nataliia_b's review against another edition
Big magic is a reminder of simple things that create a life you want to have. I like Gilbert’s easy and funny way of writing and speaking to us. You don’t need to be an artist to live creatively, you just need to do something that brings joy, engages different part of your brain and create skills different from your daily work. There are also some honest moments I was glad someone speaks about them.
colorfulyd's review against another edition
5.0
I reaaallly enjoyed this book and I did not expect to. I've been focusing on reading books about creativity to help me through my own creative process, and I saw often that Big Magic is often recommended. I was a bit suspicious about it because I had not been a fan of Elizabeth Gilbert before. I think I read Eat Pray Love in high school and didn't think much of it. I later learned of her critics and found myself agreeing with them. So I didn't expect to like it. I even started reading it finding reasons to not like it, but that didn't last very long because I got sucked in and ended up LOVING every single thing about it. I love that the writing is so digestible and flows so well and what I ended up loving and appreciating even more is Gilbert's approach to creativity.
I can see why her approach to creativity may not work for everyone. Gilbert talks about ideas and inspirations like an actual thing that exists outside of us and will knock on different doors (people) to see who has ability and capacity to take it on and see it through. She has some pretty cool examples to pair with this understanding. I never thought about our ideas this way, but after reading her take I am all in. I think what her book did for me was validate a lot of doubts I had with my own creative process. I have a hard time trusting my inner gut tendencies and I often wonder where they are coming from instead of just going for it. Reading her words, which she puts so straightforwardly and bluntly, was just what I needed. Her words helped me believe that humans ARE inherently creative, we are makers, our ancestors are makers, I mean that's why we live in the world we live in today. She talks about creative living and how she observed it in her own parent's even though their jobs were not "artists" they made things all the time. I honestly felt validated not just as a creative person, but as a human reading this. I felt less alone knowing that what I am going through, others do too, and it's actually very HUMAN to experience.
Another favorite part about her approach to creativity is that she doesn't take it too seriously but she also advocates for pursuing it. I enjoyed reading about her own trajectory with her writing and how she promised to herself she would write since she was a teenager and she stuck to it! The vow she made to herself was not one where it was like "I want to make it as a writer to be successful" in the conventional sense (make a living off of it) but rather success to her meant writing and pursuing writing, and to just keep writing. I approach my creative dreams with a similar mindset and it was so refreshing to hear from someone who was ambitiously pursuing their art without making it all about conventional success (getting published, making money - which she luckily ended up being but it happened after writing for a long time). She spent many chapters talking about pursuing our art just because it comes to us, because it's fun, because why not. She talks about making art not with the sole focus to help other people but mainly to help ourselves. That we are allowed to make art and do that. And how nice it would be if we just made our art and put it out into the world just because we felt like it. And you know what, I totally agree. I would love to see all people just make art and put it out into the world with "reckless abandon" because it is what makes the world an interesting and fun place to be.
What Gilbert was preaching in the book very much came through in her writing and words. It was pretty clear to me that she enjoyed writing this book and her voice really shone. It was light and fun and playful and not taking herself too seriously while communicating to us to treat creativity like that too. I felt it was genuinely inspiring and motivating, and not in a cliche way. I have not yet read self help books about creativity that clicked the way this did with me. There were quite a few chapters breaking down the Tormented Artist trope and why treating creativity as an "addiction to suffering" is totally self destructive (which is also destroying our own art and the ideas that desire to be on earth), and it was sooo good to read a fully fleshed out explanation of it. She uses some good analogies that are easy to remember and takeaway after reading. Some other takeaways included being not too attached to your work, like be attached but also not attached, care a lot but also not care a lot. I like that she emphasized the creative journey more than the end product. Once the end product of what we create leaves our hands it's no longer just a part of us but a part of other people and other people's stories and worlds too. And that's okay! What matters is the journey we had with the work and what the work did for us. She would use examples from her own life, such as the feedback she got for Eat Pray Love and it was great to see how self aware Gilbert is about herself and her own work. She acknowledged both the highest praise and the harshest critique and made it clear to be equally not attached to each. And honestly, after reading how different people responded to her book and how drastic they are, it is very clear that other people do turn these works of art into their own stories and find relevance for their own lives. So feedback is inherently subjective and it will always vary and be inconsistent, and that's just what it means to be human to live in a world along with other humans. She still made it clear though, that no matter how other people read her book or what they took away, she still wrote that book for herself and had her own very personal journey with the book.
