Big Magic - Creative Living Beyond Fear

Elizabeth Gilbert in conversation with Heather Rose, Theatre Royal, Hobart. February 2016

In 2009 the author of Eat, Pray, Love had many convinced to ditch their bad marriage and begin again in Bali. Seven years later Elizabeth Gilbert has come a long way since sharing her personal pilgrimage. She is now highly respected for her writings on creative inspiration, the creative process and life in a creative world. Creativity is where she's at.

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of listening to her discuss her latest book Big Magic. Surrounded by a captive audience in Hobart, Gilbert shared stories from her own life, pearls of wisdom as well as that of her friends, challenging us to embrace our own curiosity and discover what inspires us to make and do.

So why bring this up, aren't we supposed to be talking social media here? Ok, let me explain. My role in digital marketing, as I perceive it, is to work with local businesses to develop their story, their unique offering and their important role in their chosen industry. Creating a brand, curating content, designing strategies - all key areas in this mad world of marketing. Just look at the words I chose in the previous sentence - 'creating', 'curating', 'designing' - these present participles are usually more familiar amongst artists or designers, but yet the use of them in my business is often commonplace. In fact they're integral to a successful outcome.

Perfectionism is just fear in really good shoes
— Elizabeth Gilbert

This subject captivates me and I firmly believe EVERYONE has the power to create, in fact it's innate in all of us but so often thwarted by ill-spoken comments and inconsiderate advice. Whether it's a marketing plan, an advertising campaign, a product launch or blog post, it all needs to be designed and presented in a way that is attractive to your audience. Adding your unique style and a sprinkling of your own special magic is what's needed to complete the process. That's where social media and Big Magic work hand in hand. Curating and creating. Consistently, courageously and with joy. At the end of the day, we all strive to do what we love, so why not work hard to make it happen

Need some help finding your big magic? I have a great Social Branding Brainstorm session ready and waiting for you. Get in touch if you'd like to learn more. Just leave me a comment or email jen@digitaldandy.com.au

Let me know what you think of this new plan for my blog posts - like the option to listen? I'd love to hear from you.

BONUS VIDEO below - take some time to watch this terrific Ted Talk by Liz Gilbert.