TED2014
Elizabeth Gilbert: Success, failure and the drive to keep creating
Elizabeth Gilbert: Uspeh, neuspeh in zagon za ustvarjanje
Filmed:
Readability: 3.8
5,069,463 views
Elizabeth Gilbert je bila nekoč neobjavljena natakarica v okrepčevalnici, uničena zaradi pisem o zavrnitvi. Pa vendar se je po uspehu romana Jej, moli, ljubi spet močno identificirala s svojim preteklim jazom. Z lepim vpogledom v svojo dušo Gilbertova razmišlja, zakaj je lahko uspeh prav tako begajoč kot neuspeh, in ponuja preprosto, čeravno težko pot, kako nadaljevati ne glede na izid.
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.
00:12
So, a few years ago I was at JFK Airport
0
797
2781
Pred nekaj leti sem bila na letališču JFK,
00:15
about to get on a flight,
1
3578
1792
pripravljena za vkrcanje,
00:17
when I was approached by two women
2
5370
1816
ko sta k meni pristopili dve ženski,
00:19
who I do not think would be insulted
3
7186
1662
ki, mislim, ne bi bili užaljeni,
00:21
to hear themselves described
4
8848
1394
če bi slišali, da ju opisujem
00:22
as tiny old tough-talking Italian-American broads.
5
10242
3942
kot majceni stari predrzni
italijansko-ameriški babnici.
italijansko-ameriški babnici.
00:26
The taller one, who is like up here,
6
14184
3146
Višja med njima, nekje do tule mi je bila,
00:29
she comes marching up to me, and she goes,
7
17330
2051
primaršira k meni in mi reče:
00:31
"Honey, I gotta ask you something.
8
19381
2319
"Ljubica, nekaj te moram vprašati.
00:33
You got something to do with that whole
9
21700
1428
Ti imaš nekaj opraviti s tisto
00:35
'Eat, Pray, Love' thing that's been going on lately?"
10
23128
3022
Jej, moli, ljubi stvarjo,
ki se dogaja zadnje čase?
ki se dogaja zadnje čase?
00:38
And I said, "Yes, I did."
11
26150
2114
In rekla sem: "Ja, imam."
Ona pa udari svojo prijateljico in gre:
00:40
And she smacks her friend and she goes,
12
28264
1788
00:42
"See, I told you, I said, that's that girl.
13
30052
2154
"Vidiš, sem ti rekla, to je tista punca.
00:44
That's that girl who wrote that book
14
32206
1950
To je tista punca, ki je napisala knjigo,
00:46
based on that movie."
15
34156
2034
ki temelji na tistem filmu."
00:48
(Laughter)
16
36190
2154
(smeh)
00:50
So that's who I am.
17
38344
2176
To sem torej jaz.
00:52
And believe me, I'm extremely
grateful to be that person,
grateful to be that person,
18
40520
3705
In verjemite, izredno sem hvaležna,
da sem ta oseba,
da sem ta oseba,
00:56
because that whole "Eat, Pray, Love" thing
19
44225
1998
ker je bila vsa ta Jej, moli, ljubi stvar
00:58
was a huge break for me.
20
46223
1744
zame velik preboj.
01:00
But it also left me in a really tricky position
21
47967
2508
Me je pa tudi pustila
v res kočljivem položaju,
v res kočljivem položaju,
01:02
moving forward as an author
22
50475
1908
ko sem kot pisateljica šla naprej,
01:04
trying to figure out how in the world
23
52383
1727
ugotavljala, kako za božjo voljo
01:06
I was ever going to write a book again
24
54110
1254
bom še kdaj napisala knjigo,
01:07
that would ever please anybody,
25
55364
1845
ki bo kogar koli navdušila,
01:09
because I knew well in advance
26
57209
1990
ker sem že vnaprej vedela,
01:11
that all of those people who
had adored "Eat, Pray, Love"
had adored "Eat, Pray, Love"
27
59199
2952
da bodo vsi tisti, ki so
oboževali Jej, moli, ljubi,
oboževali Jej, moli, ljubi,
01:14
were going to be incredibly disappointed
28
62151
1589
izjemno razočarani,
01:15
in whatever I wrote next
29
63740
1383
pa naj napišem kar koli,
01:17
because it wasn't going to be "Eat, Pray, Love,"
30
65123
1828
ker pač to ne bo Jej, moli, ljubi.
01:19
and all of those people who
had hated "Eat, Pray, Love"
had hated "Eat, Pray, Love"
31
66951
2446
Vsi tisti, ki so sovražili
knjigo Jej, moli, ljubi,
knjigo Jej, moli, ljubi,
01:21
were going to be incredibly disappointed
32
69397
1368
bodo prav tako razočarani,
01:22
in whatever I wrote next
33
70765
1443
pa naj napišem kar koli,
01:24
because it would provide evidence that I still lived.
