Sometimes I feel sorry for people who get too much success too quickly. It’s such a powerful beast that it can distort public perception of the actual people themselves. Such is the case with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the monumentally successful “Eat, Pray, Love”. What any one person thinks about the book or her writing ability is of little or no interest as far as I’m concerned. My favorite professor had a few mantras, but one of his staples was used each time any one of us criticized a work of art he felt strongly about: “Then you do better!” he would respond. That’s how I’ve always defended Elizabeth Gilbert. The bitch clearly knows what the hell she’s talkin’ about. I think every creative mind struggles with chronic self evaluation through their work and their process, and when things aren’t going as well as you would like, or you’re missing your mojo, it can be heavy. Then along comes Elizabeth, who in an 18-minute speech at TED, gave me the clearest and most intelligent way of looking at the creative process that I have ever heard. At the root of her theory is that creative minds should be considered less to “be” a genius, than to “have” a genius. Love it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA[/youtube]