Another section of the book I really enjoyed was her talking about creative entitlement and belonging. You should read it to get a better idea what those words mean. But I took away the argument that if we EXIST on this earth, then we are allowed to make art. And to believe we CAN make art because that is what we are called to do, we have to believe that we are entitled to exist on this earth. It's not an egotistic entitlement but rather one where we trust and believe we are here and we relish in it. She uses all kinds of examples and anecdotes that I just find to be beautiful and reassuring. I was at a point in my life where I needed to read this and Gilbert's words helped me a lot (ah, self worth issues).
Which leads me to all the other stuff she wrote about not needing permission to do art, which was also something else I really needed to hear. I spent many years in my own creative dilemmas like "what gives me the right to make art?" and many of my friends didn't understand why I was even asking permission in the first place so I felt quite alone in this dilemma. So of course after reading Gilbert write about this topic for a few chapters, I felt so validated and heard. It was like she was reading my mind! I wish I encountered this book a few years ago and maybe I would have given myself more permission. She deconstructs the whole idea of needing permission or legitimacy to make art and instead argues for a world where anyone can make art and if we so feel called to do so, we should just do it! It honestly makes art and creativity such a accessible and democratic act and though I know this to be true for a lot of us, we do still live in a society that seems to select some art to be better than others (probably due to capitalism).
Oh, speaking of capitalism, Gilbert also wrote extensively about how it's okay to have whatever job it takes to make a living in this world and that thing does NOT have to be our art. She herself took all kinds of jobs throughout her life and did writing outside of those jobs. In her case, those experiences added fuel and substance to her work, and she was happy doing various jobs along with writing. To Gilbert, creativity and writing was a devotional act so it didn't matter whether she made money from it or whether her work found conventional success or not, what mattered was just the act of making art and how it made her feel.
Another part of her message I enjoyed reading is making the point that no one is looking at you! Most people are so consumed by their own lives, struggles, anxieties, doubts...etc people are not looking at you or thinking about you. I totally agree with this but it is hard for us to remember. Especially as it's easy to get self conscious and worry about how other people think of us. At the end of the day though it's not even what they think, it's the fact that most people are not thinking of others that much but rather thinking of themselves. The gist is let this take the pressure off and make what you feel like making and put out what you feel like putting out anyway.
I don't know, I think the beauty of this book is that Gilbert's words felt like they were talking directly to me, and she knew every single doubt and insecurity I had with creativity and my artistic inclinations, and she wrote a long book slowly breaking it down one by one. I read some critiques of this book saying the book was repetitive. Yes, she repeated the same messages a lot but I think it's needed. This is why reading one line quotes motivate us for like one second, but never get truly drilled in. It's only when a concept is told, repeated, examples are given, thoughts are described, the concept is repeated over and over again (especially in a book format) is it drilled into the reader. And even then, I might forget what I read in like a day (I hope not). But I found the repetition to be VERY helpful because she breaks down a doubt or insecurity from beginning to end, very thoroughly, very logically, and very playfully...that it sticks. I really liked all the anecdotes and stories she told throughout all of this and I liked that she incorporated all kinds of motivational stories in a very natural and low key way. Like it wasn't as in your face as famous people quotes on the first page of each chapter, but rather the stories of these people are interwoven into Gilbert's own thoughts and experiences. It made it so much easier to understand all of the contexts and making connections. Honestly, was inspiring to also read this kind of writing and how it was all put together. Like the writing was so clear and concise yet delivered what it was supposed to. Anyways, some people might think her messages are cliche and though some felt cliche to me, most of the book didn't feel cliche to me. Sure, a lot of the advice she gave was advice I've heard in some form or other before, but the way she put everything together was incredibly convincing and a fresh take, specifically in how she builds her arguments to make those "cliche" points. She builds the arguments in a way that is logical and for me at least, created a vision of the world that was fun, light, and full of wonder (also how I feel about my creativity).
