TED2009
Elizabeth Gilbert: Your elusive creative genius
Elizabeth Gilbert despre cultivarea creativitatii.
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Elizabeth Gilbert mediteaza despre lucrurile imposibile pe care le asteptam de la artisti si genii -- si impartaseste ideea radicala ca, inloc sa consideram ca "geniile" sunt persoane greu de gasit, fiecare dintre noi "are" un geniu. Este un discurs amuzant, intim si surprinzator.
Elizabeth Gilbert - Writer
The author of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some big topics. Her fascinations: genius, creativity and how we get in our own way when it comes to both. Full bio
The author of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some big topics. Her fascinations: genius, creativity and how we get in our own way when it comes to both. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
I am a writer.
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Sunt scriitoare.
00:15
Writing books is my profession but it's more than that, of course.
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A scrie carti este profesia mea, dar este, desigur, mai mult de atat.
00:19
It is also my great lifelong love and fascination.
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Este totodata marea mea dragoste si fascinatie de o viata.
00:23
And I don't expect that that's ever going to change.
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Si nu ma astept ca acest lucru sa se schimbe vreodata.
00:25
But, that said, something kind of peculiar has happened recently
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Dar, acestea fiind spuse, ceva oarecum ciudat s-a intamplat recent
00:30
in my life and in my career,
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in viata si in cariera mea,
00:33
which has caused me to have to recalibrate my whole relationship with this work.
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care m-a determinat sa-mi recalibrez intreaga relatie cu munca.
00:38
And the peculiar thing is that I recently wrote this book,
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Si lucrul ciudat este ca am scris recent aceasta carte,
00:41
this memoir called "Eat, Pray, Love"
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aceasta autobiografie intitulata "Mananca, Roaga-te, Iubeste"
00:43
which, decidedly unlike any of my previous books,
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care, categoric spre deosebire de oricare dintre cartile mele anterioare,
00:48
went out in the world for some reason, and became this big,
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a iesit in lume pentru un oarecare motiv, si a devenit acest important,
00:51
mega-sensation, international bestseller thing.
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mega-senzational best seller international.
00:54
The result of which is that everywhere I go now,
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Rezultatul este ca oriunde merg acum,
00:57
people treat me like I'm doomed.
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oamenii ma trateaza de parca as fi condamnata.
01:00
Seriously -- doomed, doomed!
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Serios - condamnata, condamnata!
01:03
Like, they come up to me now, all worried, and they say,
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Vin de exemplu ingrijorati si imi spun:
01:05
"Aren't you afraid you're never going to be able to top that?
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"Nu iti este teama -- nu iti este teama ca niciodata nu vei putea sa mai depasesti performanta asta?
01:10
Aren't you afraid you're going to keep writing for your whole life
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Nu iti este teama ca vei continua sa scrii intreaga ta viata
01:13
and you're never again going to create a book
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fara a mai crea vreodata o carte
01:15
that anybody in the world cares about at all,
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de care sa ii pese cuiva pe lumea asta
01:18
ever again?"
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vreodata?"
01:20
So that's reassuring, you know.
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Este foarte linistitor, intr-adevar.
01:22
But it would be worse, except for that I happen to remember
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Dar ar fi fost si mai rau daca nu mi-as aminti totusi
01:25
that over 20 years ago, when I first started telling people -- when I was a teenager --
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ca acum 20 de ani, cand am inceput sa marturisesc oamenilor -- pe vremea cand eram adolescenta --
01:29
that I wanted to be a writer,
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ca vreau sa devin scriitoare,
01:31
I was met with this same kind of, sort of fear-based reaction.
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m-am lovit de acelasi tip de reactie bazata pe un fel de frica.
01:34
And people would say, "Aren't you afraid you're never going to have any success?
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Si oamenii spuneau "Nu ti-e teama ca nu vei mai avea niciodata parte de succes?"
01:37
Aren't you afraid the humiliation of rejection will kill you?
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Nu te temi ca umilinta respingerii te va ucide?
01:40
Aren't you afraid that you're going to work your whole life at this craft
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Nu iti este frica ca vei lucra intreaga ta viata in acest domeniu
01:43
and nothing's ever going to come of it
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si nimic nicioadata nu va iesi de aici
01:45
and you're going to die on a scrap heap of broken dreams
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si o sa mori pe o gramada de vise sfaramante
01:47
with your mouth filled with bitter ash of failure?"
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cu gura plina de cenusa amara a esecului?"
01:51
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
01:53
Like that, you know.
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Ceva de genul asta.
01:55
The answer -- the short answer to all those questions is, "Yes."
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Raspunsul -- raspunsul pe scurt la toate acele intrebari este "Da."
02:00
Yes, I'm afraid of all those things.
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Da, imi este teama de toate acele lucruri.
02:02
And I always have been.
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Si intotdeauna mi-a fost.
02:03
And I'm afraid of many, many more things besides
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Si imi este teama in plus de inca multe alte lucruri
02:06
that people can't even guess at,
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pe care oamenii nici macar nu le pot intui.
02:08
like seaweed and other things that are scary.
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Ca de exemplu algele marine, si alte lucruri care sunt infricosatoare.
02:12
But, when it comes to writing,
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Dar cand este vorba despre scris
02:14
the thing that I've been sort of thinking about lately, and wondering about lately, is why?
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lucrul la care m-am tot gandit si despre care m-am tot intrebat in ultima vreme este "de ce?"
02:18
You know, is it rational?
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Este ceva rational?
