Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear | Elizabeth Gilbert

“Many years ago, my uncle Nick went to see the eminent American writer Richard Ford give a talk at a bookstore in Washington, DC. During the Q&A after the reading, a middle-aged man in the audience stood up and said something like this:

“Mr Ford, you and I have much in common. Just like you, I have been writing short stories and novels my whole life. You and I are about the same age, from the same background, and we write about the same themes. The only difference is that you have become a celebrated man of letters, and I—despite decades of effort—have never been published. This is heartbreaking to me. My spirit has been crushed by all the rejection and disappointment. I wonder if you have any advice for me. But please, sir, whatever you do, don’t just tell me to persevere, because that’s the only thing people ever tell me to do, and hearing that only makes me feel worse.”

Now, I wasn’t there. And I don’t know Richard Ford personally. But according to my uncle, who is a good reporter, Ford replied, “Sir, I am sorry for your disappointment. “Please, believe me, I would never insult you by simply telling you to persevere. I can’t even imagine how discouraging that would be to hear, after all these years of rejection. I will tell you something else—something that may surprise you. I’m going to tell you to quit.”

The audience froze: What kind of encouragement was this?

Ford went on: “I say this to you only because writing is bringing you no pleasure. It is only bringing you pain. Our time on earth is short and should be enjoyed. You should leave this dream behind and go find something else to do with your life. Travel, take up new hobbies, spend time with your family and friends, relax. But don’t write anymore, because it’s killing you.”

There was a long silence.

Then Ford smiled and added, almost as an afterthought: “However, I will say this. If you happen to discover, after a few years away from writing, that you have found nothing that takes its place in your life—nothing that fascinates you, or moves you, or inspires you to the same degree that writing once did . . . well, then, sir, I’m afraid you will have no choice but to persevere.”

Excerpt From | Big Magic | Elizabeth Gilbert | This material may be protected by copyright.

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As a creative professional and after a decade dedicating my life to photography, often come across questions that stand against my will to pursue it anymore and the feeling is mutual among many of my colleagues. The scary part is it feels new every time I bump into one. Truth is, no university, no holy book and no detailed study have had ever have complied the answers to all the questions we as a creative professionals live with.

I, Shovona Karmakar, am an advertising commercial photographer and a product stylist based out of Mumbai, India. The book cover was intriguing enough and soon I found myself engrossed in it. To my surprise, I discovered how Holy the book I am holding in my hand and how badly I needed it. I am sure I will be re-reading it in future, that’s the power and the faith I have given to this book, and its because a true mentor is not who spoonfeeds or who solves problems one to one according to me, a true mentor is who guides us to invoke the belief system within to be worth the effort and the feeling of how much we can be in life. A true mentor is simply one who shares it’s experience unfiltered for us to work on our muscles to be self-reliant and persevere what we always dreamt or wished for. I chose to mention the above at the beginning of the article for it is something that haunts me from time to time. I am confident anyone aspiring to lead creative life questions the same to itself. BOOK REVIEW: The book holds the truth and only the truth as much as possible, an honest confession compiled and every page is worth it. It's rare for a professional to be daring enough to share the vulnerability of being a writer or any creative being and let its audience know the price one has to pay to chase the dream.

1. An easy to understand and read, book with no images or illustrations. Available in all major book sites (I don't earn any commission for recommending anything)

2. The book uncovers and helps its aspirants to understand various myths many have and practice being a creative soul along with other issues and philosophy in and around. I have read various articles discussing the life of being a fanatic, a dreamer but very few have helped me to understand myself better. One of the facts which often haunted me and even gave me anxiety for years is the desire to have pain, a pain that helped me keep going and the fear to let go of it. It is indeed a myth to abuse self with various substances which gives a guarantee to transfer you to other another dimension, as far as I have seen it only transforms you to be a mere vegetable and very often dead meat. The answer is you need to be alive to cherish the fruit it celebrates you with.

3. The importance of having a decent and if possible a well-fed bank account and a tummy. The hippie system of starving self to death is not creative living in a rational sense. Holding a job to pay your bills even though it may not be what you want to do at the end of the day is worth the price to live a life one fantasies. To take the best from every aspect of life makes you more resilient than your competitors for the beauty you saw in it is a gift that carves you into a better artist than before.

4. It's often important to part ways from your passion to truly understand if you're meant to be with it. Re-read the first part of this article to understand better.

5. The philosophy of visualising ideas and inspiration as a free soul who comes to you as it sees potential for it to be alive and how to work around it or when to let go is fantastic, it's an eye-opening concept and helps anyone to live a better creative life.

6. Human as a species learnt to be an artist before anything else and cave painting is the perfect example to understand what we are at the core.

