Creative living is magic.
I’m fascinated with creative minds and what makes people happy. This weekend I happened to pick up Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert since I love learning all I can about the creative process. I didn’t love Eat, Pray,Love, in fact I never even finished it but, Big Magic is different. Gilbert nails the creative thinking process and it has me wanting to give this book to every high school student or every adult that feels something is missing in life.
Growing up I never thought of myself as artistic or creative but I enjoyed doing crafts, art, reading, swimming and playing. As I grew up there was less and less time for creative pursuits and I focused on finding a job that would help me make the world a little better and support me financially. The harder I worked at my career the more I had a nagging feeling something was missing. Somewhere along the way I had the notion that career and creativity didn’t really go together. Big Magic changes that thinking for me and hopefully you too!
Gilbert discusses responsibly taking care of ones self financially while never letting go of those creative pursuits that make us feel alive. To me the magic is these creative pursuits don’t have to make you money to bring you so much happiness and they don’t need to take much of your time either. They may also challenge you in ways you are never challenged in any other way. Creative living takes courage and also brings you face to face with your fears but sticking with your gift you move beyond.
Painting and creative pursuits enhance my life in ways I’ll never be able to express through words, but I’m so glad that with my staying home with my girls I went back to school for some “creative” college classes in interior design and art. My art and interior designs may never earn a lot of money or bring fame and I am very ok with that thanks to finding my creative life again. This passage from Big Magic explains it all…
Pure creativity is magnificent expressly because it is the opposite of everything else in life that’s essential or inescapable (food, shelter, medicine, rule of law, social order, community and familial responsibility, sickness, loss, death, and taxes, etc.) Pure creativity is something better than a necessity; it’s a gift. It’s the frosting. Our creativity is a wild and unexpected bonus from the universe. It’s as if all our gods and angels gathered together and said, “It’s tough down there as a human being, we know. Here- have some delights.”
Now go add the frosting to your life and share your gifts with the world!
Kristin Try in the studio, 2015