Have you ever wondered why it is so that creativity involves courage? How is it that little children create without any fear, and as we get older, it becomes difficult, more complicated, more threatening?
Until I started painting and delving into this subject, I was not aware of how much it is like that.
Elizabeth Gilbert's book: "Big Magic - Creative Living Beyond Fear", could be the way to get out of it. If you want ... (yes, yes, that same one from "Eat, Pray, Love").
It begins with the fact that creative life is an empowering, richer and more interesting life, going further recognizing that this kind of life involves endless coping with fear (i.e., life that require courage), but also admit that it is worth the effort.
The whole book is a personal testimony, and that is it's secret. Every creator, whether he or she, is a writer, a painter or a sculptor (or a creator of any other sort) experiences the feelings and processes described in this book, in one way or another, and there is nothing like the plight of many for a consolation 😊.
At the creativity part - lack of inspiration, a sense of being stuck, just a lack of desire to create. And at the exposure part – "what will they say?" All of these happen to almost every artist. Everyone copes in a way that suits them. And those who don't - retire from the game, which is a shame.
As someone who has experienced dizzying success with the bestseller, Elizabeth Gilbert is well aware of the feeling of fear of keep on going, because from the summit there is only one way ... at least that is what she was told. But she chose to look at things differently.
When we create from the inside, honest and authentic art, we don't really care what they say. Yes, it's nice when someone likes what we're creating. It's amazing when someone wants to hang our artwork at home and even willing to pay for it (!), But it's also okay if they don't. It's so subjective. There will always be those who will love it and those who won't.
We create because that's what makes us feel good. It's our engine and we do not need anyone's approval to do so.
One of the proofs of the dynamics of the artwork is the fact that we too can love a particular piece, and after a while look at it and think: what the heck were we thinking? Or vice versa – abandon an artwork because it feels stuck, find it after a while, and fall in love with it. Just like that. As it is.
What matters is that we do what we love. That we respond to the call - and create.
That's the big magic!