“So this I believe, is the central question upon which all creating living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?…The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels – that’s creative living. The courage to go on that hunt in the first place – that’s what separates a mundane existence from a more enchanted one. The often surprising results of that hunt – that’s what I call Big Magic.”
Gilbert, E. Big Magic. Riverhead Books, 2015. p. 8
Elizabeth Gilbert inspires me to dream and create my art just for the joy of it. It doesn’t matter if anyone ever sees what you do or if anyone else cares; it’s about feeding your soul, using your imagination, putting your unique beautiful gifts out into the world. In Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert explores creative living through six primary areas: Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity.
Courage: We aren’t talking about living a life that is only devoted to the arts but one that finds fulfillment by not being afraid to explore a creative life alongside whatever may pay the bills. This might look like finding time every day to write, paint, knit, play an instrument, sing, draw – whatever creative outlet that brings you joy, that sparks that warm spot in your heart. There are so many things to be afraid of, as Elizabeth Gilbert says, “…creative living is for the brave. We all know this. And we all know that when courage dies, creativity dies with it. We all know that fear is a desolate boneyard where our dreams go to desiccate in the hot sun…Let me list for you some of the ways in which you might be afraid to live a more creative life: You’re afraid you have no talent. You’re afraid you’ll be rejected or criticized or ridiculed or misunderstood or – worst of all – ignored…You’re afraid somebody else already did it better…You’re afraid you won’t be taken seriously. You’re afraid your dreams are embarrassing…” (Gilbert, p. 13). The list goes on and on. But the alternative to not pursuing that special thing is not living a full life. In fact, it’s not really living at all if you think about it since you would be ignoring the most true part of who you are and your calling from the universe itself.
Enchantment: Ideas are like little bits of magic trying to find their way into the world. An idea may come to you and if you cultivate it, love it and nurture it, then it will sprout wings and fly. If you ignore it the idea will move on to someone else who wants it. An idea wants to be found and loved so it can be born into the world. We can take the idea or leave it but if it wants to be found bad enough it will keep moving along to the next person until someone grabs ahold of it and brings it to life. Have you ever had a great idea for a product, a book, a poem and jotted it down then never took it any further and six months later you see your idea on a shelf in the store? Elizabeth Gilbert talks about a book idea she started on but never finished and a year or so later she saw her book be written by another dear author. She had ignored the idea for too long and it moved on. I had a very similar experience myself, maybe you have too, and if so this theory about the life of ideas will make perfect sense. If you have a great idea, grab hold of it and don’t let go!
Permission: You don’t need anyone’s permission to pursue your creative life. Don’t ask for it, don’t accept it, don’t think about it. Some of us have parents, like I did, that were creative and artistic in their own way and encouraged me to be the same. But some of us don’t. Some of us have people in our lives who will be embarrassed by our creativity, who will discourage us, who will push us down. Don’t let them. Whatever your gift is that you were granted by the universe needs to be cultivated and shared with the world.
Persistence: This one is easy: never give up. Keep doing the work, keep listening to your intuition, keep listening to that little voice that gets you in a flow state and brings you a joy like nothing else. Pay attention to how you feel when you are doing that thing that brings you pleasure and repeat.
Trust: There is a relationship between yourself and your art which also requires a level of trust. You love your art but do you believe your art loves you in return? Do you cherish your art in a way that will make it cherish you? There’s always been this belief in certain artistic circles that to make good art you need to suffer. But what if you approached your art from a place of joy instead? Elizabeth Gilbert puts it this way, “…If you’re going to live your life based on delusions (and you are, because we all do), then why not at least select a delusion that is helpful? Allow me to suggest this one: The work wants to be made, and it wants to be made by you” (Gilbert, p. 221).
Divinity: Listen to the universe. It is showing you the way, you just have to follow its lead.
Wrapped up with a bow
While I can give you this overview of the book, its content and purpose, I cannot weave for you the magic that Elizabeth Gilbert creates when she puts her thoughts on paper. It is a beauty to withhold and must be fully experienced firsthand. This is not a book just for people who identify as “artists”, it is a book for everyone who is looking for any inspiration in any area of their life, for someone who is looking for direction. The universe has given you a gift and your job is to figure out what that gift is and bring it to fulfillment. You will know what it is because when you do it you feel calm, joyful, at home within yourself in a way that no other activity brings. That is YOUR Big Magic.
Buy or Borrow
This one is definitely a BUY. It is something you can turn to any time you need a little reminder about finding your creative spirit again and tuning into what brings you joy.
You can find a hard copy in your local library in the Non-Fiction section (IBSN 978-1-594-63472-7). In my area, Stanislaus County in Central California, you can download the Library app and get everything in a one-stop shop. I cannot say enough about how great this app is for really taking full advantage of everything our local libraries have to offer.
Get the audiobook. If your local library uses apps like Cloud Library or Hoopla, you can connect that app to your library card and you may be able to check out the Audiobook for FREE!
You can download the book through Audible which is subscription based. They offer a free seven day trail period and you can also purchase individual books through the app if you prefer not to have a subscription service.
You can also buy the eBook through Apple Books or again, you can also get it FREE from your local library if they use Cloud Library or Hoopla!
You can buy it on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble.
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