Back in Ancient Rome, they had these little creativity gnomes that lived in studio wall cracks.  They'd pop out from time to time and bounce and sing and kiss and inspire.

Nowadays, if an artist ever sees a gnome, he tries to catch it and swallow it.  Which turns the gnome into an uncooperative lunatic heartache.  But, apparently, it's crazy to release a good gnome.  I mean what if it never comes back?

That's what Elizabeth Gilbert just told me.  In a TED Talk that's worth watching (even if you categorically deny gnomes' existence) for Gilbert's description of Ruth Stone's poetical process...

Gnomes or no gnomes, I think she makes an important observation about culture, creativity, and self-fulfilling prophesies:

Somehow we've completely internalized and accepted collectively this notion that creativity and suffering are somehow inherently linked and that artistry, in the end, will always, ultimately, lead to anguish.

And I think she takes that observation in exactly the right direction:

Better if we encourage our great creative minds to live.