There are so many good points from this book that I've taken notes of and took the time to take the notes (not something I usually do)... overall, the book just resonated very well and it is going to be one of those books that someday when I get to have my own library of books, this will be one of the first to get because I can see myself wanting to re-read it over and over again as reminders.
Anyways, getting to read this book and learning more about Gilbert's life and her own trajectory definitely changed my opinion of her! I can now say I am a fan of her. Though I'm not the biggest fan of fiction written by white women so I don't know how often I'd be reading her other work, but if she has another non-fiction or self-help book, I will surely pick it up again. It's not everyday you find an author with a similar worldview / a worldview that you really like and want to apply to your own life. I know this will be a staple of my own creative self-help books for a long time to come.
I can see why her approach to creativity may not work for everyone. Gilbert talks about ideas and inspirations like an actual thing that exists outside of us and will knock on different doors (people) to see who has ability and capacity to take it on and see it through. She has some pretty cool examples to pair with this understanding. I never thought about our ideas this way, but after reading her take I am all in. I think what her book did for me was validate a lot of doubts I had with my own creative process. I have a hard time trusting my inner gut tendencies and I often wonder where they are coming from instead of just going for it. Reading her words, which she puts so straightforwardly and bluntly, was just what I needed. Her words helped me believe that humans ARE inherently creative, we are makers, our ancestors are makers, I mean that's why we live in the world we live in today. She talks about creative living and how she observed it in her own parent's even though their jobs were not "artists" they made things all the time. I honestly felt validated not just as a creative person, but as a human reading this. I felt less alone knowing that what I am going through, others do too, and it's actually very HUMAN to experience.
Another favorite part about her approach to creativity is that she doesn't take it too seriously but she also advocates for pursuing it. I enjoyed reading about her own trajectory with her writing and how she promised to herself she would write since she was a teenager and she stuck to it! The vow she made to herself was not one where it was like "I want to make it as a writer to be successful" in the conventional sense (make a living off of it) but rather success to her meant writing and pursuing writing, and to just keep writing. I approach my creative dreams with a similar mindset and it was so refreshing to hear from someone who was ambitiously pursuing their art without making it all about conventional success (getting published, making money - which she luckily ended up being but it happened after writing for a long time). She spent many chapters talking about pursuing our art just because it comes to us, because it's fun, because why not. She talks about making art not with the sole focus to help other people but mainly to help ourselves. That we are allowed to make art and do that. And how nice it would be if we just made our art and put it out into the world just because we felt like it. And you know what, I totally agree. I would love to see all people just make art and put it out into the world with "reckless abandon" because it is what makes the world an interesting and fun place to be.
