Darya Sinusoid, Author at Shortform Books

Big-Picture Goals: Put Your Whole Life in Perspective

As life constantly changes, how do you keep your focus on your values and goals? How do you make sure every small action you make is moving you closer to your destination? To achieve the life you want, you must start with the end in mind. This means identifying your big-picture goals—the life you want to lead, the character traits you want to embody, the impact you want to have on those around you—and then ensuring each daily action is in line with it. Keep reading to learn the importance of setting a big-picture goal for getting the life that

5 Tips for Overcoming Creative Blocks

Do you often get stuck in your creative process? How do artists deal with creative blocks? According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Big Magic, if your creative process doesn’t flow, you may be fearful of the uncertainty that is inherent in creating something innovative or novel. Or perhaps, you are creating for the wrong reason (e.g. strictly to make money). In this article, we’ll discuss Gilbert’s tips for overcoming creative blocks.

Elizabeth Gilbert: Where Does Creativity Come From?

Where does creativity come from? And is there a way to invite it into your life? According to Elizabeth Gilbert, creativity comes from “Big Magic”—a mystical force where creative ideas reside. This force is bigger than us and cannot be explained scientifically or proven empirically. It is an eternal cosmic entity that creatives must have faith in. Keep reading to learn where creativity comes from, according to Elizabeth Gilbert.

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Tips for Living a Creative Life

What does it mean to live a creative life? What do you do when your creative juices run dry? According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Big Magic, creativity is not a one-off project or pursuit only for the young. It is, rather, a lifestyle and mode of being you should maintain throughout your lifetime. Here, we’ll discuss Gilbert’s suggestions for living a creative life.

Big Magic: Quotes From Elizabeth Gilbert

Are you looking for Big Magic quotes by Elizabeth Gilbert? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert offers both spiritual wisdom on how to work with the magical forces of creativity, as well as suggestions on how to create effectively and productively. Gilbert draws on her successful career as a writer, best known for her 2006 memoir Eat Pray Love, and her advice is aimed toward anyone who has a creative bent. Below is a selection of Big Magic quotes with explanations.

Is Suffering the Key to Creativity? Dispelling the Myth

What is the connection between creativity and suffering? Does pain really facilitate creativity? Can you create great work without suffering for it? There is a common tendency to see creativity as necessitating or being facilitated by suffering. This view has been promulgated by Christianity and 18th and 19th century German Romanticism, both of which put a premium on agony. The central idea of these philosophies is that you cannot create something great without suffering for it. In this article, we’ll explore why pain is commonly associated with creativity, and why this is, in fact, far from the truth.

Nassim Taleb: Is Your Skin in the Game?

How does Nassim Taleb define “skin in the game”? How do you know whether you have your skin in the game? Someone who has their “skin in the game” has a vested interest in the outcome of an event and, more importantly, has something to lose. Essentially, Taleb equates skin in the game to risk. The more you have to lose, the more skin you have in the game. In this article, we’ll go over some broad principles that are key to understanding Nassim Taleb’s skin in the game philosophy.

Why Humans Have a Natural Creative Impulse

Why do people like to be creative? Do you think there is a biological underpinning for the human creative impulse? We, humans, enjoy and take pride in our creativity. The creative impulse dates back to pre-historic times—ancient cave drawings, sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing tools dating back 2.5 million years ago. According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the human proclivity toward creativity is encoded in our DNA. In this article, we’ll explore where the human creative impulse stems from.

Peace in Society Without Policing: A Pipe Dream?

Are humans more peaceful or destructive by nature? Is peace in society possible without central overseeing authority? In his book Skin in the Game, Nassim Taleb argues that peace is a natural state of human civilization. However, many people falsely assume that the natural state of civilization is ceaseless, destructive conflict, which leads them to believe that institutions need to intervene. In this article, we’ll explain why Taleb sees peace as the dominant status of civilization and how, when left to their own devices, people tend to resolve conflict and collaborate.

The Lindy Effect: The Ultimate Test of Time

What is the Lindy effect? Why does the longer something has been around, the longer it will likely be around in the future? Named after a deli in which actors are said to have casually invented the idea, the Lindy effect states that a nonperishable thing’s longevity is roughly equal to its current age. In other words, truly effective ideas, inventions, and institutions become less likely to die as time goes on. As Nicholas Taleb puts it, if something is “Lindy,” it “ages in reverse.” In this article, we’ll explore the “Lindy effect” and show why, in the absence of