02:20
Is it logical that anybody should be expected
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Este logic ca oricine sa se astepte ca
02:23
to be afraid of the work that they feel they were put on this Earth to do.
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sa le fie teama de munca pe care simt ca au fost destinati sa o faca pe acest Pamant.
02:27
And what is it specifically about creative ventures
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Si ce este atat de specific initiativelor creative
02:32
that seems to make us really nervous about each other's mental health
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ce pare ca ne nelinisteste cu adevarat in privinta propriei sanatati mentale
02:35
in a way that other careers kind of don't do, you know?
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intr-un fel in care alte profesii nu o fac?
02:38
Like my dad, for example, was a chemical engineer
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Tatal meu, de exemplu, a fost inginer chimist
02:42
and I don't recall once in his 40 years of chemical engineering
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si nu imi aduc aminte ca in cei 40 de ani ai lui de inginerie chimica
02:45
anybody asking him if he was afraid to be a chemical engineer, you know?
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sa-l fi intrebat cineva daca nu ii este teama sa fie un inginer chimist.
02:49
It didn't -- that chemical-engineering block, John, how's it going?
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Nu s-a intamplat -- John, cum merge cu blocajul in ingineria chimica?
02:55
It just didn't come up like that, you know?
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Pur si simplu nu se intampla asa ceva.
02:57
But to be fair, chemical engineers as a group
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Dar ca sa fim sinceri, inginerii chimisti ca grup
03:01
haven't really earned a reputation over the centuries
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nu si-au prea catigat de-a lungul secolelor reputatia
03:03
for being alcoholic manic-depressives.
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de a fi alcoolici maniaco-depresivi.
03:06
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
03:08
We writers, we kind of do have that reputation,
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Noi scriitori insa, cam avem aceasta reputatie,
03:11
and not just writers, but creative people across all genres,
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si nu numai scriitorii, dar artistii de toate felurile,
03:14
it seems, have this reputation for being enormously mentally unstable.
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se pare ca au aceasta reputatie de a fi puternic labili mental.
03:19
And all you have to do is look at the very grim death count
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Si tot ce avem de facut este sa ne uitam la numarul sumbru de morti inregistrate
03:23
in the 20th century alone, of really magnificent creative minds
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numai in secolul 20, in randul mintilor magnific de creative,
03:27
who died young and often at their own hands, you know?
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care au murit de tineri si adesea de propria mana.
03:30
And even the ones who didn't literally commit suicide
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Si chiar si aceia care nu s-au sinucis la propriu
03:33
seem to be really undone by their gifts, you know.
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par a fi cu adevarat distrusi de propriile talente.
03:36
Norman Mailer, just before he died, last interview, he said
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Norman Mailer, chiar inainte de a muri, in ultimul interviu, a spus ca
03:39
"Every one of my books has killed me a little more."
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"Fiecare dintre cartile mele m-a ucis un pic mai mult."
03:43
An extraordinary statement to make about your life's work.
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O marturisire extraordinara despre munca ta de o viata.
03:47
But we don't even blink when we hear somebody say this
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Dar nici macar nu clipim cand auzim pe cineva zicand asta
03:50
because we've heard that kind of stuff for so long
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deoarece am auzit astfel de lucruri atat de multe ori
03:53
and somehow we've completely internalized and accepted collectively
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si cumva am absorbit si acceptat complet, la nivel colectiv,
03:57
this notion that creativity and suffering are somehow inherently linked
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ideea ca creativitatea si suferinta sunt cumva inerent legate
04:01
and that artistry, in the end, will always ultimately lead to anguish.
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si ca arta, pana la urma, va conduce intotdeauna intr-un final la suferinta.
04:06
And the question that I want to ask everybody here today
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Si intrebarea pe care vreau sa o adresez astazi tuturor de aici
04:08
is are you guys all cool with that idea?
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este: sunteti cu totii impacati cu aceasta idee?
04:11
Are you comfortable with that?
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Sunteti comfortabile cu ea --
04:14
Because you look at it even from an inch away and, you know ...
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pentru ca asa cum se vede cu ochiul liber --
04:17
I'm not at all comfortable with that assumption.
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eu nu ma impac deloc cu aceasta ipoteza.
04:20
I think it's odious.
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Cred ca este odioasa.
04:21
And I also think it's dangerous,
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Si de asemenea cred ca e periculoasa
04:23
and I don't want to see it perpetuated into the next century.
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si nu as vrea sa o vad perpetuata in secolul viitor.
04:26
I think it's better if we encourage our great creative minds to live.
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Cred ca este mai bine daca ne incurajam marii artisti sa traiasca.
04:30
And I definitely know that, in my case -- in my situation --
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Si stiu cu siguranta ca, in cazul meu -- in situatie mea --
04:36
it would be very dangerous for me to start sort of leaking down that dark path
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ar fi foarte periculos pentru mine sa incep sa ma indrept pe cararea intunecata
04:41
of assumption, particularly given the circumstance
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a acestei ipoteze, in special datorita circumstantei
04:44
that I'm in right now in my career.
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in care ma aflu acum profesional.
04:46
Which is -- you know, like check it out,
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Ca de exemplu,
04:49
I'm pretty young, I'm only about 40 years old.
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sunt destul de tanara, am doar in jur de 40 de ani.
04:51
I still have maybe another four decades of work left in me.
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Mai am probabil inca 4 decenii de munca inainte.
04:54
And it's exceedingly likely that anything I write from this point forward
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Si este foarte probabil ca tot ceea ce voi scrie incepand cu acest moment
04:59
is going to be judged by the world as the work that came after
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sa fie judecat de catre omenire ca munca ce a venit dupa
05:02
the freakish success of my last book, right?
