying to work with you. Are you trying to work with it? Do you want to "spend your life collaborating with the forces of inspiration?" 


PURPOSE of choosing a CREATIVE LIFE
Jack Gilbert, a poet of no relation to the author, became a poet as 1) a devotional practice, 2) an act of love, and 3) a lifelong commitment to search for grace and transcendence.

A creative life is an amplified life. It is bigger, happier, expanded, more interesting. (p.12)

IN CONCLUSION
Creativity is sacred, and it is not sacred.
What we make matters enormously, and it doesn't matter at all.
We toil alone, and we are accompanied by spirits.
We are terrified, and we are brave.
Art is a crushing chore, and a wonderful privilege.
(Art is meaningless, and it is meaningful. p.134)
Only when we are at our most playful can divinity finally get serious with us.
Make space for all these paradoxes and you can make anything. p.273