Sometimes, as an artist, I can get really stressed out. So stressed that I stop creating, that I start to worry about whether I’ve made the right decisions in my life, that I wonder whether my creative efforts are really worth it. Many of my usual sources of comfort can even become more destructive than constructive in these moments because they will keep me away from my first love: the art itself.

A few years ago, another artist recommended one book that made a huge difference in how I thought about my art, my work and my stress. From beginning to end, it just felt like a big warm hug from a creativity goddess that just wanted me to love myself and my artwork.

BIG MAGIC

Written by Elizabeth Gilbert, who first came into my life via “Eat Pray Love”, Gilbert is candid about the entire creative process: idea, creative block, waves of inspiration, completion, handling reactions from positive to none, and moving on to the next project by starting the entire process over again. I’ve never read “Eat Pray Love”, only seen the movie, so I was completely fresh to Gilbert’s writing style and her views on being a creative. But the woman who recommended “Big Magic” has a similar outlook on art so I thought it would be a good way to get out of my comfort zone and try something new.

You can support other people in their creative efforts, acknowledging the truth that there’s plenty of room for everyone. You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes or failures.

So how/why was this book so impactful? It shifted my thinking from berating myself to appreciating myself and the lessons that struggle teaches me. Even foundational thoughts like how we view geniuses and the American notion of going into debt in order to increase our value as future employees/business owners are not just challenged but comforted while providing simple actions to inspire bigger changes for yourself. After spending years reading entirely too many self-help, marketing, and business development books with hundreds of steps to take after you finish reading, “Big Magic” was a deep breath that only wanted me to do one thing: take care of myself. How you take care of yourself can change (make something, pay bills, take a shower, enjoy something new, make dinner etc) but the number one person everything should be in service of is yourself.

Over years of devotional work, though, I found that if I just stayed with the [creative] process and didn’t panic, I could pass safely through each stage of anxiety and on to the next level.

Gilbert has had a long and winding writing career. She’s gone through all the basic struggles of a creative and talks about them in a way that made me feel like she actually was the voice in my own head. Even though she’s a writer, I found that her thought process for breaking down her next step in all her anecdotes was still very helpful to this animator/artist’s career. But, honestly, just having someone else in my corner just for me was more than enough when everyone else in my life who isn’t an artist has their own idea of how I should run my life, my career, or my business.

… I remember thinking that learning how to endure your disappointment and frustration is part of the job of a creative person.

I read “Big Magic” almost every year when I get ready to think about what I would like to accomplish in the following year. Sure, I could use it to inspire new projects and new drawings but instead I learn a new lesson about my Art Practice. How can I become even more devoted to my art? How can I get better at forgiving myself for not succeeding at completing all the projects I want to? How can I sustain this love of art so I can thrive in life? And those are big lessons that I love reminding myself of every year.

People don’t do this kind of thing because they have all kinds of extra time and energy for it; they do this kind of thing because their creativity matters to them enough that they are willing to make all kinds of extra sacrifices for it.

Have you read “Big Magic”? What did you think about it? Did you hate it or did you love it? We’re all different and books that may work for me might not work for you. What makes this life so interesting is our ability to express that.

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