What Gilbert was preaching in the book very much came through in her writing and words. It was pretty clear to me that she enjoyed writing this book and her voice really shone. It was light and fun and playful and not taking herself too seriously while communicating to us to treat creativity like that too. I felt it was genuinely inspiring and motivating, and not in a cliche way. I have not yet read self help books about creativity that clicked the way this did with me. There were quite a few chapters breaking down the Tormented Artist trope and why treating creativity as an "addiction to suffering" is totally self destructive (which is also destroying our own art and the ideas that desire to be on earth), and it was sooo good to read a fully fleshed out explanation of it. She uses some good analogies that are easy to remember and takeaway after reading. Some other takeaways included being not too attached to your work, like be attached but also not attached, care a lot but also not care a lot. I like that she emphasized the creative journey more than the end product. Once the end product of what we create leaves our hands it's no longer just a part of us but a part of other people and other people's stories and worlds too. And that's okay! What matters is the journey we had with the work and what the work did for us. She would use examples from her own life, such as the feedback she got for Eat Pray Love and it was great to see how self aware Gilbert is about herself and her own work. She acknowledged both the highest praise and the harshest critique and made it clear to be equally not attached to each. And honestly, after reading how different people responded to her book and how drastic they are, it is very clear that other people do turn these works of art into their own stories and find relevance for their own lives. So feedback is inherently subjective and it will always vary and be inconsistent, and that's just what it means to be human to live in a world along with other humans. She still made it clear though, that no matter how other people read her book or what they took away, she still wrote that book for herself and had her own very personal journey with the book.
Another section of the book I really enjoyed was her talking about creative entitlement and belonging. You should read it to get a better idea what those words mean. But I took away the argument that if we EXIST on this earth, then we are allowed to make art. And to believe we CAN make art because that is what we are called to do, we have to believe that we are entitled to exist on this earth. It's not an egotistic entitlement but rather one where we trust and believe we are here and we relish in it. She uses all kinds of examples and anecdotes that I just find to be beautiful and reassuring. I was at a point in my life where I needed to read this and Gilbert's words helped me a lot (ah, self worth issues).
Which leads me to all the other stuff she wrote about not needing permission to do art, which was also something else I really needed to hear. I spent many years in my own creative dilemmas like "what gives me the right to make art?" and many of my friends didn't understand why I was even asking permission in the first place so I felt quite alone in this dilemma. So of course after reading Gilbert write about this topic for a few chapters, I felt so validated and heard. It was like she was reading my mind! I wish I encountered this book a few years ago and maybe I would have given myself more permission. She deconstructs the whole idea of needing permission or legitimacy to make art and instead argues for a world where anyone can make art and if we so feel called to do so, we should just do it! It honestly makes art and creativity such a accessible and democratic act and though I know this to be true for a lot of us, we do still live in a society that seems to select some art to be better than others (probably due to capitalism).
Oh, speaking of capitalism, Gilbert also wrote extensively about how it's okay to have whatever job it takes to make a living in this world and that thing does NOT have to be our art. She herself took all kinds of jobs throughout her life and did writing outside of those jobs. In her case, those experiences added fuel and substance to her work, and she was happy doing various jobs along with writing. To Gilbert, creativity and writing was a devotional act so it didn't matter whether she made money from it or whether her work found conventional success or not, what mattered was just the act of making art and how it made her feel.
Another part of her message I enjoyed reading is making the point that no one is looking at you! Most people are so consumed by their own lives, struggles, anxieties, doubts...etc people are not looking at you or thinking about you. I totally agree with this but it is hard for us to remember. Especially as it's easy to get self conscious and worry about how other people think of us. At the end of the day though it's not even what they think, it's the fact that most people are not thinking of others that much but rather thinking of themselves. The gist is let this take the pressure off and make what you feel like making and put out what you feel like putting out anyway.
