On creating the art for Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Creating a cover for a book about creativity itself is probably one of the most challenging projects that has come my way. How do you visually communicate inspiration and what it feels like to create something? After many cover ideas that I deemed just not dynamic enough, I understood that what I wanted was a cover that felt like it was exploding in color and energy. Holi powder seemed like the perfect medium. Holi is the Hindu spring festival where thousands of people gather and throw this colorful dust at each other. It is a sight to behold. Not only is the powder hyper colorful and gorgeous, it also made a lot of sense for Liz considering her connection to India and its culture. To capture this image, we built a set with the letters of the title cut out of wood and mounted on a backdrop and basically spent an entire day throwing the colored powder at it (and sometimes missing and getting each other) while Henry Hargreaves, the brilliant photographer, snapped high speed photos hoping to get that perfect moment. And here you have it! The image in my head come to life through planning and chance. Controlled chaos: The perfect metaphor to communicate what creativity feels like, at least for me. – Helen Yentus
About Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic
Elizabeth Gilbert is the #1
New York Times bestselling author of
Eat, Pray, Love, and several other internationally bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction. Gilbert began her career writing for
Harper’s Bazaar,
Spin, the
New York Times Magazine, and
GQ, and was a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award. Her story collection
Pilgrims was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award;
The Last American Man was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The follow-up memoir
Committed became an instant #1
New York Times bestseller. Her latest novel,
The Signature of All Things, was named a Best Book of 2013 by the
New York Times,
O Magazine, the
Washington Post, the
Chicago Tribune, and the
New Yorker. Gilbert’s short fiction has appeared in
Esquire,
One Story, and the
Paris Review.
+ This edition is part of a collaboration between 20x200 and Riverhead Books. Read more about the collaboration here!
Medium:
Museo Portfolio Rag
Edition Structure:
10"x8" | edition of 20
14"x11" | edition of 250
20"x16" | edition of 50
30"x24" | edition of 10
