I met Elizabeth Gilbert...it was BIG MAGIC ✨
And had the best weekend with author besties!
My weekend with one of the world’s leading creativity experts…
Last weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of heading to Sydney with four author friends (Rebecca Heath, Amanda Knight, Anthea Hodgson, and Rachael Treasure) to attend an Elizabeth (Liz) Gilbert Creativity Workshop. As a HUGE Big Magic fan, I adore the way Liz writes about creativity, so I was beyond excited—though admittedly, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.
The event schedule gave us little to go on:
On Day One we will focus on the creative aspects of our lives. Liz will tell inspirational stories from her own life, and will lead the group in a series of written exercises based on the chapters of Big Magic. Through these simple but moving exercises, we will begin to see how the different channels of fear, enchantment, trust, permission, and mysticism guide and direct the creative imagination. It is not necessary that people self identify as “creatives” in order to take this workshop. You don’t have to be a writer, an artist, a musician, etc. You just have to be interested in living a life that is based more upon curiosity than fear. All are welcome!
On Day Two we will talk about strategies of liberation from cultural and familial expectations. This will share her ideas about how radical in revolutionary it is to be a relaxed person in an ever more stressful world, and she will lead the group through a series of meditations and exercises intended to free people from the thought-prisons and toxic obligations that can make life feel like a torment instead of an adventure. Building upon the creative work we did the day before, these experiences will being a new and revolutionary sense of liberation to the participants. Again, all are welcome! The only thing you need to bring to this weekend-long event is a notebook, a pen, and an open mind.
So, my author friends and I arrived, excited but also a bit anxious about what lay ahead. The event was hosted at the stunning Sydney Town Hall, filled with rows of seats. We sat together, pens and notebooks ready, chatting with other (mostly) women around us as we waited for Liz. When she finally appeared, she looked impossibly cool, with her shaved head, orange glasses, and dark blue boiler suit. She immediately told us how much she LOVED us and how thrilled she was to spend the next 48 hours with us (though, for clarity, the workshop was only 8 hours of those 48—semantics, right?).
I’m not entirely sure how to explain what happened over those 8 hours. It wasn’t so much about creativity as it was about delving into our deepest fears—those things that hold us back from living a fully creative life—and the things that enchant and excite us. Liz made us all separate from the friends we’d come with and pair up with strangers for the exercises. Some of the participants were resistant, but I figured I’d traveled all this way and paid a good amount, so I was going to lean all the way in. I ended up meeting some wonderful people, and the reasoning behind this was clear: it allowed us to be more honest, even more truthful, than we might have been with a close friend.
One of the most powerful exercises was writing a letter to a difficult person in our lives, telling them we were willing to “betray, abandon, and disappoint” them in order to live our most fulfilled lives. Many letters were directed at parents. I wrote mine to religious expectations. Having attended a very religious school, I feel that certain doctrines led me to make decisions I regret, and I don’t want my own children to feel restricted by similar pressures. Who would your letter be to?
At the end of the weekend, Liz asked us to reflect on what we’d learned by reviewing our notes and highlighting anything that stood out. We then created a list of our top ten takeaways. Some are self-explanatory, and others I’ll explain further.
Top Ten Takeaways from Liz Gilbert Workshop:
Creative living is a way of being – It’s about making decisions based on curiosity rather than fear.
"If you want to suffer, get a future." – This is about not letting concerns about the future control your present. (I’ll admit, this doesn’t always feel practical, but I get the idea.)
Earth School – Liz talked a lot about how life on earth is a soul’s education. We’re not just here to learn, but also to allow others to learn. This made me reflect on my kids—unless it’s going to cause harm, I should let them choose their own path, even if it means my youngest doesn’t want to go to university. It’s his journey, not mine.
Fear is not a bug, it’s a feature. – As both a mother and a novelist, I spend a lot of time feeling scared—scared something might happen to my kids, scared I’m not good enough, scared I’ll never finish my next book. Fear is an inevitable part of the creative process, but it doesn’t need to paralyse us. We did an exercise where we wrote down all our fears in five minutes, then we told fear it had its moment and was no longer welcome.
Embrace a spirit of self-friendliness. – While much of what Liz shared could seem selfish, she prefers the term “self-friendliness.” To be kind to others, we first need to be kind to ourselves. I love this idea because my word for the year is grace, which aligns perfectly with this concept.
It’s dangerous to look to others to know what you should be doing. – Enough said.
Not everyone gets a response from you, even if they want one. – This was a lightbulb moment for me. I often feel overwhelmed by emails and messages, stressing about getting back to everyone. Maybe, just maybe, I don’t need to respond to everyone.
THE WORLD NEEDS PEOPLE WHO AREN’T FREAKING OUT!!!! – This one hit home. I’m an optimist, and sometimes I think my positivity might annoy my friends or family. But the world does need more people who are calm and optimistic, right?
Don’t let anyone walk inside your mind with dirty feet. – Liz attributed this quote to someone else, but I didn’t catch who. Regardless, it’s a fantastic reminder not to let negativity or toxicity invade your mind.
My highest service to the world is bringing JOY and ENTERTAINMENT through books. – One of the exercises was to list the things that enchant us and pick the one that stands out the most. For me, it was the joy I feel during events—especially when I see the excitement in the audience. I felt this intensely at my Penrith event, where over 100 people (some in devil horns for my new book!) shared in that energy. I’ve realized that my highest service to the world is indeed bringing joy through my writing.
There were so many other wonderful things Liz shared, but I’ll wrap up with one of the most fun activities we did: writing ourselves a letter from the “Office of the Principal” (who Rachael Treasure named Mr Edward Butthead) giving us permission not to do certain things. Read mine below…
My letter from the Office of the Principal
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
RACHAEL ELIZABETH JOHNS has my permission":
not to write cover quotes
to treat deadlines loosely
to go away with friends
to not clean the house when no one else seems to care
to read whenever I like
to not obsess about my weight
to not cook dinner
to cook the same dinner regularly
to not compare herself to others
to have pink hair
to get a nose ring
to drink Diet Coke
to wear clothes that make me happy even if they’re not ‘age-appropriate’
to say NO
to make my own decisions about my career
to buy more books than I can ever read
to slow down
to rest
to take care of my health, even if it seems expensive (eg. reformer pilates)
to prioritise writing
to be optimistic
to stay in bed or stay up late reading
to not feel guilty about doing what is right for her
to be excitable!
Over the weekend, I had several discussions with my author friends, and we all wrestled with the fact that a lot of what Liz encouraged felt, at first, quite selfish. She shared that when she receives emails asking for something, she often just deletes them because she doesn’t care. She urged us to embrace the phrase "I DON’T CARE," which was a tough concept for us to swallow. It isn’t that we don’t care, but rather that we often don’t have the time or mental energy to take on what is being asked of us. That said, we did agree that we could all probably afford to be a little more selfish and put ourselves first more often.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into my weekend with the indomitable Liz Gilbert!
Thanks for this Rachael! I’ve heard pieces of these messages from Liz in various forums but it was interesting to hear how she packaged it all in a dedicated weekend. It can seem easy to just say, ‘I don’t care’ - like that’s the solution. But I suppose what might be more relevant is ‘why do I care?’ If we unpack that a bit then we can decide whether we want to continue caring or not!
Really loved your letter from the office of the principal - after a shock diagnosis June 2024 - this is exactly what I needed to read and some of which to apply to my life going forward