“Creative Living, Defined
“So this, I believe, is the central question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?
“Look, I don't know what's hidden within you. I have no way of knowing such a thing. You yourself may barely know, although I suspect you've caught glimpses. I don't know your capacities, your aspirations, your longings, your secret talents. But surely something wonderful is sheltered inside you. I say this with all confidence, because I happen to believe that we are all walking repositories of buried treasure. I believe this is one of the oldest and most generous tricks the universe plays on us human beings, both for its own amusement and for ours. The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.
“The hunt to uncover those jewels -- that's creative living.
“The courage to go on that hunt in the first place -- that's what separates a mundane existence from a more enchanted one.
“The often surprising results of that hunt -- that's what I call Big Magic.”
-Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic (2015) p. 8