Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert | Book Review

The instant #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller
Named a Hot Fall Read by USA Today, Vanity Fair, Newsday, O Magazine, the Seattle Times, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Mashable, Pop Sugar, and the San Antonio Express-News
Named a Best Book of the Year by Brainpickings and Book Riot
"A must read for anyone hoping to live a creative life... I dare you not to be inspired to be brave, to be free, and to be curious.” —PopSugar
From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you’ve dreamed of.   Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work,  embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.
From the Hardcover edition.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert is a book that I had wanted  to read originally because Bohoberry – one of the bullet journaling super stars – recommended it on her blog. When I saw that it was just up for grabs to borrow at the library with no holds on it or anything, I practically sprinted with it to the check out. I am what you might call a little bit uncivilized. Anyways, lately I just cannot get enough of non-fiction and personal development books. And so, Big Magic firmly in hand, I am delighted to say that I’ve learned a bit more about creativity and how to nurture it.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear is Gilbert’s latest book about how she views creativity and how she nurtures her creativity. The book is divided up into different themed sections like trust, divinity, etc. Within each section there are shorter segments which are kind of like chapters only they aren’t labeled CHAPTER ONE etc nor are they divided up by page. These short segments made me whip through the book and I would always find myself pushing beyond my typical stopping point because JUST ONE MORE SEGMENT really adds up when they are super short.

I’m actually really glad I read Big Magic. I’ll admit that sometimes creativity eludes me and it feels like I am just phoning it in, especially when it comes to blogging and reviewing. Reading this book inspired me and made me want to be more creative and to actually try harder and be more disciplined with my blogging. However, on the heels of reading and nearly finishing this book, something happened in my personal life which had me temporarily shelving this creativity goal for a week or so. Still, even though I am not back to the goal, I am glad that this book fired me up so much.

The big thing that actually surprised me about Big Magic is how Gilbert interacts with creativity and does not expect it to pay her bills or feed her. In fact, she made sacrifices to work in a creative field. She waited tables and bartended so that in turn, she could feed her creativity and herself. She talks about not quitting your dayjob to write the next great American novel. I almost feel like advising people not to give in to their whims and passions is a new kind of advice and I really respected it.

It made me feel like I could better relate to her — because I am certainly not about to stop working my day job that pays all my bills to focus on blogging which pays essentially to keep the site up and running with maybe a beer or two every other month. I’d love to make more from this website, but right now it would be impractical to expect it to pay for my lifestyle. I just thought that this book was a very realistic examination of what it means to lead a creative life and to create for the joy of it.

Other Reviews of Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert:

Everyday Reading – “This book is incredible.”

The Self Help Hipster – “overall it’s just very ‘meh’”

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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