The video session by writer Elizabeth Gilbert could be described as “interesting”, in my opinion. It was a little bit out there and I did not particularly fancy it. The topic was about your creative genius and how to “manage” it. She believes like the ancient Greeks, that the creative inspiration we get comes from some distant entity. If your creative genius is not coming from you, but from some outside source, then ego goes out the window and you’re protected from narcissism. Therefore, if your creative skills are coming from some unimaginable source and not from you, your life should be easier.
Based on this premise of the outside source, then your mental health is better, and you are less anxious. She gave an example of a singer who had an idea come to him while he was driving. He could not have stopped to write it down so he spoke to it – the idea – out loud, and basically said that it should come back at another time because clearly he is engaged in something else. So right away, by him doing that, is him releasing the anxiety and nervousness that comes with when you had a great idea and forgot it because you could not document it. So by him sending it back in to the atmosphere, he is separating himself from it and maintaining his sanity and peace.
The point I got from all of this is this – don’t be afraid if you lost a great idea. Don’t put yourself through that stress. Just continue to your job and another great idea will come along. So don’t despair if you didn’t capture the moment, there will be enough to capture another one. This part I agree with because no one should be beating themselves up if they can’t remember something, as great as it might have been. The same way that this great idea came along, is the same way another one will.
