A Woman Creates: The Artist as a Magician: A Conversation with Anaïs Nin by Errika Deli
Based on Anaïs Nin's essay The Artist as a Magician (found in her book A Woman Speaks, edited by Evelyn Hinz), the following text aims to create a dialogue between the past and the present, to bring light into the magic realm that Nin created within the pages of her writings, but most importantly to understand what it means to be an artist as a magician.
As a child I was fascinated by magic, captivated by its mysticism and the endless possibilities it offered. You could vanish into thin air, you could move things with your mind or cast a spell and suddenly become entirely someone else. The most alluring aspect of magic, however, was the ability to reshape reality. A magician, they say, never reveals their secrets, but a sorcerer like Anaïs Nin believes in sharing hers with the world, and through her writings, particularly her diaries, she did just that. Discovering her work as an adult made me realize that the magic I longed for in childhood still exists, but now it has taken on a new form—the form of art.
Anaïs was a lover of the arts. A writer herself, she believed in the importance of creative expression as the heartbeat of the human soul. From a very young age, she found refuge in the arts, whether it was music, books, dancing, writing. She states, I learned that in order to resist the sorrows of human experience we needed another world. As an artist myself, this sentence resonates with my own understanding of the vital role that art holds. Through my art practice, I had the capacity to not only create artworks but to create a safe place for myself. To be able to disconnect from unpleasant situations as soon as you pick up a brush or a pencil, to mute the outside and to tune in with the inside of your own little world, this is something that almost feels like alchemy. In those moments, I have the feeling that I’m not only making art but I’m reshaping parts of my inner self, fragmented pieces of my whole being to finally be able to put myself together again. Thus, I transform, and in turn, I am transformed. Just like a magician does, we possess the same ability to transfigure, transcend and transmute—what Anaïs refers to as the words of magic. The prefix trans in Latin, means “across” or “on the other side”, indicating an unseen motion from one state to another. It’s no wonder Anaïs chose these words so meticulously, since they speak to the immense capacity within us to reshape our inner and outer worlds.
I have always thought that both art and magic arise from our personal desire to explore, to understand and to connect not only with the universe but also with ourselves. These are two fields that require practice, patience, devotion and above all creativity. Anaïs believed that creativity is so necessary to our human life because it shows us the capacity to change. However, change can be challenging and can, awaken feelings of uncertainty. It was again through art that I managed to confront these emotions, ultimately learning to embrace them reverently as integral aspects of my personal evolution. Without it, I could not be the artist I am today. So, by embracing change, I have shed the weight of negative emotions, but more profoundly, I recognized the strength that resides within, enhancing my self-trust. Change, for me, offers a soothing presence—an assurance that I possess the power to exorcise whatever obstacles that I’m facing, to transform them into something meaningful. Thus, change is transmuted into art, and this becomes a progression of growth that stimulates new perceptions, unfolding layers of the unknown in such a way that creation evolves into a living process, a mythical voyage, shaping not only what we create but who we eventually become. This is why magic and art are intertwined concepts in my life. One seems to absorb the other, and together they create a harmonious unity, blending imagination with reality.
In the process of creating, I like to arrange my space and organize my surroundings, much like curating a personal gallery. This involves tidying my desk, placing objects that inspire me—books, photographs, clippings—before me, and lighting a few candles. In doing so, I am not merely organizing but beautifying my environment, as Anaïs would have described it. It becomes a kind of ritual, where art is transformed into a higher act of magic. Like a magician preparing his tools to cast a spell, I follow a deliberate sequence, transcending the everyday and treating each element in the room as a potential work of art. The mundane is made sacred, and through this, the creation of art becomes a ritualized reordering of reality—a way to remake the world. Although I prefer to create in solitude, this process is not solely for myself; it is fundamentally about communicating and connecting with others. The act of creation serves as a bridge, linking my own journey with the joint human experience. For Anaïs, this was where the intersection of the individual and the collective converged. This dynamic interplay allows personal narratives to resonate within the collective consciousness, each enriching the other as they march forward together to shape the future. It was through this link, that she created the world she envisioned. Once this world took shape, she invited others, encouraging them to immerse themselves in it, to embark with her on this new chapter of existence, and to help elevate and expand its horizons. This is why, for her, art was the supreme act of magic, and creativity was the thread that bound us together.
In essence, through Anaïs's philosophy, we come to understand that the intersection of art and magic creates a space for insight and compassion, a realm where the individual spirit harmonizes with the universal, intertwining a shared path. This convergence not only invites us to envision ourselves as magicians capable of transforming our experiences but empowers us to embody that very magic. Because creativity’s transformative force enables us not only to visualize a better reality but also to actualize it. For her, to write is to love again and for me to create is to love again—both myself and the world around me.
Errika Deli is a visual artist whose practice centers around analog collage. She meticulously curates materials from vintage magazines, transforming them into intricate visual narratives that explore the intersections of feminism, poetry, eroticism, and literature. Currently residing in Greece, Errika is also pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Arts, further expanding her academic and artistic exploration. You can reach her through Instagram @analogfemmecollages or by email: errikadeli@gmail.com.