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straniul succes al ultimelei mele carti, corect?
05:05
I should just put it bluntly, because we're all sort of friends here now --
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Ce ar fi sa o spun fara menajamente, pentru ca intr-un fel toti cei de aici suntem deja prieteni --
05:09
it's exceedingly likely that my greatest success is behind me.
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este foarte probabil ca cel mai mare succes al meu sa se fi intamplat deja.
05:13
So Jesus, what a thought!
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Oh, Doamne, ce gand!
05:16
That's the kind of thought that could lead a person
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Asta e genul de gand care ar putea face pe cineva
05:18
to start drinking gin at nine o'clock in the morning,
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sa inceapa sa bea gin la ora 9 dimineata,
05:21
and I don't want to go there.
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si nu vreau sa ajung acea persoana.
05:24
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
05:25
I would prefer to keep doing this work that I love.
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Prefer sa fac in continuare aceasta meserie pe care o iubesc.
05:27
And so, the question becomes, how?
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Si atunci, intrebarea devine: cum?
05:31
And so, it seems to me, upon a lot of reflection,
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Si astfel mi se pare, dupa multa meditatie,
05:33
that the way that I have to work now, in order to continue writing,
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ca maniera in care trebuie sa lucrez acum, pentru a continua sa scriu,
05:37
is that I have to create some sort of protective psychological construct, right?
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este prin a-mi crea un fel de constructie psihologica protectiva, corect?
05:41
I have to sort of find some way to have a safe distance
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Trebuie, intr-un fel, sa gasesc o cale de a pastra o distanta sigura,
05:44
between me, as I am writing, and my very natural anxiety
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intre mine, cea care scrie, si teama mea absolut naturala
05:49
about what the reaction to that writing is going to be, from now on.
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legata de care va fi de acum inainte reactia la ceea ce scriu.
05:53
And, as I've been looking over the last year for models for how to do that
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Si cum am tot cautat in ultimul an modele in acest sens,
05:57
I've been sort of looking across time,
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am inceput sa caut de-a lungul timpului,
05:59
and I've been trying to find other societies
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si am incercat sa gasesc alte societati
06:01
to see if they might have had better and saner ideas than we have
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sa vad daca ar fi putut avea idei mai bune si mai sanatoase decate ale noastre
06:05
about how to help creative people, sort of manage
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despre cum sa fie ajutati oamenii creativi sa gestioneze
06:08
the inherent emotional risks of creativity.
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riscul emotional inerent al artei.
06:11
And that search has led me to ancient Greece and ancient Rome.
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Cercetarea aceasta m-a dus in Grecia si Roma antica.
06:16
So stay with me, because it does circle around and back.
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Deci urmariti-ma, caci cercul se inchide.
06:19
But, ancient Greece and ancient Rome --
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Dar, in vremea Grecie antice si a Romei antice
06:21
people did not happen to believe that creativity
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se face ca oamenii nu credeau ca creativitatea
06:24
came from human beings back then, O.K.?
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venea din interiorul omului, ok?
06:26
People believed that creativity was this divine attendant spirit
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Oamenii credeau ca creativitatea era un spirit divin ajutator
06:30
that came to human beings from some distant and unknowable source,
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care se pogora asupra oamenilor dintr-o sursa indepartata si neinteleasa,
06:34
for distant and unknowable reasons.
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din motive straine si neintelese.
06:37
The Greeks famously called these divine attendant spirits of creativity "daemons."
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Grecii numeau aceste spirite divine ajutatoare ale creativitatii cu faimosul termen "demoni".
06:42
Socrates, famously, believed that he had a daemon
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Socrate era faimos pentru ca credea ca are un demon
06:45
who spoke wisdom to him from afar.
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care ii transmitea intelepciunea din departari.
06:48
The Romans had the same idea,
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Romanii aveau aceeasi parere,
06:49
but they called that sort of disembodied creative spirit a genius.
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dar numeau acel spirit creativ, imaterial, geniu.
06:54
Which is great, because the Romans did not actually think
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Ceea ce este minunat, deoarece romanii nu credeau de fapt
06:57
that a genius was a particularly clever individual.
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ca un geniu era un individ deosebit de destept.
06:59
They believed that a genius was this, sort of magical divine entity,
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Credeau ca un geniu era un fel de entitate magica divina,
07:03
who was believed to literally live in the walls
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ce traia efectiv intre peretii
07:07
of an artist's studio, kind of like Dobby the house elf,
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studioului artistului, intr-un fel ca Dobby, spiridusul casei,
07:11
and who would come out and sort of invisibly assist the artist with their work
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care isi facea aparitia si insesizabil asista artistul in munca sa,
07:15
and would shape the outcome of that work.
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modeland rezultatul muncii respective.
07:18
So brilliant -- there it is, right there, that distance that I'm talking about --
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Absolut stralucit -- asta este, chiar asta e distanta despre care vorbeam --
07:21
that psychological construct to protect you from the results of your work.
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acea constructie psihologica care sa te protejeze de rezultatul muncii tale.
07:26
And everyone knew that this is how it functioned, right?
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Si toata lumea stia ca asa a functionat, corect?
07:29
So the ancient artist was protected from certain things,
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Deci artistul antic era protejat de anumite lucruri,
07:32
like, for example, too much narcissism, right?
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ca de exemplu, prea mult narcisism, corect?
07:34
If your work was brilliant you couldn't take all the credit for it,
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Daca munca ta era stralucita, nu iti puteai asuma tot meritul pentru ea,
07:37
everybody knew that you had this disembodied genius who had helped you.
