Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best-selling memoir, turned movie, Eat, Pray, Love spoke brilliantly at a Ted Talk on “Your Elusive Creative Genius” in Long Beach, California in 2009.
It is so insightful, authentic, inspirational and motivational. It certainly sheds new light on the creative process and the origins of creativity. Gilbert’s talk is described as:
Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius. — Ted.com
Some of her wonderful quotes that stand out in this Ted Talk are:
“‘Ole!’ to you, just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up.”
“I have had work or ideas come through me from a source that I honestly cannot identify. What is that thing? And how are we to relate to it in a way that will not make us lose our minds, but, in fact, might actually keep us sane?”
“Maybe [artistry] doesn’t have to be quite so full of anguish if you never happened to believe, in the first place, that the most extraordinary aspects of your being came from you. But maybe if you just believed that they were on loan to you from some unimaginable source for some exquisite portion of your life to be passed along when you’re finished … it starts to change everything.”
Strolling through Target, showing our Finnish student, Noora, the wondrous selection of goods, we paused at the book section. She wanted some Lauren Conrad books for her upcoming long bus trip.
