I very much enjoyed Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. It wasn’t earth shattering or groundbreaking as a book, nor did it cause me to have any kind of epiphany or breakthrough. But what it did do — and what keeps the book from being just another book on creativity — is speak honestly, plainly, and compassionately while also being encouraging but not in a rah-rah unrealistic or impractical fantasy life way.
What Gilbert does so well in this book is counter all of the “I can’t be creative because…” baloney I am certain most of us are familiar with. You know what I am talking about, these are the excuses we make for why we can’t write the novel or paint the picture or sew the quilt or fire the bowl or plant the garden. We say we don’t have enough time but there is likely a spare ten or fifteen minutes in a day at the very least. Gilbert herself wrote all of her books before Eat Pray Love while working a full time job. Then there is the I’m not going to bother even trying because it’s not high art/won’t win the Nobel/isn’t important. Who cares? Your art does not have to save the world! As long as you enjoy making it that is the important thing. What if people hate it? So what? Be creative for the sake of your own soul not to impress others and win accolades.
Gilbert tells some good stories in this book. One of my favorites comes at the end. It is about an artist who was traveling and got invited to a costume party. He made himself a lobster costume. He showed up to the party to discover that the room was filled with European aristocrats (including the Queen of Beligum) and costume meant medieval period costumes. He could have turned around and left but he didn’t. He joined the party. And yes, everyone stopped and stared at him when he walked into the room. But he smiled and told everyone that he was the court lobster and they loved it and him for being so different and daring and fun and friendly and genuinely himself.
The story reminded me of a cyclocross bike race I heard about that happened a few years ago. A guy showed up in a giraffe costume. Granted, others were wearing costumes because it was that kind of race, but this guy instead of having a reasonable giraffe neck, went all out in a ridiculous way. He got laughed at, yes, but he made the race memorable for everyone there. And he became a little famous on the internet. Cyclists who weren’t even there talk about him and, in order to remind each other that cycling is supposed to be fun and we shouldn’t take things too seriously, say things like “be the giraffe.”
I couldn’t help but like Gilbert for reminding me that we are all entitled to be creative simply because we are human. She also repeatedly insists that the foundation of creativity is curiosity and if all you ever do is follow your curiosity wherever it takes you and end up never creating anything amazing, at least you have lived an inquisitive life and that is a lot more than a good many people can say and is entirely worthwhile all on its own because an inquisitive life is an interesting life. I also appreciated that she insists going to school for an MFA or other advanced degree is not worthwhile (unless you have plans to teach or pursue a profession where the degree would be helpful) because one does not need a degree to be creative or a good writer or a good artist. She says she finds that most of the time people who go into debt to get these degrees are really looking for permission to be creative and one doesn’t need to empty the bank account for that.
Big Magic is a reminder about why it is great to spend time doing something that brings you joy even if it will not make you rich or famous.
Really like your review. I love her take on curiosity, too, she’s so right about that.
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Valorie, thanks! I liked what Gilbert says about curiosity as well and totally agree 🙂
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Love this post. Will add Big Magic to my TBR list. The giraffe was a riot. Hysterical 😻‼️
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Thanks Helen! I suspect you will like the book. I love the giraffe!
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Excellent Review and your review alone has made me get over my prejudice against Gilbert! I am off to buy the book!
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cirtnecce, thanks! Yeah, I have lost my Gilbert prejudice. She comes off in this books as a down to earth genuinely nice person. Hope you like the book!
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I absolutely share your sentiment about this book, and I liked her down-to-earth tone (except when she goes a bit overboard with inspiration, but…). It’s quite an uplifting book.
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smithereens, yes! I liked that is was uplifting while being so realistic so many times it seems books like this are like reading a fantasy story.
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I enjoyed this one so much more than I expected to. By the time I’d finished, I had two full pages of quotes marked out and a long list in my head of people to whom I wanted to recommend it (thinking they’d be as unlikely to pick it up as I was initially). As you say, it’s the balance in her tone which makes it work so well. So inspiring!
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buried, I didn’t expect to like it so much either. she really did a good job. And yeah, lots of quotes to save!
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Love your review, but I must say that the reason I say I can’t be creative is not because I don’t have the time – I could make it if I wanted – but because, well, I’m just not creative. And no-one, not even Elizabeth Gilbert, is likely to convince me otherwise.
I’m not sure i’m even very curious … i just plod along in my quiet prosaic little life enjoying the company or my creative, curious friends, like you Stefanie!
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whisperinggums, thanks! Everyone is creative in some way or another so don’t discount yourself! I think you are curious, I mean you go researching in the dusty archives of Australian literature for your Monday posts. That counts as curiosity! 🙂
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Oh, I suppose … If you say so … but I feel that I often just accept rather than question. That’s where I’d like to be more wins. But I yam what I yam!
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I’m really pleased to see that comment that you don’t need to do a degree to write a book because earlier today I saw that Junot Diaz had talked about the lack of diversity in what gets published because MFA programs don’t encourage diversity and its too expensive for many authors to join. My comment back was exactly what Gilbert argues – these courses may help fine tune writing and they do have a good track record of producing good authors but there are many fine authors who manage just nicely without them
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BookerTalk, Diaz has been talking for a while about the lack of diversity in MFA programs and others are starting to chime in on it too. There does seem to be a sameness to writing produced my many graduates. So yeah, it is great that Gilbert talks about not needing a degree. Sometimes I wonder if literature in general wouldn’t be better off without most of the MFA programs.
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I’m going to have to add this book to my list. These are the sort of books that have begun to interest me lately. Plus I really liked your review! 🙂
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Geetanjali, thanks! If you read the book I hope you like it!
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I am so glad you enjoyed this. It’s a real treat to read (and listen to – her audio book narration is so good!) I just started listening (as in I’m in the middle of the first one) to her podcast, Magic Lessons. I just love her voice. And her enthusiasm and compassion.
I keep meaning to read her books that came out before Eat, Pray, Love, and I just haven’t yet. But I still intend to! She wrote short stories and a nonfiction book about a real life mountain man called The Last American Man that sounds interesting. Have you read any of those?
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Laila, I keep forgetting about the podcasts, I hope to give them a whirl sometime. Was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book and how much I liked Gilbert. I have not read anything else by her. I think I might have to try one of her others 🙂
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Great review, Stefanie and I am sold on this! I think a lot of times we just assume being creative is something that is going to require a lot of time and energy but really, it can be any simple thing. Will have to look for this book!
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Thanks Iliana! I think you will really like the book. You are right, we do assume creativity requires a lot of time and energy but that isn’t necessarily so, or at least not in the way we think of it like quitting your job to devote all your time to writing. Not a good idea.
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