Big, Magical Quotes from “Big Magic” Currently Echoing in My Mind

Project 365, Day 69/365

Most artists are impulsive people who don’t plan very far ahead. Artists, by nature, are gamblers. Gambling is a dangerous habit. But whenever you make art, you’re always gambling. You’re rolling the dice on the slim odds that your investment of time, energy, and resources now might pay off later in a big way—that somebody might buy your work, and that you might become successful.”

I started reading “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert sometime last week, and it’s really resonating with me. That quote up there is something I highlighted yesterday, and to be honest, it was a bit of a relief to read. I’ve identified as impulsive for quite some time, but never really related it to my creative nature. Charles is a creative person as well, but he is not impulsive. I suppose that’s why she said “most artists” not “every single artist.”

There’s a lot to this book that’s really interesting to chew on, like the notion that ideas don’t just start and end in our own brains, but that they hop around, brain to brain, finding someone to bring them to life. It sounds a bit goofy, but when you read it, it makes perfect sense. So today, as I’m still at a loss for what to write about, I’m going to share a handful of quotes I’ve highlighted for myself, that might also speak to you!

“The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to discover those jewels––that’s creative living.”

“So this, I believe, is the central question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?”

“It seems to me that the less I fight my fear, the less it fights back. If I can relax, fear relaxes, too.”

“You’re not required to save the world with your creativity. Your art not only doesn’t have to be original, in other words, it also doesn’t have to be important. For example, whenever anyone tells me that they want to write a book in order to help other people I always think ‘Oh, please don’t. Please don’t try to help me.’ I mean it’s very kind of you to help people, but please don’t make it your sole creative motive because we will feel the weight of your heavy intention, and it will put a strain upon our souls.”

“Perfectionism is a particularly evil lure for women, who, I believe, hold themselves to an even higher standard of performance than do men. There are many reasons why women’s voices and visions are not more widely represented today in creative fields. Some of that exclusion is due to regular old misogyny, but it’s also true that—all too often—women are the ones holding themselves back from participating in the first place. Holding back their ideas, holding back their contributions, holding back their leadership and their talents. Too many women still seem to believe that they are not allowed to put themselves forward at all, until both they and their work are perfect and beyond criticism. Meanwhile, putting forth work that is far from perfect rarely stops men from participating in the global cultural conversation. Just sayin’. And I don’t say this as a criticism of men, by the way. I like that feature in men—their absurd overconfidence, the way they will casually decide, “Well, I’m 41 percent qualified for this task, so give me the job!” Yes, sometimes the results are ridiculous and disastrous, but sometimes, strangely enough, it works—a man who seems not ready for the task, not good enough for the task, somehow grows immediately into his potential through the wild leap of faith itself. I only wish more women would risk these same kinds of wild leaps.” <– that’s a really good one, tbh

“I believe that our planet is inhabited not only by animals and plants and bacteria and viruses, but also by ideas. Ideas are a disembodied, energetic life-form. They are completely separate from us, but capable of interacting with us—albeit strangely. Ideas have no material body, but they do have consciousness, and they most certainly have will. Ideas are driven by a single impulse: to be made manifest. And the only way an idea can be made manifest in our world is through collaboration with a human partner. It is only through a human’s efforts that an idea can be escorted out of the ether and into the realm of the actual.”

“It might have been done before, but it hasn’t been done by you!”

“As long as I’m still moving in that direction—toward wonder–then I know I will always be fine in my soul, which is where it counts. And since creativity is still the most effective way for me to access wonder, I choose it.”

“Give your mind a job to do, or else it will find a job to do, and you might not like the job it invents.”

“Your life is short and rare and amazing and miraculous, and you want to do really interesting things and make really interesting things while you’re still here.”

There are so many more where that came from. I almost didn’t read this book because the reviews were a bit mixed, but if I’ve learned anything about reviews on books and movies is that they are entirely subjective, and people are full of crap. Most times, I like the things that everyone else hated, and feel meh about the things people rave about. This doesn’t always hold true, but no one who knows nothing about me can tell me if I am or am not going to enjoy something, I’ve realized. So if it seems interesting, then I explore it. If I find I’m not into it, I move on. Simple as that.

See you tomorrow, friends.

(P.S. somewhere along the way, I messed up my day count. Not sure how that happened, but I was a day behind for a few weeks. I had a feeling the count at the top of the post was wrong, but I just went with it, ignoring myself. Then I checked the number of days I’ve been writing in a row on WordPress, and it confirmed my suspicions. Anyway, a tiny little meaningless lesson to LISTEN TO YOURSELF. You’re right, most of the time at least. )