7. Rejection is not meant to be taken personally and it's more about the time and whom you know. Denial of the opportunity and fame you believed it to be yours is temporary and it has more to do with connecting the wrong set of audience or not giving it enough time to mature in itself. Rejection lets you know the loopholes better and gives you enough space to keep working on your experimentations with no expectations and saves you from unwanted embarrassment if any.

To summarise creative living is liberating, empowering, larger than life, a blessing though it comes along its kind of hardships, frustration, depression, confusion and a lot of anxiety. It is not for the faint heart and it is not for those who have no fears at all. A human is meant to discover and refigure the problems and the solutions to attain the very status of survival of the fittest in this ever evolutionary world of art, craft, skill and innovation. I am always eager to meet people like me seeking a creative life until someone is scared to widen its horizons of understanding. It is equally important to gain a decent mastery over the business aspects to support living and I believe they are non-negotiable.

We in India, have our own challenges to pursue a creative career as the personal struggles and friction between our loved ones is what we fear the most. Yet it's high time to seek a creative profession that is nothing very different and follows many similar guidelines alike any entrepreneurial venture. The initial investment is crucial and any expectations of stability asap are subjective and often immature. The art of living with unpredictability is a secret many don't share. immature

If anyone reading this article has questions about your journey feel free to grab a copy of the book BIG MAGIC. It truly feels like being in a therapy session that will genuinely guide you to better understand yourself.

I wish you all the best and believe in yourself!

If you loved reading the above, I am confident you will enjoy the below recommendation too.

• The subtle art of not giving a F**k (A therapy session for yourself)

• Rich Dad Poor Dad (Foundation for any financial education)

• The power of the Subconscious mind (A must for any creative aspirant)

HAPPY READING!

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#bookreview #bigmagic #creativeliving #creativeaspirant

Psychology of money

Psychology of money | by Morgan Housel

5 ways for you to be a better creative professional

The book is for anyone to understand the basics or to lay a foundation of financial literacy in one's life. It doesn't matter who you are and what you do, financial literacy and the concept of saving is very new. It is important to know how we behave with our money in general as most of it is often irrational and saving money should not have any agenda in general though it is important to inbuild the habit of doing so as early as possible in our lives.

I come from an era where creative professions were linked with failure, hunger and struggle all lifelong. I work in an era where the creative profession is considered for the strong heart and the risk-takers which eventually tops the chart of life considered successful.

It is sad to see though, many creative professionals often concentrate solely on creating and recreating content to generate a bank of work to prove their worth and many often neglect or shy away from the fact, that let one do what it wishes to do as long as it wants to do and when it wants to do. Money is often considered that corrupts one's mind and hampers its creative vision, in reality, it is the most important factor which let ones mind to be free from worry and create the stuff one wishes to.

If you are a photographer, illustrator, makeup artist, stylist, director, cinematographer, post-production artist or anyone who is a part of the media and entertainment industry, this book has a lot to teach you and I will also share a few aspects of how I behave when it comes to my money at the end of this article.

TO NOTE: Only a few points are been discussed considered fitting the agenda of the blog, though I will humbly suggest you pick a copy if you can. This blog is not responsible for any personal, professional, financial, psychological loss incurred if it may. Any mentioned pointers are to be considered as a mere suggestions and not professional financial advice.

1. Confounding Compounding:

Any aspirant starts their journey to be a professional from mere scratch. It either learns a skill to initiate or hold a mere talent in its native state.

Whereas any portfolio showcasing various aspects of creativity serving a set of premium audiences holds the much-needed growth gained in its past many years.

Eg: As a photographer, I started capturing images solely from a photography point of view minus post-production and creative manipulation though down the line I believed in various other mediums and owing those skills to recreate a bank of images that helps me hold an edge over others in the market.

Similarly, money, when let, grows for decades undisturbed gains power and an edge one needs eventually in its life.

Given said that, the amount is not what matters as much as the amount of time one lets it rest and grow, as like any talent needs its own time for it to get mature aesthetically.

2. Wealth is what you don't see

Spending money to show people how much money you have is the fastest way to have less money

As with any creative profession, things are required to set up its space initially doesn't come cheap. As and when an instant desire to upgrade with the latest and greatest comes to mind that one may feel fit one needs for time being and hence are kept at the top of one's shopping list may sound like a wise call to take. On the other hand, this irrational act of buying robs one's bank of the much needed financial support if and when one may wish for it.

An emergency like the much-needed service of your computer, camera or a subscription of your graphic software must be for the project you need to submit at the earliest.

The latest phone or the wifi-enabled camera. The drone you hold or the accessories you wish to add to your photography bag may create unwanted anxiety and it surely gives an instant satisfaction when finally bought, blame it partial to the social media and advertisement that makes you believe that you need it. The way to have a hold over it is by being rational than irrational about one's needs and being comfortable with what one has and a bit below what you think you can live with, comfortably.

The choice of renting exist to unload the burden of buying things that you may need to sell to buy things you need.