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toata lumea stia ca aveai acest geniu fara trup care te-a ajutat.
07:41
If your work bombed, not entirely your fault, you know?
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Daca munca ta era criticata, nu era complet vina ta, nu-i asa?
07:45
Everyone knew your genius was kind of lame.
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Toata lumea stia ca geniul tau era cam ignorant.
07:48
And this is how people thought about creativity in the West for a really long time.
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Asa au privit oamenii din Vest creativitatea pentru o lunga perioada de timp.
07:53
And then the Renaissance came and everything changed,
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Apoi a venit Renasterea si totul s-a schimbat,
07:55
and we had this big idea, and the big idea was
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odata cu o anumita idee mareata, ideea mareata fiind
07:57
let's put the individual human being at the center of the universe
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sa punem omul ca individ in centrul universului
08:01
above all gods and mysteries, and there's no more room
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deasupra tuturor zeilor si misterelor, fara sa mai ramana loc
08:03
for mystical creatures who take dictation from the divine.
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pentru creaturi mistice care primesc ordine de la divin.
08:06
And it's the beginning of rational humanism,
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Era inceputul umanismului rational,
08:09
and people started to believe that creativity
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iar oamenii au inceput sa creada ca creativitatea
08:11
came completely from the self of the individual.
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venea cu totul din interiorul individului.
08:13
And for the first time in history,
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Si pentru prima oara in istorie
08:16
you start to hear people referring to this or that artist as being a genius
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oamenii au inceput sa se refere la unul sau altul dintre artisti ca fiind genii,
08:21
rather than having a genius.
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in loc sa aiba un geniu.
08:22
And I got to tell you, I think that was a huge error.
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Si trebuie sa va marturisesc, cred ca s-a facut o eroare imensa.
08:26
You know, I think that allowing somebody, one mere person
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Permitand cuiva, unei simple persoane,
08:30
to believe that he or she is like, the vessel,
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sa creada ca el sau ea este de fapt receptaculul,
08:33
you know, like the font and the essence and the source
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ca este de fapt izvorul si esenta si sursa
08:35
of all divine, creative, unknowable, eternal mystery
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intregului mister etern, divin, creativ, de nepatruns
08:39
is just a smidge too much responsibility to put on one fragile, human psyche.
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este un pic prea multa responsabilitate acordata psihicului fragil al omului.
08:45
It's like asking somebody to swallow the sun.
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Este ca si cum i-ai cere cuiva sa inghita soarele.
08:48
It just completely warps and distorts egos,
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Pur si simplu incovoaie si deformeaza egoul,
08:51
and it creates all these unmanageable expectations about performance.
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si genereaza toate aceste asteptari inimaginabile pe seama performantei.
08:55
And I think the pressure of that
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Cred ca presiune aceasta
08:57
has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years.
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ne-a ucis artistii unul dupa altul in ultimii 500 de ani.
09:00
And, if this is true,
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Si, daca este adevarat,
09:02
and I think it is true,
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iar eu cred ca este,
09:04
the question becomes, what now?
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intrebarea se pune: ce facem acum?
09:07
Can we do this differently?
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Putem sa facem lucrurile altfel?
09:09
Maybe go back to some more ancient understanding
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Poate sa ne intoarcem la sensurile mai vechi
09:12
about the relationship between humans and the creative mystery.
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ale relatiei dintre oameni si misterul creativitatii.
09:17
Maybe not.
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Poate nu.
09:18
Maybe we can't just erase 500 years of rational humanistic thought
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Poate ca nu putem pur si simplu sa stergem 500 de ani de gandire umanista rationala
09:22
in one 18 minute speech.
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printr-un discurs de 18 minute.
09:24
And there's probably people in this audience
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Si probabil ca se afla persoane in public
09:27
who would raise really legitimate scientific suspicions
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care ar ridica semne de intrebare absolut legitime stiintific
09:31
about the notion of, basically fairies
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pe tema, zanelor de fapt,
09:33
who follow people around rubbing fairy juice on their projects and stuff.
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care urmaresc oamenii presarand praf de zane peste proiectele lor si tot asa.
09:38
I'm not, probably, going to bring you all along with me on this.
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Probabil ca nu o sa va cooptez pe toti la aceasta idee.
09:43
But the question that I kind of want to pose is --
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Dar intrebarea pe care vreau sa o pun este --
09:45
you know, why not?
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de ce nu?
09:48
Why not think about it this way?
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De ce sa nu gandim in felul acesta?
09:49
Because it makes as much sense as anything else I have ever heard
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Pentru ca are sens la fel de mult ca orice altceva am auzit
09:54
in terms of explaining the utter maddening capriciousness
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in ceea ce priveste explicarea capriciozitatii complet innebunitoare
09:58
of the creative process.
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a procesului creativ.
09:59
A process which, as anybody who has ever tried to make something --
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Proces despre care oricine a incercat vreodata sa creeze ceva --
10:02
which is to say basically everyone here ---
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practic toti cei de aici --
10:04
knows does not always behave rationally.
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stie ca nu se comporta intotdeauna rational.
10:07
And, in fact, can sometimes feel downright paranormal.
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Si, de fapt, uneori poate parea de-a dreptul paranormal.
