Last Updated on May 17, 2022 by Thalia
Big Magic is one of the best self-improvement books for cultivating creativity.
So if you feel like you’re hiding your true creative self, then read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and cultivate the creativity you need to live a life that is truly your own.
As a huge fan of Elizabeth Gilbert, it came somewhat as a surprise to me that Big Magic was completely off my radar until mid-2020 when I saw someone mention it on their Instagram feed.
A few months later I purchased a second-hand copy, added it to my TBR pile and began reading it last month (December 2020).
In case you needed reminding, Gilbert is the bestselling author of Eat Pray Love.
Yes, that book.
The worldwide phenomenon, which sold over 10 million copies and was later turned into a Hollywood film starring Julia Roberts.
Eat Pray Love is a memoir that reads more like a fiction novel.
It follows Gilbert’s story from marriage break-down to solo-travelling across Bali, India and Italy in order to find herself.
“I wrote a travel memoir in order to make sense of my own journey and my own emotional confusion. All I was trying to do with that book was to figure myself out.”
Elizabeth Gilbert | Big Magic
Table of Contents
The lowdown on Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Big Magic takes on a slightly different tone to Eat Pray Love as it acts as the self-help/business book that you never knew you needed.
In fact, it’s probably one of the best self-improvement books to help cultivate creativity.
Elizabeth Gilbert takes on the role of a life coach.
She shares her unique perspective on living a creative life that is led by curiosity and not by fear.
The book consists mainly of Gilbert’s past which she turns into life lessons we can all learn from. She also includes real stories from friends and draws upon her timeless wisdom to map out how we can gain the courage to pursue our own creative endeavours.
Big Magic consists of 6 sections:
- Courage
- Enchantment
- Permission
- Persistence
- Trust
- Divinity
And it is during these chapters that Gilbert shows us how to deal with our doubts, how to observe our ideas and how to act upon them without fear.
The biggest takeaways from Big Magic
Big Magic taught me that I should never feel embarrassed about building a creative business.
I’m doing it for me because I enjoy being creative and that is all that matters.
There seems to be such a stigma around creative work and I’m glad Elizabeth Gilbert has finally spoken up about the fact that it should be treated the same as non-creative work.
Gilbert also puts a huge emphasis on the fact that it doesn’t matter if an idea has been done before. It’s never been done by you and therefore it will always be unique.
I am definitely partial to self-comparison, who isn’t right?
But being able to say the below quote out loud daily, has helped me to train my brain into believing that although my ideas may not be unique, the way I execute my ideas ARE unique.
So why don’t you give it a go, and repeat it yourself?
“Once you put your own expression and passion behind an idea, that idea becomes yours.”
Elizabeth gilbert | big magic
Final thoughts
If you are someone who gets bored easily with conventional business books with dull, plain covers written by serious men, then you’ll love Big Magic.
Just like the cover suggests, Big Magic is not just another boring self-help book.
But one that stands out as daring to be different.
Gilbert writes as though she is writing to a friend. She has a very matter-of-fact, screw-the-norm tone of voice.
She encourages us to embark on our creative dreams and not give a fuck about what anybody says or thinks. Because this is your life and you deserve to start living it the way you want.
So if you feel like you’re hiding your true creative self, then read Big Magic and cultivate the creativity you need to live a life that is truly your own.
Until next week,
♡ Thalia xx
Let me leave you with this one last quote…
“Let people have their opinions. More than that – let people be in love with their opinions, just as you and I are in love with yours. Never delude yourself into believing that you require someone else’s blessing in order to make your own creative work. And always remember that people’s judgements about you, are none of your business.”
Elizabeth Gilbert | Big Magic
Learn more about Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
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