Elizabeth Gilbert on a different way to think about creative genius

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

Elizabeth Gilbert faced down a ­premidlife crisis by doing what we all secretly dream of - running off for a year. Her travels through Italy, India and Indonesia resulted in the megabestselling and deeply beloved memoir Eat, Pray, Love, about her process of finding herself by leaving home.

She's a longtime magazine writer - covering music and politics for Spin and GQ - as well as a novelist and short-story writer. Her books include the story collection Pilgrims, the novel Stern Men (about lobster fishermen in Maine) and a biography of the woodsman Eustace Conway, called The Last American Man. Her work has been the basis for one movie so far (Coyote Ugly, based on her own memoir, in this magazine article, of working at the famously raunchy bar), and now it looks as if Eat, Pray, Love is on the same track, with the part of Gilbert reportedly to be played by Julia Roberts. Not bad for a year off.

Gilbert also owns and runs the import shop Two Buttons in Frenchtown, New Jersey.

Comments

[zola77]

Personally, I prefer to recognise acts of astounding feat as genius. Einstein and Newton were genuises, the founding fathers were geniuses. My ability to write a successful novel, or create a worthy piece of art is NOT genius.

Geniuses should be recognised as the innovators and ground breakers that they are - they are iconoclasts. They progress society.

The average person can break through incredible barriers, improve him/herself...but that is not innovation, nor is it ground breaking. It is just admirable, even amazing. Why do we have to 'puff up' the impact of our own achievements? Is it to make us feel better about ourselves? I

I dont think genius is relative, its objective. Let's keep some perspective.