3. SAVE MONEY:

The only factor you can control generates one of the only things that matter. How wonderful!

Having more control over your time and options is becoming one of the most valuable currencies in the world. There is nothing that can force me to deny what is been stated.

As our parents and our grandparents, where saving and the act of investment was directly proportional to various life goals like owning a house, car, planning for a world tour and child education. Saving in the present era should not exactly be pinned to any definite agenda, though the simple act of saving, is a good enough reason to be prepared for anything, which helps you to step up in life or hold you up in the worst of your phase.

4. You will change:

long term planning is harder than it seems because people's goals and desires change over time.

We, humans, are been carried away via various phases in our lives and yet we think we will retain the same characteristics we held decades ago.

Like a child dreaming to be a superhero in his mind which holds no fear or worry of life, eventually realises the world around and hence his goals changes. We change and we keep changing ourselves to best suit our survival opportunities.

A creative professional does have its set of phases to pass through and eventually feels the need to change or grow in various aspects. Our life plans and goals changes and so so does our priority.

In the worst scenario where your creative profession didn't turn up as per your expectation in a definite time period or you need a few years to gain a certain skill set very much in demand in your area, or a sudden personal pitfall, gives anyone a valid reason to save.

5. The seduction of pessimism:

Optimism is a belief that the odds of a good outcome are in your favor over time, even when there will be setbacks along the way

The life of a creative professional is full of uncertainty, one's economy is directly proportional to its standard of living. Yet in the past decades, we have observed and lived uncertainties and hence it justifies enough to be not too sure about the coming times. The future is uncertain and so does the economy.

We may not adore a negative person or an idea though it holds the most power and gains our maximum attention. This desire to survive and the instinct in us as a human lets our minds think about the worst than the best to make themselves prepared well for the pain we all must avoid. The fear to live for months with no work calls or pitches. The anxiety where the bank is not fed well for long is a good reason to think about how we behave with our money and how we set our life in general. A certain amount of self-pampering is good for mind and soul and indeed important, as money earned is not worth it if it was what you finally hold on your deathbed.

Above all, a desire to be a creative professional, where the mind holds the possibility to attain a life considered successful in conventional terms. One's financial planning and the decision will eventually help one to do and create at its own pace, choose the best of the clients one wish to work for, and live in the best environment giving the utmost standard of living.

Tips and Tricks:

1. Buying vs Renting:

As a commercial advertising photographer and a product stylist, I hold no reasons to buy the latest of the camera, computer, lens and else every time it is been launched. Instead, I believe in renting my equipment as and when required. The ability and possibility to reach out to the best of the vendors in the market updating itself with the best give me more reasons not to shed my own money.

2. Buy the best you can afford:

My investment choices are based on the factor of how often I am using it and the amount of time it will require to cover my base expenditure and how much profit I may gain eventually.

Any buying choices must be around the factor of investment vs return.

A high-end digital gadget's self-life vs its depreciating market value is a must think about,

Eg: a computer with a well-built metal body along with a fast, high-end processor which can serve you and your work demands for the next 5 years may cost you 6x, it may seem like an expensive choice to go for versus a system with an average configuration and plastic built costing you 2x and last for a year only. In the case of the latter, you will end up spending 8x more to suit your need in the coming 5 years.

3. Living below my comfort level:

I am not a fashion vista nor my job demands me to be and hence a few pairs of awesome sports shoes, formals and athleisure are all I hold in my closet. My clients demand me in terms of my work quality not how I look like. To add my occasional visits to movie halls, entertainment centres and restaurants and once in a few years, vocational breaks has helped me to be sane enough for those days unannounced.

Given said the above, it is your personal choice to splurge though keep in mind how much value it is adding to your life in general.

4. Saving for the sake of Saving:

Every nation in its democratic nature has led to various advantages for anyone running its own shop. Tax redemptions are not solely for the corporate but even creatives should be aware of. My choice around my money is more about investing in the market and government funds than splurging on things I will not need eventually.

5. Being Rational vs Irrational:

A trick learned years ago is adding all you wish to own instantly on your cart and let it sit for a week and two and if possible for a month. A month is a good enough time for anyone to understand its priorities and eventually one can take a call accordingly. The goal is to educate yourself about what is important vs a temporary gratification.

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Thank you so much for reading and I hope it helped you to understand your own relationship with your money better or share it with someone whom you think is an aspiring creative and needs a little nudge in regards to its financial understanding.

I am Shovona Karmakar, a commercial advertising photographer and product stylist based out of Mumbai, India. I specialize in portraits, editorials, people, products and cinemagraphs. If you are looking for a creative professional alike or wish to drop a Hi! feel free to ping me or use my contact form.

#psychologyofmoney #creativeprofession #photographyandmoney #moneypsychology #moneyforcreatives #advertisingphotographer #portraitphotographer