10:12
I had this encounter recently where I met the extraordinary American poet Ruth Stone,
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Recent am avut o intalnire unde am cunoscut-o pe extraordinara poeta americana Ruth Stone,
10:18
who's now in her 90s, but she's been a poet her entire life
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care acum are in jur de 90 de ani si care a fost poeta intreaga sa viata
10:20
and she told me that when she was growing up in rural Virginia,
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si care mi-a povestit ca atunci cand copilarea la tara in Virginia
10:24
she would be out working in the fields,
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se intampla sa lucreze pe camp,
10:25
and she said she would feel and hear a poem
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si pur si simplu simtea si auzea un poem
10:28
coming at her from over the landscape.
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2007
venind spre ea peste camp.
10:30
And she said it was like a thunderous train of air.
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Povestea ca era ca un val furtunos de aer.
10:34
And it would come barreling down at her over the landscape.
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Si se pravalea catre ea peste campuri.
10:36
And she felt it coming, because it would shake the earth under her feet.
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Il simtea venind, pentru ca i se zgaltaia pamantul sub picioare.
10:39
She knew that she had only one thing to do at that point,
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In acel moment stia ca are un singur lucru de facut,
10:43
and that was to, in her words, "run like hell."
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si anume, citez, "sa alerge ca apucata".
10:45
And she would run like hell to the house
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Si alerga ca apucata spre casa
10:46
and she would be getting chased by this poem,
201
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urmarita de poem,
10:48
and the whole deal was that she had to get to a piece of paper and a pencil
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si intreaga idee era sa ajunga la o bucata de hartie si un creion
10:51
fast enough so that when it thundered through her, she could collect it
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suficient de repede pentru ca atunci cand trecea prin ea duduind, sa il prinda
10:54
and grab it on the page.
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1501
si sa il puna pe hartie.
10:56
And other times she wouldn't be fast enough,
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1955
Uneori nu era suficient de rapida
10:58
so she'd be running and running and running, and she wouldn't get to the house
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3327
asa ca alerga si alerga si alerga, dar nu ajungea in casa
11:01
and the poem would barrel through her and she would miss it
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iar poemul se rostogolea prin ea si ea il pierdea
11:04
and she said it would continue on across the landscape,
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iar poemul isi continua drumul peste campuri,
11:06
looking, as she put it "for another poet."
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cautand, o citez pe ea "un alt poet".
11:09
And then there were these times --
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Erau si momente in care --
11:12
this is the piece I never forgot --
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si partea aceasta nu o voi uita niciodata --
11:14
she said that there were moments where she would almost miss it, right?
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momente in care povestea ca aproape il pierdea.
11:17
So, she's running to the house and she's looking for the paper
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Alerga acasa, cauta hartia
11:20
and the poem passes through her,
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iar poemul trecea prin ea
11:22
and she grabs a pencil just as it's going through her,
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si apuca creionul exact cand se pregatea sa iasa,
11:25
and then she said, it was like she would reach out with her other hand
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si povestea ca se intindea dupa el cu cealalta mana
11:27
and she would catch it.
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si il prindea.
11:29
She would catch the poem by its tail,
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Prindea poemul de coada
11:31
and she would pull it backwards into her body
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si il tragea inapoi in corp
11:34
as she was transcribing on the page.
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pe masura ce il transcria pe hartie.
11:36
And in these instances, the poem would come up on the page perfect and intact
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4855
In astfel de situatii, poemul aparea pe hartie perfect si intact
11:41
but backwards, from the last word to the first.
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dar de-a-ndoaselea, de la ultimul la primul cuvant.
11:44
(Laughter)
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1712
(Rasete)
11:46
So when I heard that I was like -- that's uncanny,
224
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4717
Cand am auzit-o -- este supranatural,
11:50
that's exactly what my creative process is like.
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era exact cum functioneaza propriul meu proces creativ.
11:53
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
11:57
That's not at all what my creative process is -- I'm not the pipeline!
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Procesul meu creativ nu se limiteaza la asta -- nu sunt conducta!
12:00
I'm a mule, and the way that I have to work
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1854
Sunt un catar, si felul in care muncesc
12:01
is that I have to get up at the same time every day,
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presupune sa ma trezesc in fiecare zi la aceeasi ora
12:03
and sweat and labor and barrel through it really awkwardly.
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si sa transpir si sa trudesc si sa ma strecor cu greutate.
12:06
But even I, in my mulishness,
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3000
Dar chiar si eu, in indaratnicia mea,
12:09
even I have brushed up against that thing, at times.
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chiar si eu am fost atinsa uneori de acel fenomen.
12:13
And I would imagine that a lot of you have too.
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Si imi imaginez ca la fel au fost si multi dintre voi.
12:15
You know, even I have had work or ideas come through me from a source
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3609
Pana si eu am avut proiecte sau idei care mi-au venit de la o sursa
12:18
that I honestly cannot identify.
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pe care sincer nu stiu sa o identific.
12:21
And what is that thing?
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Si ce reprezinta totusi asta?
12:22
And how are we to relate to it in a way that will not make us lose our minds,
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Si cum se presupune ca ar trebui sa ne raportam la ea astfel incat sa nu ne pierdem mintile,
12:26
but, in fact, might actually keep us sane?
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ci, dimpotriva, sa ne ajute sa ramanem sanatosi?
12:29
And for me, the best contemporary example that I have of how to do that
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Pentru mine, exemplul cel mai relevant din zilele noastre, pe care il am despre cum se poate face
12:33
is the musician Tom Waits,
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2332
este muzicianul Tom Waits,
12:35
who I got to interview several years ago on a magazine assignment.
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4541
caruia i-am luat un interviu cu cativa ani in urma la cererea revistei.
