Dans Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert puise dans son propre processus de création pour partager son point de vue sur la créativité, et nous encourager à aller à la recherche de notre inspiration.
Elle nous montre comment capturer ce que nous aimons le plus et comment tenir tête à ce qui nous fait peur ; évoque les attitudes, les approches et les habitudes dont nous avons besoin pour vivre notre vie de la façon la plus créative qui soit.
Qu’on souhaite relever de nouveaux défis pro, poursuivre un rêve ou juste insuffler un peu plus de passion dans notre quotidien, ce livre est MEGA inspirant.
Extraits :
« You don’t get any special credit (...) for knowing how to be afraid of the unknown. Fear is a deeply ancient instinct, in other words, and an evolutionary vital one… but it ain’t especially smart. »
« Your fear - programmed by evolution to be hypervigilant and insanely overprotective - will always assume that any uncertain outcome is destined to end in a bloody, horrible death. »
« You have treasures hidden within you (...). And bringing those treasures to light takes work and faith and focus 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 too small. »
« You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes or failures. You can battle your demons (...) instead of battling your gifts - in part by realizing that your demons were never the ones doing the work, anyhow. »
« Let inspiration lead you wherever it wants to lead you. Keep in mind that for most of history people just made things, and they didn’t make such a big freaking deal out of it. We make things because we like making things. »
« If you’re alive, you’re a creative person. You and I and everyone you know are descended from tens of thousands of years of makers. Decorators, tinkerers, storytellers, dancers, explorers, fiddlers, drummers, builders, growers (...) - these are our common ancestors. »
« You will never be able to create anything interesting out of your life if you don’t believe that you’re entitled to at least try. Creative entitlement doesn’t mean behaving like a princess (...). It simply means believing that you’re allowed (...) to have a voice and a vision of your own. »
« It’s okay if your work is fun for you. It’s also okay if your work is healing for you, or fascinating for you, or redemptive for you, or if it’s maybe just a hobby that keeps you from going crazy. It’s also okay if your work is totally frivolous. That’s allowed. It’s all allowed. »
« People will stick you into all sorts of boxes. They’ll call you a genius, or a fraud, or an amateur, or a pretender (...). They may say flattering things about you, or they may say dismissive things about you. (...) It doesn’t matter in the least. Let people have their opinions. »
« Name a profession, any profession : teacher, doctor, fireman, custodian roofer, rancher, security guard, political lobbyist, sex worker, even the ever meaningless “consultant” - each is infinitely more essential (…) than any novelist ever was, or ever will be. »