· By Andre Woolery
Elizabeth Gilbert, Reclaiming Creativity
Elizabeth Gilbert's Creative Birthright
After "Eat, Pray, Love's" success, author Elizabeth Gilbert faced a creative crisis that led her to investigate creativity itself. "I believe that creativity is our birthright," Gilbert explains in "Big Magic." "You have treasures hidden within you, extraordinary treasures, and so do I, and so does everyone around us."
Gilbert had to reconnect with her natural creative impulse after it became burdened by the expectations that success can bring. As she puts it, creative living means living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.
Her journey allowed her to recognize creativity as a fundamental human capacity that she could reclaim by shifting her relationship with fear and doubt.
Gilbert's experience shows how recognizing creativity as our birthright frees us to create without waiting for permission or succumbing to fear.
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You were born creating:
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As a child, you invented games, made up stories, imagined worlds
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You solve problems creatively every day
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Your unique perspective and influences are inherently creative fuel
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To explore the full approach behind this story, pull card #2 in the Creative Mastermind Deck
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