12:40
And we were talking about this,
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747735
1249
Vorbeam despre subiectul asta
12:41
and you know, Tom, for most of his life he was pretty much the embodiment
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3713
iar Tom a fost aproape toata viata lui intruchiparea
12:45
of the tormented contemporary modern artist,
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1924
artistului contemporan modern chinuit,
12:47
trying to control and manage and dominate
245
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2623
ce incearca sa controleze, sa gestioneze si sa domine
12:50
these sort of uncontrollable creative impulses
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2474
aceste impulsuri creative incontrolabile
12:52
that were totally internalized.
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1887
complet interiorizate.
12:54
But then he got older, he got calmer,
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761605
2005
Cu timpul a imbatranit, s-a linistit,
12:56
and one day he was driving down the freeway in Los Angeles he told me,
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2923
si imi povestea ca intr-o zi conducea pe autostrada spre Los Angeles
12:59
and this is when it all changed for him.
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1840
si atunci totul s-a schimbat.
13:01
And he's speeding along, and all of a sudden
251
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1991
In timp ce conducea, dintr-o data
13:03
he hears this little fragment of melody,
252
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3741
aude un fragment scurt dintr-o piesa
13:06
that comes into his head as inspiration often comes, elusive and tantalizing,
253
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4029
care ii vine in minte evaziv si amagitor, asa cum se intampla deseori cu inspiratia
13:10
and he wants it, you know, it's gorgeous,
254
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2128
si o vrea, este splendinda,
13:13
and he longs for it, but he has no way to get it.
255
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2071
ravneste la ea, dar nu are cum sa o apuce.
13:15
He doesn't have a piece of paper, he doesn't have a pencil,
256
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1868
Nu are nici foaie de hartie, nu are nici creion,
13:17
he doesn't have a tape recorder.
257
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1451
nici reportofon.
13:18
So he starts to feel all of that old anxiety start to rise in him
258
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2968
Incepe sa simta toata acea veche anxietate crescand in interior
13:21
like, "I'm going to lose this thing,
259
788620
1991
"O sa pierd momentul,
13:23
and then I'm going to be haunted by this song forever.
260
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1920
si cantecul acesta o sa ma bantuie pentru totdeauna.
13:25
I'm not good enough, and I can't do it."
261
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1771
Nu sunt suficient de bun, no o sa reusesc."
13:27
And instead of panicking, he just stopped.
262
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2392
Si in loc sa intre in panica, pur si simplu s-a oprit.
13:29
He just stopped that whole mental process
263
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1748
A oprit intregul proces mental
13:31
and he did something completely novel.
264
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2155
si a facut ceva cu totul si cu totul nou.
13:33
He just looked up at the sky, and he said,
265
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2722
A ridicat privirea catre cer si a spus:
13:36
"Excuse me, can you not see that I'm driving?"
266
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3014
"Scuze, nu vezi ca sunt la volan?"
13:39
(Laughter)
267
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3701
(Rasete)
13:42
"Do I look like I can write down a song right now?
268
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2734
"Ti se pare ca as putea sa scriu un cantec acum?
13:45
If you really want to exist, come back at a more opportune moment
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3845
Daca vrei cu adevarat sa existi, intoarce-te intr-un moment mai potrivit,
13:49
when I can take care of you.
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1662
cand pot sa ma ocup de tine.
13:51
Otherwise, go bother somebody else today.
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3077
Daca nu, du-te si deranjeaza pe altcineva astazi.
13:54
Go bother Leonard Cohen."
272
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3296
Du-te si deranjeaza-l pe Leonard Cohen."
13:57
And his whole work process changed after that.
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3132
Intregul lui proces creativ s-a schimbat dupa asta.
14:00
Not the work, the work was still oftentimes as dark as ever.
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3608
Nu opera, opera a continuat sa fie deseori la fel de intunecata ca intotdeauna.
14:04
But the process, and the heavy anxiety around it
275
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3059
Dar procesul in sine, si intreaga agnoasa din jurul lui,
14:07
was released when he took the genie, the genius out of him
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2986
s-a usurat in momentul in care a luat spiridusul, geniul ce salasuia in el
14:10
where it was causing nothing but trouble, and released it kind of back where it came from,
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3371
si cauza numai necazuri, si i-a dat drumul sa se intoarca inapoi de unde a venit,
14:13
and realized that this didn't have to be this internalized, tormented thing.
278
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3556
realizand ca nu trebuie sa fie ceva atat de interiorizat si de chinuitor.
14:17
It could be this peculiar, wondrous, bizarre collaboration
279
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3744
Ar putea fi aceasta colaborare unica, minunata si bizara
14:20
kind of conversation between Tom and the strange, external thing
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4132
sub forma unei conversatii intre Tom si entitatea exterioara, stranie
14:25
that was not quite Tom.
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2376
care nu prea era ca Tom.
14:27
So when I heard that story it started to shift a little bit
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2706
Dupa ce am auzit povestea am inceput sa schimb un pic
14:30
the way that I worked too, and it already saved me once.
283
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2629
felul care eu lucram si deja m-a salvat o data.
14:32
This idea, it saved me when I was in the middle of writing "Eat, Pray, Love,"
284
859947
3331
Aceasta abordare m-a salvat cand eram la mijlocul romanului "Mananca, Roaga-te, Iubeste",
14:36
and I fell into one of those, sort of pits of despair
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2588
si am cazut intr-un fel de put al disperarii
14:38
that we all fall into when we're working on something and it's not coming
286
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3341
in care cadem cu totii atunci cand lucram la ceva ce nu iese
14:42
and you start to think this is going to be a disaster,
287
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2242
si incepi sa te gandesti ca o sa fie un dezastru,
14:44
this is going to be the worst book ever written.
