Summary of Your elusive creative genius | Elizabeth Gilbert

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

Elizabeth Gilbert discusses how people's fear of not being able to top their previous work is irrational and that creativity and suffering are not inherently linked. She encourages people to encourage their creative minds to live.

• 00:00:00 Elizabeth Gilbert has written a book that has become very popular, and people are afraid she will not be able to top it. She recalls that when she told people she wanted to be a writer, they were met with the same fear. She argues that the fear is irrational and that creativity and suffering are not inherently linked. She encourages people to encourage their creative minds to live.
• 00:05:00 Elizabeth Gilbert discusses how her recent book success has made her question her ability to continue writing. She looks to ancient Greece and Rome for ideas on how to manage the anxiety and pressure of creativity and finds that the idea of a genius as a divine entity living in the walls of an artist's studio is a better model. She poses the question of why not adopt this model in the modern world, and concludes that it makes as much sense as any other explanation for the unpredictable nature of creativity.
• 00:10:00 Elizabeth Gilbert discusses her experience of meeting American poet Ruth Stone, who told her that when she was growing up, she would feel and hear a poem coming at her over the landscape. Gilbert shares her experience of panic and how Tom Waits, an accomplished musician, changed his approach to his work after he realized that the muse could come from anyplace, not just from within. Gilbert encourages readers to experiment with this same mindset, to find ways to connect with their creative genius even when it is not present in a conventional manner.
• 00:15:00 Elizabeth Gilbert talks about the importance of showing up for your creative work, even when it's difficult. She talks about a historical event in which a performer became transcendent and people chanted "Allah, Allah, Allah, God, God" for hours. She says that if you believe in your own creativity, it's OK to be afraid and Daunted, but that it's worth it to keep showing up for your job.