34
72208
2453
ker jim bo to ponudilo dokaz,
da sem še vedno živa.
da sem še vedno živa.
01:26
So I knew that I had no way to win,
35
74661
3162
Torej sem vedela, da ne morem zmagati,
01:30
and knowing that I had no way to win
36
77823
2456
in ker sem vedela, da ne morem zmagati,
01:32
made me seriously consider for a while
37
80279
1904
sem za trenutek resno razmišljala,
01:34
just quitting the game
38
82183
1442
da bi preprosto zapustila igro
01:35
and moving to the country to raise corgis.
39
83625
3642
in se preselila na podeželje
in redila korgije.
in redila korgije.
01:39
But if I had done that, if I had given up writing,
40
87267
2060
Če bi to storila, se odrekla pisanju,
01:41
I would have lost my beloved vocation,
41
89327
2064
bi izgubila svoj ljubi poklic,
01:43
so I knew that the task was that I had to find
42
91391
2208
zato sem vedela,
da je moja naloga, da najdem
da je moja naloga, da najdem
01:45
some way to gin up the inspiration
43
93599
2399
nek način, da zberem navdih
01:48
to write the next book
44
95998
1432
za pisanje naslednje knjige,
01:49
regardless of its inevitable negative outcome.
45
97430
2496
ne glede na njen neizbežno negativni izid.
01:52
In other words, I had to find a way to make sure
46
99926
1608
Morala sem torej zagotoviti,
01:53
that my creativity survived its own success.
47
101534
2643
da bo moja kreativnost
preživela svoj lasten uspeh.
preživela svoj lasten uspeh.
01:56
And I did, in the end, find that inspiration,
48
104177
2423
In na koncu sem našla ta navdih,
01:58
but I found it in the most unlikely
49
106600
1538
in to na najbolj neverjetnem
02:00
and unexpected place.
50
108138
1414
in nepričakovanem mestu.
02:01
I found it in lessons that I had learned earlier in life
51
109552
3140
Našla sem ga v lekcijah, ki sem se jih
naučila prej v življenju,
naučila prej v življenju,
02:04
about how creativity can survive its own failure.
52
112692
3108
o tem, kako lahko kreativnost
preživi svoj lastni neuspeh.
preživi svoj lastni neuspeh.
02:08
So just to back up and explain,
53
115800
1606
Naj se vrnem in razložim:
02:09
the only thing I have ever wanted to be
54
117406
2313
edina stvar, ki sem si jo
kdaj koli želela biti
kdaj koli želela biti
02:11
for my whole life was a writer.
55
119719
1597
je bila biti pisateljica.
02:13
I wrote all through childhood,
all through adolescence,
all through adolescence,
56
121316
2372
Pisala skozi vse otroštvo,
skozi vso adolescenco,
skozi vso adolescenco,
02:15
by the time I was a teenager I was sending
57
123688
1816
ko sem bila najstnica, sem pošiljala
02:17
my very bad stories to The New Yorker,
58
125504
1836
svoje zelo slabe zgodbe New Yorkerju,
02:19
hoping to be discovered.
59
127340
1276
da bi me bo odkrili.
02:20
After college, I got a job as a diner waitress,
60
128616
2444
Po univerzi sem se zaposlila
kot natakarica
kot natakarica
02:23
kept working, kept writing,
61
131060
2136
delala sem in pisala,
02:25
kept trying really hard to get published,
62
133196
2248
močno sem se trudila, da bi me objavili,
02:27
and failing at it.
63
135444
1712
in nisem uspela.
02:29
I failed at getting published
64
137156
1472
Ni mi uspelo ničesar objaviti
02:30
for almost six years.
65
138628
1576
skoraj šest let.
02:32
So for almost six years, every single day,
66
140204
1608
Skoraj šest let sem vsak dan
02:34
I had nothing but rejection letters
67
141812
1656
dobivala samo pisma zavrnitve,
02:35
waiting for me in my mailbox.
68
143468
1652
ki so me čakala v nabiralniku.
02:37
And it was devastating every single time,
69
145120
1750
In vsakič je bilo uničujoče
02:39
and every single time, I had to ask myself
70
146870
2244
in vsakič sem se morala vprašati,
02:41
if I should just quit while I was behind
71
149114
2386
če bi kar prenehala, ko še lahko,
02:43
and give up and spare myself this pain.
72
151500
3690
in se predala
in si prihranila to bolečino.
in si prihranila to bolečino.
