GIVEAWAY IS OVER, THANKS FOR ENTERING!
I went into reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert already knowing many people who had read it and loved it, so I had big expectations of this book! Sometimes having those kind of expectations about a book (or movie or music) can be a let down once you get around to reading (or watching or listening). BUT! I am happy to announce that Big Magic was anything but a letdown! I was drawn in and inspired pretty much immediately in the first chapter.
I wanted to read this book because lately my creative life has been lackluster, lost and confused. I thought Gilbert might have some useful words of wisdom for me. I thought right! The theme of Big Magic is all about creative living, and not just for your typical “creatives” (artists, writers, designers). The kind of creative living the book teaches is for every person hoping to harness the magic of creativity, in any sense, any way.
For a lot of this book, Gilbert recounts personal creative endeavors as a writer and relates the topics she is teaching back to those personal stories. Through her stories, she reminds us that creativity takes courage, focus and devoted work. Some people have the ‘talent’ as we call it, but a lot of people need to practice their creativity to make it better and make it make sense. If that makes sense. 😉
I think my favorite section of the book is when Gilbert herself gives the reader permission to be creative, to create what they want and to share what they’ve created. She slyly follows that thought up with the fact that we don’t even need permission from anyone, only ourselves!
“Don’t delude yourself into believing you require someone else’s blessing… in order to make your creative work.” BOOM.
That was important for me to hear. In a world where we feel the need to be validated, especially as artists… and in a world where we make things in accordance to how many likes it might get on Instagram, it’s important to remember that we should be making things to make ourselves happier and not solely for other people. (There is so much more about this topic in the book!)
The section of Big Magic that most aligned with my current life situation was PERSISTANCE. It was all about sticking out the hard parts of being a creative and working through the dry spells of having no ideas or any inspiration.
“You don’t have to leap from bright moment to bright moment. How you manage yourself in between… is a measure of how devoted you are to your vocation and… weird demands of creative living.” Meaning that not all parts of creativity are good ideas and sometimes even, there are NO IDEAS AT ALL. Gilbert encourages the reader to push through and keep the pieces of your creative soul working together until another bright moment appears.
And lastly, this short, simple thought stuck with me as I read the book. “We simply do not have the time anymore to think small.” It can be applied to any job, any lifestyle, any person. Thinking small won’t get us much further than we already are (in life, in the world, in creativity). How can we think bigger? To not confine our thoughts and ideas to a proverbial box? I’m still working on this daily!
I could go on and on, but the best thing I can say is go READ this book! It’s a quick read and really worth it. To make it easy for you, I am giving away a copy to my creative email list! Join my list today and you will be entered! Winner will be announced in 1 week! JOIN HERE. And then share with your friends! <3 <3
I’m so glad you loved it! It’s so great.