I was a science student for a good part of my education (though I wasn’t particularly good at it, to be honest 😂). I proclaimed with some weird sense of pride that “I can’t draw or paint for nuts”. I felt like artists were a special type of people – you were either born with artistic talent or not. And clearly (to myself) I was born without an ounce of artistic talent.
In the past two years, two books completely turned my notion of creativity upside down. I rebuilt my identity and now proclaim with a sense of pride that I’m a creative person!
(And yes, everyone is a creative person.)
These two books were published 23 years apart. But they carry similar ideas towards creativity, acceptance and forgiveness. Here’s how they kickstarted my creative rediscovery.
Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path To Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear
In “Big Magic”, American journalist and author Elizabeth Gilbert talks about embracing a creative life. She nudges readers to live with less fear and to uncover the “strange jewels” hidden within. She also talks about the mysterious fleeting nature of inspiration – there’s a story of a lost-and-found idea that I thought was absolutely fascinating!
Peppered with hilarious stories of Gilbert’s experiences, it’s an optimistic yet pragmatic book that led me to think about what it means to live creatively. It’s not always the award-winning screenplays, bestselling books, or paintings that fetch millions in international auctions. It’s also how we inject a play and passion into our lives to create more meaning and joy.
She also offers practical advice on how to rethink some of the common creativity blocks such as fear, judgement, doubt, and lack of inspiration. I particularly loved this titbit in the book – the ancient Romans believed in an elf or guiding spirit that was born with you. This elf or guiding spirit assisted you throughout your life and was called… “genius”. So you aren’t necessarily a genius, you just have a genius! I’ll learn to blame it on my genius if something doesn’t go well. 😉
Favourite Quote:
To even call somebody “a creative person” is almost laughably redundant; creativity is the hallmark of our species.
How this book changed me:
After reading this book, I started calling myself an artist and a creative unapologetically. What hit me the most was her encouragement that I (/you) created something, so now I (/you) deserve to go out there and show it to the world. This was the push I needed to start my calligraphy account on Instagram.
My first Instagram post was inspired by her book too.
Who should read this book?
If you believe that you’re not a creative, or that you’re not born with artistic talent.
If you have imposter thoughts, and think that art is only for those with formal art education.
If you’re asking yourself anything along the lines of “Am I worthy of creating art?”
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path To Higher Creativity
First published in 1992, “The Artist’s Way” is now considered a seminal book on creativity that many artists recommend. In this book, American author Julia Cameron lays out a 12-week programme for artistic creative recovery.
Each week focuses on a theme such as identity, possibility and power. There are writing exercises and fun activities to help people face old fears, rebuild their beliefs and form new identities. Cameron also offers lots of advice and exercises to work through common creativity blocks such as skepticism, perfectionism and competition.
Two key activities are the Morning Pages and Artist’s Dates. Morning Pages are 3 pages of longhand stream-of-consciousness writing every morning. (With a pen and paper; you can’t type your Morning Pages!) Artist’s Dates involve blocking out time to explore, play and experiment with creativity. They work in tandem for creative recovery – Cameron likens them to a radio receiver and transmitter. In the Morning Pages, you work through your thoughts as you write down your dreams and hopes. In the Artist’s Dates, you are opening yourself up to receive insight and inspiration.
Many people, beyond artists and creatives, practise the Morning Pages too. Multi-hyphenate Tim Ferriss (probably best known for his book “The 4‑Hour Workweek”) and entrepreneur Chris Winfield have both said that the Morning Pages changed their lives.
Favourite Quote:
The point is not to overcome your self-doubts about being an artist. The point is to move through your self-doubts.
How this book changed me:
Like how Gilbert believes that “if you’re alive, you’re a creative person”, Cameron believes that everyone is a creative – just blocked or unblocked. This changed how I approached the 12-week programme.
I wasn’t building a whole new identity as a creative. Instead, I was simply undoing the insecurities and fears that had built up over the years. One of my favourite exercise was Time Travels, where I had to list three old enemies and three old champions of my creative self-worth. It was traumatic to relive past failures; I remember feeling my face and neck heat up with shame. But it was extremely liberating once I acknowledged that it’s in the past and learnt to let go.
The Morning Pages have pushed me to imagine, hope and verbalise my creative dreams. That’s how I plucked up the courage to start this website and blog! 😊 Even after finishing the 12-week programme, I’m still keeping up with the Morning Pages because they’ve provided me with so much insight. It’s amazing how it brings to the surface inspiration, ideas, fears and grievances that I didn’t even know I had.
Who should read this book?
(Again) If you believe that you’re not a creative, or that you’re not born with artistic talent.
If you feel creatively blocked and that you’re lacking inspiration to create.
If you’re facing some of the common issues that creatives face, such as perfectionism, skepticism and competition.
Do know that this is a spiritual book with religious references, though Cameron offers tips to make the exercises less overtly religious. As an agnostic, I still found lots of value from this book!
So there you have it! These were the two books that rebuilt my views on creativity from the ground up, and set me on the path of creative rediscovery.
Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path To Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
I’d love to know your thoughts if you’ve read these books, or if you have any other similar books to recommend! 😊