Potem pa sem našla svojo odločnost
02:47
But then I would find my resolve,
73
155190
1294
02:48
and always in the same way,
74
156484
1522
in to vedno na isti način:
02:50
by saying, "I'm not going to quit,
75
158006
2145
rekla sem si - ne bom se predala,
02:52
I'm going home."
76
160151
1821
domov grem.
02:54
And you have to understand that for me,
77
161972
948
Razumite, da zame
02:55
going home did not mean
returning to my family's farm.
returning to my family's farm.
78
162920
3572
iti domov ni pomenilo,
vrniti se na kmetijo moje družine.
vrniti se na kmetijo moje družine.
02:58
For me, going home
79
166492
1558
Zame iti domov
03:00
meant returning to the work of writing
80
168050
1551
pomeni vrniti se k pisanju,
03:01
because writing was my home,
81
169601
1885
ker je pisanje moj dom,
03:03
because I loved writing more
than I hated failing at writing,
than I hated failing at writing,
82
171486
3216
ker ljubim pisanje bolj
kot sovražim neuspeh pisanja.
kot sovražim neuspeh pisanja.
03:06
which is to say that I loved writing
83
174702
1505
Pisanje sem ljubila
03:08
more than I loved my own ego,
84
176207
1573
bolj kot svoj ego,
03:09
which is ultimately to say
85
177780
1404
kar v bistvu pomeni,
03:11
that I loved writing more than I loved myself.
86
179184
2592
da sem pisanje ljubila bolj kot samo sebe.
03:13
And that's how I pushed through it.
87
181776
1966
In tako se mi je uspelo prebiti.
03:15
But the weird thing is that 20 years later,
88
183742
1864
Čudno je, da sem se 20 let kasneje,
v norosti uspeha Jej, moli, ljubi,
03:17
during the crazy ride of "Eat, Pray, Love,"
89
185606
1498
03:19
I found myself identifying all over again
90
187104
2606
zalotila, da se spet identificiram
03:21
with that unpublished young diner waitress
91
189710
2400
s tisto mlado natakarico,
ki ji nič ne objavijo,
ki ji nič ne objavijo,
03:24
who I used to be, thinking about her constantly,
92
192110
2168
s tem, kdo sem bila,
razmišljala sem o njej
razmišljala sem o njej
03:26
and feeling like I was her again,
93
194278
1858
in se spet počutila kot ona,
03:28
which made no rational sense whatsoever
94
196136
1765
kar ni imelo nobenega smisla,
ker si ne bi mogli biti bolj različni.
03:30
because our lives could not
have been more different.
have been more different.
95
197901
1977
03:32
She had failed constantly.
96
199878
1448
Ona je nizala neuspehe,
03:33
I had succeeded beyond my wildest expectation.
97
201326
2644
jaz pa sem presegla
svoja najvišja pričakovanja.
svoja najvišja pričakovanja.
03:36
We had nothing in common.
98
203970
1350
Nič skupnega nisva imeli.
03:37
Why did I suddenly feel like I was her all over again?
99
205320
3166
Zakaj sem se nenadoma počutila kot ona?
03:40
And it was only when I was trying to unthread that
100
208486
2370
In šele kot sem poskušala to razvozlati,
03:43
that I finally began to comprehend
101
210856
1602
sem končno začela razumeti
03:44
the strange and unlikely psychological connection
102
212458
2404
čudno in malo verjetno psihološko povezavo
03:47
in our lives between the way
we experience great failure
we experience great failure
103
214862
2534
med načinom, kako izkusimo velik neuspeh,
03:49
and the way we experience great success.
104
217396
2236
in načinom, kako izkusimo velik uspeh.
03:51
So think of it like this:
105
219632
1470
O tem takole razmišljam:
03:53
For most of your life, you live out your existence
106
221102
1750
večino življenja živiš izven sebe,
03:55
here in the middle of the chain of human experience
107
222852
2443
tu, v sredini verige človeške izkušnje,
03:57
where everything is normal
and reassuring and regular,
and reassuring and regular,
108
225295
3078
kjer je vse normalno
in pomirjajoče in ustaljeno.
in pomirjajoče in ustaljeno.
04:00
but failure catapults you abruptly way out over here
109
228373
3460
Neuspeh pa te grobo katapultira
daleč proč tja
daleč proč tja
04:04
into the blinding darkness of disappointment.
110
231833
2934
v zaslepljujočo temo razočaranja.
04:06
Success catapults you just as abruptly but just as far
111
234767
3554
Uspeh te prav tako grobo katapultira
prav tako daleč,
prav tako daleč,
04:10
way out over here
112
238321
1368
daleč sem,
04:11
into the equally blinding glare
113
239689
1862
v enako zaslepljujoči sij
04:13
of fame and recognition and praise.
