The 2-minute version…
You’re busier than ever: wearing multiple hats in your job, taking care of younger and older family members, and still trying to have a bit of a life for yourself.
So today, I’m going to give you the 2-minute version of Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book, Big Magic.
It’s definitely worth reading the next time you’re on a plane, which is where I read it.
Ready? Here we go…
I think it’s a mighty act of human love to remind somebody that they can accomplish things by themselves. There is something magnificent about encouraging someone to step forward into his own self-respect at last – especially when it comes to creating something brave and new.
It’s difficult to create things; if it weren’t difficult, everyone would be doing it, and it wouldn’t be special or interesting.
(Don’t scare) away inspiration. Every time you express a complaint about how difficult and tiresome it is to be creative, inspiration takes another step away from you, offended.
Never delude yourself into believing that you require someone’s else’s blessing (or even their comprehension) in order to make your own creative work.
The results of my work don’t have much to do with me. I can only be in charge of producing the work itself.
Learning how to endure your disappointment and frustration is part of the job of a creative person. Frustration is not an interruption of your process; frustration is the process.
The fun part (the part where it doesn’t feel like work at all) is when you’re actually creating something wonderful, and everything’s going great, and everyone loves it, and you’re flying high.
How you manage yourself between those bright moments, when things aren’t going so great, is a measure of how devoted you are to your vocation, and how equipped you are for the weird demands of creative living.
I keep working because I trust the creativity is always trying to find me, even when I have lost sight of it.
So, how do you find the inspiration to work when your passion has flagged? This is where curiosity comes in. I believe that curiosity is the secret.
Curiosity is the truth and the way of creative living. Curiosity is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.
Whatever it is you are pursuing, whatever it is you are seeking, whatever it is you are creating, be careful not to quit too soon. As my friend Pastor Rob Bell warns: ‘Don’t rush through the experience and circumstances that have the most capacity to transform you.’