I had heard mixed reviews about this book… but it’s Elizabeth Gilbert (most well known as the author of Eat Pray Love) and I enjoy her writing, so I wanted to try this one. If I had to tell you in one word what this book was about I would say: CREATIVITY. Accessing your creativity, getting motivated to use your creativity, getting motivated to not lose your creativity. Keep reading for my full review of Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert!
Synopsis
Elizabeth Gilbert shares about her own unique perspectives on creativity. She shares her process, her experiences, and her advice. Whether you are an aspiring writer, artist, dancer, photographer, or just someone trying to tap into their creativity, this is a great guide for you!
Thoughts
I listened to the audio of this one, and there were a few times I paused the audio so I could write down a quote or idea from the book. Here are some of my favorite quotes and takeaways from Big Magic!
-Don’t put the pressure on your creativity to pay for your job. Do it on the side (if you end up making enough to make it your full-time job, then great!)
-Take hold of an idea and act on it before it moves on to someone else (it has been a couple months since I finished this book and I still think about this concept all the time).
-Dress for the novel you want to write — “seduce big magic”
-Mere completion is an honorable and rare accomplishment — people don’t complete things. Just complete something and you’ll be miles ahead of the pack
-Be self-disciplined and don’t be a perfectionist (easier said than done).
-“Trust in your inspiration, and put in the work so it trusts you too.”
-Curiosity only ever asks one simple question: what are you interested in? what captures your attention. the answer to this question is a clue. follow that clue and trust it. “follow the scavenger hunt of curiosity to your passion.”
If you’ve read this book, what were your thoughts? What stood out to you? I found Big Magic to be insightful and motivating, and I will definitely read more of Elizabeth Gilbert’s work (Also very interested in reading the Anne Patchett book Gilbert references… stay tuned for a review of that one soon 🙂
More Reviews
You can get your own copy here. If you liked this review of Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, you can check out more book reviews here.