114
241551
2852
slave in priznanja in pohvale.
04:16
And one of these fates
115
244403
1202
Eno od teh dveh usod
04:17
is objectively seen by the world as bad,
116
245605
2217
svet nepristransko vidi kot slabo,
04:20
and the other one is objectively
seen by the world as good,
seen by the world as good,
117
247822
2057
drugo pa svet nepristransko
vidi kot dobro.
vidi kot dobro.
04:22
but your subconscious is completely incapable
118
249879
2648
A tvoja podzavest je popolnoma nesposobna
04:24
of discerning the difference between bad and good.
119
252527
2728
razpoznati razliko med slabim in dobrim.
04:27
The only thing that it is capable of feeling
120
255255
2141
Edina stvar, ki jo je sposobna čutiti,
04:29
is the absolute value of this emotional equation,
121
257396
3460
je absolutna vrednost te čustvene enačbe,
04:33
the exact distance that you have been flung
122
260856
2615
natančna distanca, kako daleč
od samega sebe vas je vrglo.
04:35
from yourself.
123
263471
1368
V obeh primerih obstaja
resnična nevarnost,
resnična nevarnost,
04:37
And there's a real equal danger in both cases
124
264839
2056
04:39
of getting lost out there
125
266895
1546
da se izgubiš
04:40
in the hinterlands of the psyche.
126
268441
2024
v notranjosti psihe.
04:42
But in both cases, it turns out that there is
127
270465
1533
Obakrat se izkaže, da obstaja
04:44
also the same remedy for self-restoration,
128
271998
2824
tudi isto zdravilo za samoobnovo,
04:47
and that is that you have got to
find your way back home again
find your way back home again
129
274822
3598
in to je, da moraš spet najti pot domov,
04:50
as swiftly and smoothly as you can,
130
278420
2267
tako hitro in gladko, kot le lahko.
04:52
and if you're wondering what your home is,
131
280687
1472
Če te zanima, kaj je tvoj dom,
04:54
here's a hint:
132
282159
1086
je tule namig:
04:55
Your home is whatever in this world you love
133
283245
2226
tvoj dom je to, kar na tem svetu ljubiš
04:57
more than you love yourself.
134
285471
1914
bolj kot samega sebe.
04:59
So that might be creativity, it might be family,
135
287385
2086
To je lahko kreativnost, lahko je družina,
05:01
it might be invention, adventure,
136
289471
1976
lahko je iznajdljivost, avantura,
05:03
faith, service, it might be raising corgis,
137
291447
2792
vera, služba, lahko je vzgajanje korgijev,
05:06
I don't know, your home is that thing
138
294239
1900
ne vem, tvoj dom je tista stvar,
05:08
to which you can dedicate your energies
139
296139
1772
ki ji lahko posvetiš svoje energije
05:10
with such singular devotion
140
297911
2046
s tako edinstveno predanostjo,
05:12
that the ultimate results become inconsequential.
141
299957
3402
da končni rezultati postanejo nepomembni.
05:15
For me, that home has always been writing.
142
303359
2504
Zame je dom vedno bil pisanje.
05:18
So after the weird, disorienting success
143
305863
2572
Tako sem se po čudnem,
vznemirljivem uspehu,
vznemirljivem uspehu,
05:20
that I went through with "Eat, Pray, Love,"
144
308435
1698
ki sem ga imela z Jej, moli, ljubi,
05:22
I realized that all I had to do was exactly
145
310133
1414
zavedla, da moram storiti
05:23
the same thing that I used to have to do all the time
146
311547
1984
isto stvar, ki sem jo počela ves čas,
05:25
when I was an equally disoriented failure.
147
313531
2230
ko sem bila prav tako
dezorientirana izguba.
dezorientirana izguba.
05:27
I had to get my ass back to work,
148
315761
1778
Morala sem se spraviti na delo
05:29
and that's what I did, and that's how, in 2010,
149
317539
2508
in to sem storila. Tako sem leta 2010
05:32
I was able to publish the dreaded follow-up
150
320047
2354
lahko objavila strah
zbujajoče nadaljevanje
zbujajoče nadaljevanje
05:34
to "Eat, Pray, Love."
151
322401
888
svojega romana.
05:35
And you know what happened with that book?
152
323289
1576
Veste, kaj se je zgodilo s knjigo?
05:37
It bombed, and I was fine.
153
324865
2711
Bila je polomija
in z mano je bilo vse v redu.
in z mano je bilo vse v redu.
