Living Your Most Creative Life – Lessons from Big Magic

I read a lot of books and I’ve read a lot of books that fall into the personal development category.  And I have to say, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert blew my mind.  I couldn’t put it down!  I mean, how can you not like this kind of wisdom?

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…is a fine art, in and of itself.

See, Big Magic is all about how to live a creative life and there are a ton of lessons that can apply to us, both as creatives and as business owners.  I highlighted some of my favorite points (and quotes!) from the book below but absolutely encourage you to pick up a copy from your local library or find it on Amazon.  I know you’ll get just as much out of it as I did!

Don’t Defend Your Weakness

How often do we spend doing this?  We’re scared of sales calls, so we don’t make them.  We don’t like to speak in front of people, so we turn down public speaking opportunities.  And we defend these things, saying, “Oh, well I’m scared of so-and-so…” or, “I’m not good at this…” and use that as an excuse to avoid the things we’re afraid of.

Don’t we realize that this is holding us back?

I hate being the center of attention.  It’s one of my least favorite things in the world.  And with that comes a hatred of public speaking.  The funny thing is, I have no problem writing a speech and saying it out loud; if there weren’t a bunch of people paying attention to only me, public speaking might be my favorite thing!

So when Indiana University contacted me to be their graduation speaker a few years ago, my first instinct was to say “no.”  But then I realized that I had something valuable that I could share with all of the students who had been told for years that their dreams were just dreams and they should choose “practical” careers.  And I decided to accept the opportunity.

Speaking in front of 5,000 students and their families was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.  But I’m eternally grateful for that opportunity.  I grew more in the 10 minutes I spent on stage than I had in years.

And if I had said, “no”, I never would have experienced that growth, never would have met the amazing people that I did, and never would have been able to share the lessons that I’ve learned with those students.

Trust me, your fear will always show up – especially when you’re trying to be inventive or innovative.  Your fear will always be triggered by your creativity, because creativity asks you to enter into realms of uncertain outcome, and fear hates uncertain outcome.

So our task is to learn to live alongside that fear – because we know it will show up – without allowing the fear to take control and keep us from being creative and achieving our goals.

Be Receptive to Inspiration

We get ideas all the time.  Sometimes they’re fleeting ideas that enter our brain when we take our morning shower; other times they bounce around our head for weeks or months.  And if we’re too caught up in anxiety/fear or too busy to spend time turning bringing these ideas to fruition, we might miss out on some amazing opportunities.

Of course, there are appropriate moments to turn down these ideas.  It might not be the right time or, frankly, it could just be a bad idea.  So certainly don’t feel like you need to say “yes” to every passing bit of inspiration.

But the problem is that we usually say “no”.

When you say no, nothing happens at all.  Mostly, people say no.  Most of their lives, most people just walk around, day after day, saying no, no, no, no, no.  Then again, someday you might say yes.

What’s the worst that can happen if you say “yes”?  You might fail.  And fear of failure is something that seems to be ingrained in all of us.  But some of the best inventions and projects were born out of failure! And I personally believe that a whole lot of growth and learning comes from failing.

So allow your inspiration and ideas to take hold if you think they’re a good fit for you, your dreams, and your mission.  Work on pushing past the fear and doubt and not allowing it to take control of you.  And, instead, measure your success by your dedication to your path rather than by the times you failed.

You Don’t Need Anyone’s Permission

Most of us have probably encountered some kick back about our passions, our dreams, or our businesses. That kick back may have come from parents, siblings, friends, mentors, or any number of other places. And those people may have really thought they were doing what’s best for us simply because they have a different view about life, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

Here’s the thing:

You don’t need their permission or their approval.

You see, we’re all entitled, and I don’t mean that in a bad way.  But we’re allowed to be here on Earth and we’re allowed to have a vision and allowed to have dreams and to be creative.  We were created to be creative.

I don’t want to be afraid of bright colors, or new sounds, or big love, or risky decisions, or strange experiences, or weird endeavors, or sudden changes, or even failure.

The majority of the inventors, entrepreneurs, and artists encountered discouragement from people, often people they loved or looked up to.

But what if Walt Disney had listened to his boss, who fired him because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas”?

What if Steve Jobs had given up after he was fired from his own company?

What if Albert Einstein had never pushed forward after being expelled from school?

One of the ways that Elizabeth Gilbert recommends overcoming this negativity is to declare your intent out loud.  Say, “I’m a designer”, “I’m a writer”, “I’m an artist”, “I’m an entrepreneur”, or whatever applies, and repeat it until you know it as truth.  Proclaim it confidently!  And whenever you’re doubting yourself, do it again.

Perfectionism Isn’t Always a Good Thing

So this is definitely something that I’ve used as a selling point before – “I’m a perfectionist!”  But when it comes to creatives and entrepreneurs, that isn’t always good.

Why?

Because perfection isn’t possible.  When we strive for perfection, we limit ourselves because we can never get there!  And setting unachievable goals only leads to disappointment, frustration, and failure.

Perfectionism stops people from completing their work, yes – but even worse, it often stops people from beginning their work.  Perfectionists often decide in advance that the end product is never going to be satisfactory, so they don’t even bother trying to be creative in the first place.

Deep down, perfectionism is our belief that we’re not good enough and we’ll never be good enough. But your project doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.  Your artwork doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.  Your product doesn’t have to be perfect to be revolutionary.  And you don’t have to be perfect to achieve great things and change the world.

So don’t allow perfectionism to stop you from going for what you want!  Instead, strive for the best that you can possibly do and know that’s enough.

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What was the biggest thing I got from this book?  That I shouldn’t allow anything – fear, doubt, perfectionism, other people – hold me back from going after my dreams and being creative.  Because we were created to be creative.

Have you read Big Magic and did you love it as much as I did?  Leave your favorite quotes/lessons in the comments below.