I don't know, I think the beauty of this book is that Gilbert's words felt like they were talking directly to me, and she knew every single doubt and insecurity I had with creativity and my artistic inclinations, and she wrote a long book slowly breaking it down one by one. I read some critiques of this book saying the book was repetitive. Yes, she repeated the same messages a lot but I think it's needed. This is why reading one line quotes motivate us for like one second, but never get truly drilled in. It's only when a concept is told, repeated, examples are given, thoughts are described, the concept is repeated over and over again (especially in a book format) is it drilled into the reader. And even then, I might forget what I read in like a day (I hope not). But I found the repetition to be VERY helpful because she breaks down a doubt or insecurity from beginning to end, very thoroughly, very logically, and very playfully...that it sticks. I really liked all the anecdotes and stories she told throughout all of this and I liked that she incorporated all kinds of motivational stories in a very natural and low key way. Like it wasn't as in your face as famous people quotes on the first page of each chapter, but rather the stories of these people are interwoven into Gilbert's own thoughts and experiences. It made it so much easier to understand all of the contexts and making connections. Honestly, was inspiring to also read this kind of writing and how it was all put together. Like the writing was so clear and concise yet delivered what it was supposed to. Anyways, some people might think her messages are cliche and though some felt cliche to me, most of the book didn't feel cliche to me. Sure, a lot of the advice she gave was advice I've heard in some form or other before, but the way she put everything together was incredibly convincing and a fresh take, specifically in how she builds her arguments to make those "cliche" points. She builds the arguments in a way that is logical and for me at least, created a vision of the world that was fun, light, and full of wonder (also how I feel about my creativity).
There are so many good points from this book that I've taken notes of and took the time to take the notes (not something I usually do)... overall, the book just resonated very well and it is going to be one of those books that someday when I get to have my own library of books, this will be one of the first to get because I can see myself wanting to re-read it over and over again as reminders.
Anyways, getting to read this book and learning more about Gilbert's life and her own trajectory definitely changed my opinion of her! I can now say I am a fan of her. Though I'm not the biggest fan of fiction written by white women so I don't know how often I'd be reading her other work, but if she has another non-fiction or self-help book, I will surely pick it up again. It's not everyday you find an author with a similar worldview / a worldview that you really like and want to apply to your own life. I know this will be a staple of my own creative self-help books for a long time to come.
zquill's review against another edition
4.0
The conversational and episodic passages threw me off at first (I felt like I was in a conversation where I had no chance of getting a word in edge-wise), but either Gilbert eventually eased into her tone or I eased into Gilbert's. I was immensely satisfied and inspired by her take on art, particularly on writing, as something to be loved and that is loving and that shouldn't have to be suffered or endured. The optimism and pragmatic outlook of the book and the humorous and truthful indictments of Tormented Artists were charming, reaffirming and grounding. Some things, like the severe anthropomorphization of ideas, veered too far into whimsy or spiritualism for me, but I felt Gilbert was able to clarify some concepts I'd heard of but never quite internalized when it comes to creativity and creation.
emjuddz's review against another edition
4.0
As always, Liz Gilbert is inspiring, candid, and laugh-out-loud funny. My love of writing has resurfaced and she left me with the challenge to quit taking my work so seriously. Great read!
leonore_book's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book and the magic it talks about I have seen in my life. Some of the quotes in this book mirror my own experiences. It pushes me to be more open to my creative side.
jeshanahfox's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. There was so much in this book that I had to nod along with as I went.
Gilbert really philosophizes in this about creativity. It speaks about sentient ideas, getting over fear and rejection, and persevering. That’s an over generalization, but there are so many good pieces of the book that it would be hard to summarize them all.
Ultimately it’s a book about positivity and changing the “tormented artist” trend into a “happy and fulfilled artist” trend. It’s about learning to enjoy and embrace your creativity.
Very anecdotal as well.
For me, I would 100% recommend this to anyone - creative or not - especially if you’re feeling as if you’ve hit a wall.
More here: http://www.thebricolagery.com/books-authors/experience-big-magic/
Gilbert really philosophizes in this about creativity. It speaks about sentient ideas, getting over fear and rejection, and persevering. That’s an over generalization, but there are so many good pieces of the book that it would be hard to summarize them all.
Ultimately it’s a book about positivity and changing the “tormented artist” trend into a “happy and fulfilled artist” trend. It’s about learning to enjoy and embrace your creativity.
Very anecdotal as well.
For me, I would 100% recommend this to anyone - creative or not - especially if you’re feeling as if you’ve hit a wall.
More here: http://www.thebricolagery.com/books-authors/experience-big-magic/
_lie_r0se_'s review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0