05:39
Actually, I kind of felt bulletproof,
154
327576
1849
Pravzaprav sem se počutila neprebojno,
05:41
because I knew that I had broken the spell
155
329425
2120
ker sem vedela, da sem prekinila urok
05:43
and I had found my way back home
156
331545
1645
in našla svojo pot nazaj domov,
05:45
to writing for the sheer devotion of it.
157
333190
2611
k pisanju zaradi samega užitka.
In po tem sem ostala
v svojem domu pisanja,
v svojem domu pisanja,
05:48
And I stayed in my home of writing after that,
158
335801
2136
napisala še eno knjigo, ki je izšla lani,
05:50
and I wrote another book that just came out last year
159
337937
1832
05:51
and that one was really beautifully received,
160
339769
1645
in ta je bila res lepo sprejeta,
05:53
which is very nice, but not my point.
161
341414
1496
kar je prijetno, a ne bistveno.
05:55
My point is that I'm writing another one now,
162
342910
2290
Bistveno je, da spet pišem novo
05:57
and I'll write another book after that
163
345200
1187
in potem bom napisala še eno
05:58
and another and another and another
164
346387
1830
in še eno in še eno in še eno
06:00
and many of them will fail,
165
348217
1198
in mnoge bodo polomije
06:01
and some of them might succeed,
166
349415
1628
in nekatere bodo morda uspešnice,
06:03
but I will always be safe
167
351043
1596
a vedno bom varna
06:04
from the random hurricanes of outcome
168
352639
2372
pred nepričakovanimi viharji izida,
06:07
as long as I never forget where I rightfully live.
169
355011
3550
da le nikoli ne pozabim, kje zares živim.
06:10
Look, I don't know where you rightfully live,
170
358561
2402
Glejte, ne vem, kje zares živite vi,
06:13
but I know that there's something in this world
171
360963
1670
vem pa, da je nekaj na tem svetu,
06:14
that you love more than you love yourself.
172
362633
2072
kar ljubite bolj kot sami sebe.
06:16
Something worthy, by the way,
173
364705
1415
Nekaj vrednega, mimogrede,
06:18
so addiction and infatuation don't count,
174
366120
1991
odvisnost in zaljubljenost ne štejeta,
06:20
because we all know that those
are not safe places to live. Right?
are not safe places to live. Right?
175
368111
4107
ker vsi vemo, da ti dve nista varen kraj
za življenje, kajne?
za življenje, kajne?
06:24
The only trick is that you've got to identify
176
372218
2047
Edina zvijača je, da morate identificirati
06:26
the best, worthiest thing that you love most,
177
374265
2464
najboljšo, najvrednejšo stvar,
ki jo ljubite,
ki jo ljubite,
06:28
and then build your house right on top of it
178
376729
2371
potem pa zgradite svojo hišo
prav na njenem vrhu
prav na njenem vrhu
06:31
and don't budge from it.
179
379100
1877
in se ne premaknite od tam.
06:33
And if you should someday, somehow
180
380977
2344
In če bi bili nekoč nekako
06:35
get vaulted out of your home
181
383321
1944
pregnani iz svojega doma
06:37
by either great failure or great success,
182
385265
2440
zaradi velikega neuspeha
ali velikega uspeha,
ali velikega uspeha,
06:39
then your job is to fight your
way back to that home
way back to that home
183
387705
2165
je vaša naloga, da si izborite
pot nazaj domov
pot nazaj domov
06:42
the only way that it has ever been done,
184
389870
1785
na edini možen način,
06:43
by putting your head down and performing
185
391655
2189
in to je, da sklonite glavo in počnete
06:46
with diligence and devotion
186
393844
1822
marljivo in predano,
06:47
and respect and reverence
187
395666
1686
s spoštovanjem in čaščenjem,
06:49
whatever the task is that love
188
397352
2044
katero koli stvar že ljubezen
06:51
is calling forth from you next.
189
399396
2080
naslednjo prikliče.
06:53
You just do that, and keep doing that
190
401476
2184
Preprosto storite to in to počnite
06:55
again and again and again,
191
403660
1649
še in še in še
in absolutno vam lahko obljubim
iz dolgih osebnih izkušenj
iz dolgih osebnih izkušenj
06:57
and I can absolutely promise you,
from long personal experience
from long personal experience
192
405309
2656
07:00
in every direction, I can assure you
193
407965
2255
v vseh smereh, zagotavljam vam,
07:02
that it's all going to be okay.
194
410220
2070
da bo vse v redu.
07:04
Thank you.
195
412290
1691
Hvala.
07:06
(Applause)
196
413981
4000
(aplavz)
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