Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the recent bestseller Eat, Pray, Love, delivered an impassioned speech entitled “A Different Way to Think About Creative Genius” at the recent Technology, Entertainment, Design conference.
Her beliefs and her creativity motivated her to continue to write from an early age, Gilbert said.
“Writing is my profession, but it is more than that, it is my love, my lifelong passion,” Gilbert said
Early in her life and even after her recent triumph, people have questioned her about using her creative powers. They ask if she is scared of failure, of never writing anything worthwhile, and more recently, is she afraid she will never be able to write anything better than Eat, Pray, Love.
“Yes,” she said. “I am terrified…My greatest work may be behind me, but I am also afraid of other things…seaweed and other scary things.”
She said that she often wonders why anybody should have to be afraid of the work they feel they were born to do. Her father, a chemical engineer, was never asked if he was anxious about his career. Yet society does not even do a double-take when another artist commits suicide.
She channeled this fear and curiosity into studying other cultures to see how they handle the notion of creative genius. In Ancient Greece and Rome, the people believed that creativity came from divine intervention, often from some other being that lived in or around you and helped you create amazing things. In these cultures, the pressure to be spectacular was lower since you had help. If you conceived something astounding, you could not take all the glory, because you had that thing to help you, Gilbert said. Conversely, if whatever you designed was insignificant, it was not totally your responsibility because obviously “the helper” was not doing its part. Gilbert said she believes that a return to this way of seeing creativity could sincerely help many artists.
In modern times, emphasis has been placed on the human being as the center of everything. This has caused problems for creative types, since they are often referred to as “geniuses.” This pressure is excruciating and drives many creative people to develop imbalanced personalities and alcoholism.
Gilbert said she has observed and experienced the concept that there is something out there that is intended to help creative people create. She had the chance to interview Tom Waits, who she said is one of the best examples of the tortured artistic soul.
Waits claimed he had an artistic experience that has helped him control the anxiety he suffered over his music. However, one day, he was driving on the freeway and he felt a melody coming on and he had no way to record it. The old terror of missing a song and regretting it for the rest of his life started to creep upon him.
According to Gilbert, Waits then stopped and spoke to the sky, “Excuse me can you not see I’m driving? Can you not come back at a more opportune time? If not go bother someone else.”
After that, he told her he felt he had taken the genie out of himself and he felt less internal pressure.
Gilbert said she even used this concept when she was writing Eat, Pray, Love. She said she believes that the power of creativity any artist is blessed with is on loan from some great divine being. When that artist has accomplished everything he or she was intended to bring about, it goes away and is bestowed on another soul.
In the end though, she said she believes in the power of work, of laying the groundwork for the genius spirit.
She closed her speech saying, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be daunted. Just do your job. Just show up and do your part.”
If something great comes from it, then congratulations. If nothing comes from it, good job anyway for doing your best.
