Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear [eBook Kindle]

Talk about receiving the right message at the right time. Wow. Big Magic is one of the most honest discussions about the creative process that I’ve ever read. Gilbert strikes a playful and conversational tone, but make no mistake, this is all straight talk. Her no-BS attitude helps do away with the unrealistic expectations and unnecessary melodrama attached to the concept of “creative living” (like how she so expertly pish-poshes the "tormented artist" ideal). And in its place, she asks all people who feel called to create (writers, painters, musicians, ice skaters, WHATEVER) to quietly and joyfully accept their creative inclinations and ideas as gifts from the universe. She reminds them to approach their creativity with curiosity and openness, with playfulness and joy—even when it’s tough, even when there is no Pulitzer, no bestseller list, no Olympic medal, no call from the Met. Own that creativity, she encourages. Also, stay light with it.

This was the message I (apparently) desperately needed to hear. I’m a stay-at-home mom with three young children. And when people ask me what I do, that is what I always tell them. But that isn’t what I want to tell them. What I want to tell them—what I want to shout from the rooftops, in fact—is that I’m a writer. Sure, barely anyone reads what I write, I’ve never been published, and it probably goes without saying that I’ve never been paid for a single sentence. In other words, no one really gets anything out of my work but me. But I love it, straight up. So I keep writing, regardless.

Yet it feels weird to declare yourself “A Something!” when that something doesn’t earn you money or status or likes or hits or retweets. Which means even though this side-passion feels so authentically “me,” I hide it so people won’t think I’m a loser, an imposter, a wannabe, an embarrassment, a failure…and the list goes on.

I guess this reality had been bumming me out more than I realized, because when I read the following words, they resonated with me in an unimaginably powerful and loving way--like I was receiving a cosmic hug:

“Shake yourself free of all your cumbersome ideas about what you require in order to become ‘creatively legitimate’… You do not need a permission slip from the principal’s office to live a creative life. Or if you do worry that you need a permission slip—THERE, I just gave it to you… Now go make something.”

In other words, Gilbert’s message is this: accept that you need to create. Accept that this is a part of you, that you are ALREADY “creatively legitimate.” And just do what you naturally feel compelled to do. Do it with joy—even when it gets difficult—and don’t worry about how it will be received (if it’s received at all). If you are called to be a maker, then you will just have to make. Own who you are, for better or worse.

So that’s what I’m doing from now on. I’m owning it. This is me stating my intent:

Hello, world. My name is Ladybug. I am a writer.

I've hit my happy...
stride in this book... when reading a book that I absolutely don't want to stop...I want to keep seeing flashing neon lights framed around the BIG MAGICal WORDS that spells, "YES YES YES YES YES!"

Thankfully, I'm also in the section where Gilbert reminds and affirms that LIFE doesn't always abide to how and what we want when we want it...but she also encourages that... if we are faithful lovers, that magical "IT" won't leave us either. So, I have 100 pages remaining, but am SO pumped and happy that I have this snippet of time to WRITE... a review.

If you're passionate about your writing, your art, your whatever-makes-your-precious-heart-sing & be happy... I highly recommend Gilbert's book -- this one. For if you've stalled, set down, given up, cried privately, wondered if it's just too freaking late for you to be the artist, the receiver, a creator, because of the other practical life... here is an experienced wayshower who calls your bluff, your whatever you've told yourself why you can't. She's been rejected (tons), she's kept her day jobs, she's continued through deserts of unknown, silence, angst, doubt, about "the work"...and she's laying it out for us/me/you/your offspring/your friend... find your way.

Find it. Because it IS there (patiently waiting, playing, whistling, digging in the sand with its toes) and it's probably not quite how you've framed it (if you've stalled).

I am feeling this is my "eat, pray,, love writing" book. Thank you, Elizabeth (and I adored your comment, "Are you finished with that?" Thank you again ~

This book was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. Gilbert's message couldn't be clearer; live with passion and embrace whatever fills you with joy. She stresses that you don't have to quit your day job and live on a mountaintop, but that you can imbibe your daily, practical life with creativity to manifest happiness. You do NOT have to suffer to be creative. We only get one life, and it's okay to fill it with happiness, wonder and imagination. I can't recommend this book highly enough; I would truly give it six stars if I could.

For me? This book is absolutely five stars (I'll explain why I deducted a star a bit later).

Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk on creativity was a beautiful, honest, emotional piece about success and failure and what it means to be creative. Since then, I've been happy to listen to anything she has to say on creativity and writing.

So this book is an absolute gift. It's a collection of very short essays on different topics, divided into six sections: Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity.

Within those, she has some solid, practical advice, and some more inspirational, theoretical ideas. She talks about how fear is just part of the package when you're doing something creative, so you need to recognize it's going to be there and learn not to let it make decisions for you. She talks about how sometimes ideas come to you but they're not actually for you (which is why you might struggle to create) - so we're not "stealing" ideas from each other, but they're floating around and hopefully you're aware enough to catch them. She talks about failure and regret and inspiration.

I absolutely loved it.

So why only 4 stars? Because while it's subtitled "Creative Living Beyond Fear," and she offers lip service a few times to non-writing creativity, she's really talking about writing. So for writers - 5 stars. For other artists - 4 stars.

This book seems to be aimed at those who have been afraid to break out of their workaday life and do something creative/create something. It's not really for artists or creatives who are in a rut. When the author talks about magic, she makes it clear toward the beginning that she means "full on Hogwarts" type magic, and she talks about ideas as being life forms that fly around looking for a host and if one finds you, you have to fight to keep it and make it yours. I kind of like the idea, but she gets a little crazy and over the top with it (like with invoking Hogwarts) and makes too big of a "oh, it's so magical!" deal out of stuff like a story plot that she had that was quite similar to one someone else had, which she feels was the most magical thing that ever happened to her. She also says "our artistic instincts have divine and magical origins".

At one point we are given some advice along the lines of, "if you want to write a book to help other people, please don't". I felt like this would have been good advice for the author in regards to this book. She claims that she wrote it for herself, but it reads as directly FROM her TO us, the readers. Straight up advice from her to us. Please. Don't.

I really enjoyed "Eat, Pray, Love", and "Committed" was okay. This one? Even if Oprah tells you to read it, just make sure you're okay with "Hogwarts magic is real" and "creativity is divine" and that you aren't already someone working in a creative field and you want a good "rah rah you can do it" pep talk. Then I guess you may enjoy this book quite a bit.