Yep, just finished reading Big Magic – Creative Living Beyond Fear by the fearless Elizabeth Gilbert. (Enter a give-away for the book here!) And as my habit goes here are a few notes and quotes from the book.

“Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?
The universe buries strange jewels inside us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels – that is creative living. The courage to go on that hunt in the first place – that´s what separates a mundane existence from a more enchanted one. “
– As I this morning read about research that again had confirmed the importance of a “good” experience of school (you´ll find it in Swedish here) my first thought today was that we have to put every effort into enabling all and everyone to be curious and brave enough to go on that hunt. Help someone by showing up and do that thing that makes them put a marble in their jar so that you earn their trust.

“You do not need a permission slip from the principal´s office to live a creative life. Or if you worry that you need a permission slip – THERE, I just gave it to you. I just wrote it on the back of an old shopping list. Consider yourself fully accredited. Now go make something. “

“It matters/It matters not. 
Build space in your head for this paradox. Build as mush space as you can. Build even more space. You will need it. And then go deep within that space – as far in as you can possibly go – and make absolutely whatever you want to make. It´s nobody´s business but your own.”
– Sending shivers down my spine, and arms, and legs. And then back up again. To my neck. And doing swirls from side to side. This is so true for me. I realize just now that this might be where people misunderstand me och believe that they don´t understand me. Because I have this really deep within me and feel that I have had it in my “program” since I was born. That I can see the paradox. That I can be with both sides. That there is no universal truth. Even that these two sides might not be the points of opposite. That the line that they now appear on, but in different directions, is actually a continuum. And the paradoxes in themselves are attached to invisible other continuums running in very different directions. Like a big network. And all that matters to you are you and what you do. Not what others believe.
I would like to encourage us all to really build space for these paradoxes in ourselves. The world would become a different place.

“Marcus Aurelius writes to himself: Do what nature demands. Get a move on – if you have it in you – and don´t worry whether anyone will give you credit for it. And don´t go expecting Plato´s Republic; be satisfied with even the smallest progress, and treat the outcome of it all as unimportant.”
– The second-century Roman emperor reassures to himself that it is ok not to be Plato. Yes of course it is ok. Just keep momentum. So true way back then and still true today. And I also really like the part of treating the outcome as unimportant. There is more in that I need to ponder upon it for a while longer before I can find what it tickles within me. I just feel the tickling at this point.

“The work wants to be made, and it wants to be made through you”

“The outcome cannot matter. Fierce trust asks you to stand strong within this truth: You are worthy, dear one, regardless of the outcome. You will keep making your work, regardless of the outcome. You will keep sharing your work, regardless of the outcome. You were born to create, regardless of the outcome. You will never lose trust in the creative process, even when you don´t understand the outcome.”
– Tickling again. Tickling at my curiosity and at my fear. What would I put out there? What work apart from the one I am already putting out? Is there something else inside me that I need to bring forward to the world?
What are you not showing, doing, putting out there? Do you know? And what is it that stops us from doing it?

These are some of the highlights that came to me while reading. And now I have put them out for you along with some of my reflections. And if this tickles something within you or not is not for me to value och judge. If it happens it happens.

Thank you for reading!