288
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1761
ca va fi cea mai proasta carte scrisa vreodata.
14:46
Not just bad, but the worst book ever written.
289
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2147
Nu doar proasta, ci cea mai proasta carte scrisa vreodata.
14:48
And I started to think I should just dump this project.
290
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3962
Incepusem sa ma gandesc ca ar trebui pur si simplu sa abandonez proiectul.
14:52
But then I remembered Tom talking to the open air
291
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3075
Atunci mi l-am amintit pe Tom vorbind spatiului deschis
14:55
and I tried it.
292
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2048
si am incercat si eu.
14:57
So I just lifted my face up from the manuscript
293
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2492
Mi-am ridicat privirea de pe manuscris
14:59
and I directed my comments to an empty corner of the room.
294
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2930
si mi-am adresat comentariile catre un colt gol al camerei.
15:02
And I said aloud, "Listen you, thing,
295
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3578
Am spus cu voce tare: "Asculta, fiinta,
15:06
you and I both know that if this book isn't brilliant
296
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3198
si tu si eu stim ca daca aceasta carte nu e extraordinara
15:09
that is not entirely my fault, right?
297
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1801
nu va fi doar vina mea, da?
15:11
Because you can see that I am putting everything I have into this,
298
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3327
Pentru ca poti sa vezi ca eu una pun la bataie tot ce am ca sa iasa,
15:14
I don't have any more than this.
299
901768
1368
si mai mult de atat nu pot.
15:15
So if you want it to be better, then you've got to show up and do your part of the deal.
300
903136
3226
Asa ca daca vrei sa fie mai bine de atat, trebuie sa iti faci aparitia si sa iti faci partea ta de treaba.
15:19
O.K. But if you don't do that, you know what, the hell with it.
301
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2994
Ok. Si daca nu o sa faci asta, stii ceva, la naiba cu toate.
15:22
I'm going to keep writing anyway because that's my job.
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2936
O sa continui sa scriu pentru ca asta e meseria mea.
15:25
And I would please like the record to reflect today
303
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1899
Si vreau sa consemneze pentru astazi
15:26
that I showed up for my part of the job."
304
914191
2300
ca eu mi-am facut partea mea de treaba."
15:29
(Laughter)
305
916491
3698
(Rasete)
15:32
Because --
306
920189
2087
Deoarece --
15:35
(Applause)
307
922276
2074
(Aplauze)
15:37
in the end it's like this, O.K. --
308
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2172
Concluzia este, ok --
15:39
centuries ago in the deserts of North Africa,
309
926522
2401
cu sute de ani in urma in deserturile Africii de Nord
15:41
people used to gather for these moonlight dances of sacred dance and music
310
928923
4667
oamenii obisnuiau sa se adune sa sarbatoreasca luna prin dansuri si muzica sacre
15:46
that would go on for hours and hours, until dawn.
311
933590
2704
ce durau ore in sir, pana la rasarit.
15:49
And they were always magnificent, because the dancers were professionals
312
936294
3027
Si erau intotdeauna minunati, pentru ca dansatorii erau profesionisti
15:52
and they were terrific, right?
313
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1174
si erau remarcabili, corect?
15:53
But every once in a while, very rarely, something would happen,
314
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3818
Dar uneori, foarte rar, ceva se intampla,
15:57
and one of these performers would actually become transcendent.
315
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3512
si unul dintre interpreti iesea cu adevarat din comun.
16:00
And I know you know what I'm talking about,
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2284
Sunt convinsa ca stiti cu totii la ce ma refer,
16:02
because I know you've all seen, at some point in your life, a performance like this.
317
950109
3954
pentru ca toti ati vazut, intr-un anumit moment, o astfel de interpretare.
16:06
It was like time would stop,
318
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2095
E ca si cum timpul se opreste
16:08
and the dancer would sort of step through some kind of portal
319
956158
2375
iar dansatorul paseste printr-un fel de portal
16:11
and he wasn't doing anything different than he had ever done, 1,000 nights before,
320
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4491
si, desi nu face nimic diferit decat de obicei, in celelalte 1000 de seri,
16:15
but everything would align.
321
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1751
totul se aliniaza.
16:17
And all of a sudden, he would no longer appear to be merely human.
322
964775
3032
Dintr-o data nu mai pare a fi in intregime om.
16:20
He would be lit from within, and lit from below
323
967807
2534
Este luminat din interior si luminat de jos
16:23
and all lit up on fire with divinity.
324
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3790
este aprins de focul divinitatii.
16:26
And when this happened, back then,
325
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2145
Pe vremuri, atunci cand se intampla
16:29
people knew it for what it was, you know, they called it by its name.
326
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4216
oamenii stiau ce era si ii spuneau pe nume.
16:33
They would put their hands together and they would start to chant,
327
980492
2632
Isi impreunau mainile si incepeau sa scandeze
16:35
"Allah, Allah, Allah, God, God, God."
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"Allah, Allah, Alllah, Doamne, Doamne, Doamne."
16:40
That's God, you know.
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Este Dumnezeu.
16:43
Curious historical footnote --
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Un amanunt istoric interesant --
16:45
when the Moors invaded southern Spain, they took this custom with them
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cand maurii au invadat sudul Spaniei, au dus cu ei acest obicei
16:50
and the pronunciation changed over the centuries
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iar pronuntia s-a transformat de-a lungul secolelor
16:52
from "Allah, Allah, Allah," to "Olé, olé, olé,"
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din "Allah, Allah, Allah'" in "Ole, ole, ole."
