Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

 

"Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?"

Elizabeth Gilbert is an author that I definitely consider to be a strong woman.  When I read her most famous novel, Eat, Pray, Love, a few years ago, I was struck by her bravery.  To drop everything and travel around the world as she did requires a lot of courage.  It's scary to go to faraway places by yourself.  It's scary to leave your conventional life behind.  It's scary to spend a long time just focusing on yourself.  I was impressed by her boldness and honesty.  When I saw that she had published a nonfiction novel all about creativity, I was instantly intrigued.  I am currently trying to get back to a more creative place and pick up my knitting, sewing and embroidery again.  I thought that perhaps Gilbert, who I already admired as a courageous woman and talented artist, could inspire me to throw myself back into the creative activities I used to love.  Plus, that cover is stunning.  This book was begging to be read.

Big Magic is all about having the courage and trust to pursue living a more creative lifestyle.  Gilbert uses the term "Big Magic" to describe the mysterious nature of inspiration and how it can bring out our best work when we give it a chance.  Her advice covers such topics as letting go of your fears, being persistent in the face of failure and letting go of the negative emotions that block creativity.  She tells readers to explore what interests them and not let anyone or anything stand in the way of that exploration.  As Gilbert cheerfully encourages us to experiment and work hard in the medium we love, she also remains very practical, reminding readers that their creations do not have to be particularly important, or change the world.  If what we make is personally fulfilling to us, then that is a good outcome. She explains that there is room for everyone to be artistic and reminds us the we have the right to exist, to be happy, and to create whatever we please.

Big Magic is essentially a 250 page pep talk, and I found Gilbert's advice to be motivating in many instances.  The first section of the novel focuses on overcoming your fears, and I related very strongly with what she described.  Gilbert explains that she was a very timid and shy child, who was easily scared by seemingly mundane things.  She eventually was able to break out of her fears and anxieties and adopted a strategy of persevering on and doing the things that scared her.  Letting go of fears is crucial to the creative process, and it's something I still need to conquer myself.  Since I'm still trying to get to that place in my life, reading about her struggle was inspiring to me. 

However, as the novel went on, I found myself increasingly unable to relate to Gilbert's point of view.  It became very obvious that Gilbert is a much more spiritual and whimsical being than myself.  She describes her belief that ideas and inspiration are ethereal beings that float around the earth and insert themselves into people's heads, where they must be nurtured and brought to life.  If the person who receives the idea neglects it, it will leave that person and enter a different person's body in the hopes that this new person will take better care of it.  She isn't speaking metaphorically when she describes these beliefs.  She really believes this is true. 

I think this is a lovely way to think about the world, but I'm too scientifically-minded to agree.  Gilbert's thoughts on how ideas work sounds like pure fantasy to me, so it was hard to take anything she said seriously after reading her theory.  I was hoping for something a little more concrete out of this novel.  I didn't want a science textbook, but I was hoping for advice that was a little more practical. The topic of "creativity" is very broad though--perhaps too broad for this book to be any more practical than it was. 

Despite my theoretical issues with Big Magic, the book was still an interesting read.  Gilbert makes many great points and you definitely feel more empowered to create something after reading it.  More spiritual readers than I will undoubtedly find a lot to love here.  For me, unfortunately, this novel fell a little flat.  However, I love the spirit and intent of it.  I agree with Gilbert that creative living is the best kind of living and that we should all make the time to pursue our artistic interests without being hamstrung by fear.  Discovering how to unlock this impulse in ourselves is Big Magic indeed.