Any of you nerd out smartypants kids out there are wellfamiliar with the Ted Talks. My favorite is Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk on Creativity.
With humor & great Tom Waits stories, she breaks downthe ancient and destructive myths we have about being an artist.
#1,Unless I’m a raging alcoholic, I can’t be a good artist.
#2,Unless I’m an asshole to my boyfriend/girlfriend, I can’t be a good artist.
#3,No matter how good I am, I’ll probably never be good enough.
(Before it was a bestseller, I’d bought Eat, Pray, Love for 10 people – friends struggling w/ creativity,self-transformation, my aunt who was trying to beat cancer. No matter howOprah’ed out it got, that book is awesome.)
Last night, this Ted Talk caught my eye…. “The Art of Living Dangerously.”
Now I was hoping I’d learn to set myself on fire, wrestle a shark, flip off a policeman without getting a ticket. But it’s slightly more cerebral.
The thesis goes like this – it’s been scientifically proven that PEOPLE WHO TAKE MORE RISKS ARE HAPPIER.
I like this… because I knew there was a reason for the crazy things I do, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Because let’s face it, whenyou break off from the pack & get rid of the safety net… life can sometimes be HARD.
But yes, MORE REWARDING. Especially if you keep going.
The talk is cool – many of our groundbreaking inventors were so entranced by discovery, they didn’t even realize they were playing w/explosives ‘til they lost a finger.
Of course, if you fall off the cliff completely – end up dead, homeless, addicted to heroin – you probably won’t be more happy. The art is how to live dangerously safely.
So at the end, William Gurstelle give ideas for “living dangerously” in regular life. Only one problem: does this guy (who I bet really wanted to wear a bowtie for the speech) look like he knows danger????
So here are my suggestions:
Dress up like you would never –wigs, leather pants – and go dancing.
Skip work and go swimming… surfing, hiking, skydiving.
Leave your cellphone at home. (this isn’t danger, so much as salvation)
Go to the highest point you can get to & SHOUT AS LOUD AS YOU CAN.
Ride on the back of someone’s motorcycle.
On the front of the roller coaster.
Dress up like you would never –wigs, leather pants – and go to the grocery store.
Have sex somewhere that’s not your bed.
Next time you go on a date, say all the things you never say out of politeness, shyness, to meet someone else’s expectations.
Dress up like you would never –wigs, leather pants – and go to your parents’ house.
If all else fails, join a band.
At least jump onstage & kazoo w/ the Please, Please Me.
