Liz G & Me: Writing About Creativity

Very shortly after deciding / realizing / admitting — in Fall 2014 — that it was time for me to start the process of working on my own book about creativity (and stating that intent, out loud, to actual humans), I happened upon a social media post informing me that best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat Pray Love fame was releasing a new book... ABOUT CREATIVITY. 

My first thought?

”Nooooooo!”

"Oh well," I thought. "Fuck it. Never mind." Elaborating with "I'm sure she's making the same exact main points as me (only better), plus she's got a readership of approximately nine gazillion people. Why bother?" 
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The truth is: it's actually great news that the topic of creativity is becoming more of... a topic; an actual piece of identifiable SUBJECT MATTER that more people want to think, write, speak, teach, and learn about. Much to my surprise, people are seemingly very interested in -- and hungry for -- truth, information, and resources regarding creativity.

Having it remain in the margins and shadows as a fringe self-help topic, or weird innovation-themed hyper-motivational crap, or the exclusive domain of a very few people doesn't do me (or most people) much good. I'm so grateful for the people ahead of me who took the time to write, speak, and role model important, powerful, myth-busing truths about the nature of creativity in a way that's more accessible and public.
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I ultimately decided I would still pursue the construction of my own book -- with the temporary stipulation that I would *not* read Gilbert's "BIG MAGIC: Creative Living Beyond Fear" anytime soon, because it might derail me during such a vulnerable beginning phase. I did listen to some of the Big Magic podcast in 2015, but that's it.
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Well, as of this writing, that was about 2 years ago! BIG MAGIC is out in paperback now. I grabbed a copy of the hardcover on sale the other day, so... I'm starting, apprehensively, to crack it open to random pages, read a quick nugget or two, then snap it shut and not worry too much about it!

So far, I love and agree with everything I've read. I feel strong enough now -- two years into the mess of beginning to organize, carve-out, clarify, and understand my own ideas -- that I can SEE and FEEL my own special [different-from-her] voice, life experience, emphases, expertise, obsessions, and take on the subject.

I also recognize where we overlap, which is a positive thing; evidence that I'm part of something bigger and potent. One really exciting difference is that my book will be filled with MY ACTUAL ART. My drawings and the stuff of my sacred compost heap (aka: notebooks) can actually communicate my major points about creativity better than any typed words could ever do on their own!