Big Magic

I’m dedicating my first post to a book I’ve read twice and recommend to anyone involved in creative pursuits.  The book is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame.  I’ve read lots of books on creativity and the motivation to create but Gilbert’s voice is unique.  I like the way she talks about being so disciplined in her writing, even when she wasn’t having any success.  She’s learned some pretty clever tricks for dealing with the anxiety that keeps many artists from creating.  I especially loved the paragraph where she talks about a project as if it’s a road trip and puts anxiety in its place with limited privileges along the way.

Mixed media by Donna Nesbitt March 2016

I also like the way she talks about new ideas out in the ether waiting to be welcomed by artists who are doing the work.  She tells a fascinating story of an idea she had but couldn’t pursue and where that idea ended up.  Interesting!

It’s a quick read but I wanted to plant some of her ideas in my brain so I read it again and took notes.  It led me to the title for this blog.  The surest way to feed your creativity is to be curious.  If you’ve read Gilbert’s book, let me know what you think!