How I found out about the three pillars
About a month ago, I attended a talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the best-selling Eat, Pray, Love, on creative living. I love to listen to or read about what other writers think about reading, how they write their books and how they connect with their creative selves. Gilbert goes beyond creative writing and reading, and explores the benefits of creative living, something she discusses in her non-fiction book Big Magic.
In it, Gilbert defines creative living as having the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within us. It is an amplified existence, a hunt to uncover the jewels buried in us - and that is what separates a mundane existence from a more enchanted one. That is what she calls Big Magic:
And when I refer to magic here, I mean it literally. Like, in the Hogwarts sense. I am referring to the supernatural, the mystical, the inexplicable, the surreal, the divine, the transcendent, the otherworldly. Because the truth is, I believe that creativity is a force of enchantment - not entirely human in its origins.
(Elizabeth Gilbert)
In her talk in Cologne, Germany, Gilbert numbered three pillars that she considers as a foundation for creative living. I will share these pillars with you and include my own thoughts on how to adapt them into our lives as creative readers.
Here they are:
1. Priorities
The first pillar is Priority. In order to be able to devote yourself to creating your art (be it literature, music, sculpture, etc.), you need to prioritize what is important in your life and let go of all the rest. Let go of what stresses you out. Let go of what is holding you back. Let go of unnecessary tasks. Let go of people that no longer contribute to your wellbeing. Keep all that is positive and motivating.
It is hard to say no. I have difficulty saying no, but I have been trying to teach myself to be honest and reject whatever does not promote my happiness or that of my family, my career and my dreams. It is important not to feel guilty when saying no, truly believing that by discarding from your life all that is negative or superfluous, you will devote more time to your art.
The same goes for reading. There are so many books to read and, unfortunately, not enough time in a human lifespan to read them all. It is crucial to make choices. So choose well. Prioritize the books that make you feel good and those that will help you grow as a reader and writer. Reject whatever is not working for you. Do not feel obliged to read a book only because others are. Have the courage to abandon a book halfway if you feel like it is not the right story (or the right time) for you. And, very importantly, let go of all that is dispensable in your life to prioritize reading moments. Make time to sit down with a book, a cup of coffee and a blanket. Make time to bring your current read to the park and feel the breeze on your face as your read another chapter. Put on headphones while going to work by train, listen to an audiobook and forget temporarily the world around you. Prioritize reading in your life.
2. Boundaries
The second pillar is directly related to the first: Boundaries. Create limits, create boundaries in your life. Gilbert explains that, in order to create boundaries, you first need to know very clearly what your priorities are (hence the importance of the first pillar). Moreover, in order to create boundaries, you need to make your priorities sacred.
Is writing a sacred part of your life at the moment? Is reading a sacred part of your life? Ask yourself. If the answer is no, then there is something terribly wrong, and you need to adjust that.
We, book lovers, say we love reading. Reading calms us. Reading excites us. Reading provides us a channel to escape the real world, even if temporarily. If you understand reading in this way, reading should be sacred for you. Do not let anything or anyone get in the way of your connection with books - allow no intrusion.
3. Mysticism
Finally, the third pillar is Mysticism. You know that layer of magic that covers everything but that not everyone sees? That power that is not really from this world but that can nonetheless affect it? I think books are filled with it! Every time you open a book and immerse yourself in a new literary adventure, you absorb this magic. Let it soak in. Let this mysterious element take over you. No wonder reading is like falling under a spell, right?
Writers have a strong connection with this mysticism. They (or, should I say “we”?) can see, feel and channel this magic in order to create literature. This reminds me of the poet Percy Shelley’s thoughts on inspiration. I believe inspiration is part of the mythical dimension Gilbert speaks of. Shelley, and other Romantic poets, placed inspiration on a higher plan of existence, one that writers could reach temporarily, in moments of intense brightness. That connection is sublime (see previous post)! What follows, the composition, the act of writing itself, is just a pale reproduction of what our minds witnessed in the state of communal experience with inspiration.
Look at this extract from Shelley’s essay “A Defense of Poetry”:
Poetry is not like reasoning, a power to be exerted according to the determination of the will. A man cannot say, 'I will compose poetry.' The greatest poet even cannot say it; for the mind in creation is as a fading coal, which some invisible influence, like an inconstant wind, awakens to transitory brightness; this power arises from within, like the colour of a flower which fades and changes as it is developed, and the conscious portions of our natures are unprophetic either of its approach or its departure. Could this influence be durable in its original purity and force, it is impossible to predict the greatness of the results; but when composition begins, inspiration is already on the decline, and the most glorious poetry that has ever been communicated to the world is probably a feeble shadow of the original conceptions of the poet.
Percy Shelley
So, let me know: will these three pillars be the foundation of your creative life from now on? Write your thoughts in the comments section below!