Creativity. Fear. Inspiration.

Three things you will hear a lot about in Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book Big Magic. I read the book and also had a chance to hear her speak back in October.

The author of Eat, Pray, Love has come out with a new book which addresses the things that keep us from living a creative life. And by creative, she basically means a life that is powered more fiercely by curiosity than by fear.

This book spoke to me in a multitude of ways and I gathered such inspiration from her words. You don’t have to be a writer or an artist for this to be relatable. You merely have to be a human being trying to make the most out of life.

I am a sucker for a good quote. I find, the right quote at the right time, can give me just the inspiration I need. Here are my favorites from the book. I hope they inspire you as they did me.

Enjoy!

On harnessing the uniqueness within:

“The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels–that’s creative living. The courage to go on that hunt in the first place–that’s what separates a mundane existence from a more enchanted one. The often surprising results of that hunt–that’s what I call, Big Magic…And while the paths and outcomes of creative living will vary wildly from person to person, I can guarantee you this: A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life. Living in this manner–continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you–is a fine art, in and of itself.”

On fear and courage:

“…if you can’t learn to travel comfortably alongside your fear, then you’ll never be able to go anywhere interesting or do anything interesting. And that would be a pity because your life is short and rare and amazing and miraculous, and you want to do really interesting things while you’re still here. I know that’s what you want for yourself because that’s what I want for myself, too. And you have treasures hidden within you–extraordinary treasures–and so do I, and so does everyone around us. And bringing those treasures to light takes work and faith and courage and hours of devotion, and the clock is ticking, and the world is spinning, and we simply do not have time anymore to think so small.”

[Tweet “We simply do not have time anymore to think so small.”]

“I think perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat, pretending to be elegant when actually it’s just terrified.”

“Don’t let go of your courage the moment things stop being easy or rewarding. Because that moment? That’s the moment when interesting begins.”

“In the end, it’s all just violets trying to come to light.”

[Tweet “In the end, it’s all just violets trying to come to light.”]

On following dreams:

Talking about her father. “He didn’t quit his day job to follow his dream; he just folded his dream into his everyday life.”

“…we all need an activity that is beyond the mundane and that takes us out of our established and limiting roles in society (mother, employee, neighbor, brother, boss, etc.). We all need something that helps us forget ourselves for a while…”

On having confidence in your curiosity/creativity:

“If you’re alive, you’re a creative person. The guardians of high culture will try to convince you that the arts belong only to a chosen few, but they are wrong and they are also annoying. We are all the chosen few. We are all makers by design.”

“Most things have already been done–but they have not yet been done by you.”

“Do whatever brings you to life.”

[Tweet “Do whatever brings you to life.”]

“Never delude yourself into believing that you require someone else’s blessing (or even their comprehension) in order to make your own creative work.”

On hard work:

“You don’t just get to leap from bright moment to bright moment. 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, how equipped you are for the weird demands of creative living.”

“We are all just beginners here.”

[Tweet “We are all just beginners here.”]

Have you read Big Magic? What did you think? What were your favorite quotes? I’d love to hear about them in the comments. And if you’d like to continue the conversation about courage, sign up below to receive my monthly newsletter on how to tackle our fears in order to live a more courageous life.

Salty Kisses,