🪄Creativity, Curiosity, and Big Magic🪄
Mar 17, 2026
Big Magic by Elisabeth Gilbert has been sitting on my reading list for a couple years, and a snowy January game me the extra reading time I needed. What a gem this book is. If this book is already on your reading list, this your nudge to move it to the top.
One of the ideas that resonated with me was Gilbert's belief that creativity responds best to curiosity.
- What would happen if I tried this?
- What sounds interesting right now?
- What do I want to explore, just a little while?
All of these question are really asking one thing:
What am I willing to be open to?
Curiosity is a mindset that lets us set aside the need for guarantees which is exactly why it works so well with creativity. When we are being creative, the results might not be successful or even useful. It's important for that to be okay if we are bringing creativity along on our journey. I think we need creativity. It creates a certain amount of safety to take risks because we don’t have to prove something, we’re more willing to play, to experiment and to keep going even when the results aren’t glamorous. We have to show up. We have to participate. So many of these traits get lost, forgotten, or set aside in our lives.
I love that Gilbert invites us to move away from the idea that creativity must come with suffering. We can leave that idea in another room. Better yet, toss it straight into the trash can. The notion that creativity is hard or a struggle doesn’t serve us, especially since we won't be better for missing out of the benefits of creativity.
Gilbert reminds us, "If you are alive, you are a creative person." Creativity exists because we exist. If we can allow ourselves to believe that, we can enjoy what we are doing, regardless of the results. When we do that, we can experience the gifts of being creative. It expands us…emotionally and spiritually. It gives us a sense of abundance as we experience possibility and aliveness.
Will it feel uncomfortable sometimes? Probably, but we're equipped.
Remember the discomfort we've been practicing this month? Clearing kitchen counters or decluttering 3 things a day? Remember the thought we've been practicing, "I can do a little uncomfortable thing"? That wasn't a random choice on my part. It was prep work. If we're going to try, stay curious, and show up without guarantees, we're going to brush up against discomfort. It's inevitable. I hope you'll bring your inner Mud Pie Annie with you to the conversation. (Here's the blog link in case you missed it.)
For now, notice what sparks interest when you think about being creative. What are you curious about? What are you curious about? What would feel interesting to try? If it’s not hitting home, here's my affiliate so you can get a copy of Big Magic. It will not disappoint, and it will stir up some idea.
Keep going with your discomfort practice. You're clearing your kitchen counters or decluttering 3 things a day and practicing the thought, "I can do a little uncomfortable thing." Here’s the blog post if you missed it. 🤕Practicing Discomfort🤕. If you haven't started, we'd love to have you join us.
Also, you’ll find journaling prompts on my Pinterest Journal Prompts board. Creativity prompts this month and discomfort prompts last month. I’d love it if you’d follow!
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