16:55
which you still hear in bullfights and in flamenco dances.
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si se aude inca in timpul luptelor cu taurii si dansurilor flamenco.
16:58
In Spain, when a performer has done something impossible and magic,
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In Spania, cand un interpret a reusit ceva imposibil si magic se striga
17:02
"Allah, olé, olé, Allah, magnificent, bravo,"
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"Allah, ole, ole, Allah, magnific, bravo."
17:05
incomprehensible, there it is -- a glimpse of God.
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de neinteles iata - o farama de Dumnezeire.
17:09
Which is great, because we need that.
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Este minunat, pentru ca avem nevoie de asa ceva.
17:11
But, the tricky bit comes the next morning,
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Dar partea grea vine a doua zi de dimineata
17:15
for the dancer himself, when he wakes up
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cand dansatorul insusi se trezeste
17:18
and discovers that it's Tuesday at 11 a.m., and he's no longer a glimpse of God.
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si descopera ca este marti, ora 11 dimineata si nu mai este o sclipire a Divinului.
17:22
He's just an aging mortal with really bad knees,
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Este un muritor care imbatraneste si pe care il dor genunchii
17:25
and maybe he's never going to ascend to that height again.
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si s-ar putea sa nu mai urce niciodata la asemenea inaltime.
17:29
And maybe nobody will ever chant God's name again as he spins,
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S-ar putea ca nimeni sa nu mai invoce numele Domnului atunci cand el se roteste
17:33
and what is he then to do with the rest of his life?
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deci ce se presupune ca ar trebui sa faca el cu restul vietii sale?
17:36
This is hard.
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Este greu.
17:37
This is one of the most painful reconciliations to make
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Este una dintre cele mai dureroase acceptari de facut
17:40
in a creative life.
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in viata creativa.
17:42
But maybe it doesn't have to be quite so full of anguish
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Dar poate nu ar fi un chin chiar atat de mare
17:45
if you never happened to believe, in the first place,
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daca nu ai crede inca de la inceput,
17:49
that the most extraordinary aspects of your being came from you.
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ca cele mai extraordinare parti ale fiintei tale vin din interior.
17:53
But maybe if you just believed that they were on loan to you
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Poate daca ai crede pur si simplu ca ti-au fost imprumutate
17:56
from some unimaginable source for some exquisite portion of your life
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de catre o sursa inimaginabila pentru cateva momente splendide din viata ta
17:59
to be passed along when you're finished, with somebody else.
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urmand sa fie date mai departe altcuiva, atunci cand momentele s-au incheiat.
18:03
And, you know, if we think about it this way it starts to change everything.
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Daca ne gandim astfel, totul incepe sa se schimbe.
18:08
This is how I've started to think,
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Eu asa am inceput sa gandesc
18:10
and this is certainly how I've been thinking in the last few months
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si asa am gandit in mod sigur in ultimele luni
18:13
as I've been working on the book that will soon be published,
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de lucru la cartea care va fi publicata curand,
18:16
as the dangerously, frighteningly over-anticipated follow up
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o continuare excesiv de asteptata, periculoasa si infricosatoare
18:20
to my freakish success.
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a ciudatului meu succes.
18:22
And what I have to, sort of keep telling myself
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Si ce am de facut, de repetat
18:25
when I get really psyched out about that,
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cand imi pierd curajul
18:27
is, don't be afraid.
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este: nu iti fie teama.
18:29
Don't be daunted.
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Nu fi speriata.
18:31
Just do your job.
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Pur si simplu fa-ti treaba
18:33
Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be.
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Continua sa iti faci partea, oricare ar fi ea.
18:36
If your job is to dance, do your dance.
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Daca esti dansator, atunci danseaza.
18:39
If the divine, cockeyed genius assigned to your case
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Daca geniul divin si excentric ce iti este repartizat
18:43
decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed, for just one moment
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decide sa lase sa se intrezareasca extraordinarul, chiar si pentru o clipa
18:48
through your efforts, then "Olé!"
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prin eforturile tale, atunci "Ole!"
18:50
And if not, do your dance anyhow.
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Si daca nu, danseaza oricum.
18:53
And "Olé!" to you, nonetheless.
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Si cu toate astea "Ole!" pentru tine.
18:55
I believe this and I feel that we must teach it.
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Cred in aceste lucruri si cred ca ar trebui sa le predam.
18:57
"Olé!" to you, nonetheless,
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"Ole!" pentru voi, totusi,
18:59
just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness
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pur si simplu pentru ca aveti o dragoste curata pentru omenire si incapatanarea
19:02
to keep showing up.
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de a participa in continuare.
19:04
Thank you.
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Multumesc.
19:06
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
19:08
Thank you.
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Multumesc.
19:09
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
19:12
June Cohen: Olé!
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June Cohen: Ole!
19:14
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Elizabeth Gilbert - WriterThe author of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some big topics. Her fascinations: genius, creativity and how we get in our own way when it comes to both.
Why you should listen
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 two movies so far (Coyote Ugly, based on her own tale of working at the famously raunchy bar in New York City), and Eat, Pray, Love, with the part of Gilbert played by Julia Roberts. Not bad for a year off.
In 2010, Elizabeth published Committed, a memoir exploring her ambivalent feelings about the institution of marriage. And her 2013 novel, The Signature of All Things, is "a sprawling tale of 19th century botanical exploration."
Gilbert also owns and runs the import shop Two Buttons in Frenchtown, New Jersey.
Elizabeth Gilbert | Speaker | TED.com