“Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert: Ideas to Inspire Living Creatively

A couple of years ago, in the middle of the pandemic, I wrote an article where I tried to make the case that, despite all the uncertainty and turmoil in the world, now more than ever, we must take the plunge and do the thing we want to do.

I believe that it's better to regret some things you’ve done rather than regret the dreams that remain forever in your imagination. In my experience, there is no neatly overlapping Venn diagram in which the circle of “what you want to do” merges with the circle of “perfect timing” to form a region of “incredible opportunities materializing” right smack in the middle. In fact, research shows that people tend to regret “inaction” (things they wanted to do but didn’t) more than “action” (things they did).

One of the big sources of enduring inspiration for me, as I try to live as creatively as I can, is the book called "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Best known for her book "Eat, Pray, Love," Gilbert's insights in "Big Magic" have left a lasting impact on me.

The book is wonderfully written and encourages a mindset shift towards embracing curiosity and living a more creatively fulfilling life. It also provides valuable perspectives on managing fear (even befriending it) and finding the courage to pursue one's creative ambitions, which can be applicable to personal and professional development. ?

In this article, I've distilled key concepts and impactful quotes from the book. Additionally, I've included a link to Gilbert's podcast, "Magic Lessons," where she delves deeper into the themes explored in her book, and a link to her TED talk from 2009.

I invite you to check out these resources and hope that they will inspire you to read the book and incorporate its transformative ideas into your own life.

Key ideas from the book

"Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" by Elizabeth Gilbert explores “how to live a creative life.” Here are some key concepts that I often refer to in my own life and coaching:

• Creative Living: Gilbert encourages us to embrace a life driven by curiosity and creativity, advocating for a mindset prioritizing the pursuit of passion and joy over fear.
• Courage and Fear: Fear has a role to play in the creative process. Elizabeth Gilbert suggests that creativity requires courage to overcome fear and self-doubt. She encourages readers to acknowledge fear but not let it dictate their creative endeavors.
• Embracing Curiosity: Gilbert tells us to follow our interests and explore different avenues, allowing curiosity to guide us in discovering our passions.
• Permission to Create: The author challenges the notion that one needs permission to be creative and suggests that everyone has the right to pursue their creative interests without waiting for external validation.
• The Process Over the Outcome: Instead of focusing solely on achieving success or recognition, focus on enjoying the creative process and finding fulfillment in the act of creating itself.
• Balancing Seriousness and Playfulness: Gilbert encourages a balance between taking one's creative pursuits seriously and approaching them with a sense of playfulness. She advocates for finding joy in the creative journey.

Quotes from the book "Big Magic" that stood out for me and still resonate even though I read the book when it came out in 2015:

"So this, I believe, is the central question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the hidden treasures within you?"

"My earliest memories are of fear, as are pretty much all the memories that come after my earliest memories."

"Basically, your fear is like a mall cop who thinks he’s a Navy SEAL: He hasn’t slept in days, he’s all hopped up on Red Bull, and he’s liable to shoot at his own shadow in an absurd effort to keep everyone “safe.” This is all totally natural and human."

"I believe that creativity is a force of enchantment—not entirely human in its origins."

"Most of my writing life consists of nothing more than unglamorous, disciplined labor. I sit at my desk and I work like a farmer, and that’s how it gets done. Most of it is not fairy dust in the least."

"He didn’t quit his day job to follow his dream; he just folded his dream into his everyday life."? ?

"[...] I also want to live the most vividly decorated temporary life that I can. I don’t just mean physically; I mean emotionally, spiritually, intellectually. I don’t want to be afraid of bright colors, or new sounds, or big love, or risky decisions, or strange experiences, or weird endeavors, or sudden changes..."

"Aspiring writers will often tell me, “I have an idea, but I’m afraid it’s already been done.” Well, yes, it probably has already been done. Most things have already been done—but they have not yet been done by you."

"Your own reasons to create are reason enough. Merely by pursuing what you love, you may inadvertently end up helping us plenty."

"Gambling is a dangerous habit. But whenever you make art, you’re always gambling. You’re rolling the dice on the slim odds that your investment of time, energy, and resources now might pay off later in a big way—that somebody might buy your work, and that you might become successful."

"After a certain age, no matter how you’ve been spending your time, you have very likely earned a doctorate in living. If you’re still here—if you have survived this long—it is because you know things."

"As a bartender, I learned that not only does everybody have a story that would stop your heart, but everybody wants to tell you about it."

"Whenever I got those rejection letters, then, I would permit my ego to say aloud to whoever had signed it: “You think you can scare me off? I’ve got another eighty years to wear you down! There are people who haven’t even been born yet who are gonna reject me someday."

"I think it’s a mighty act of human love to remind somebody that they can accomplish things by themselves, and that the world does not automatically owe them any reward, and that they are not as weak and hobbled as they may believe. Such reminders can seem blunt, and often we don’t want to hear them, but there is a simple question of self-respect." ?

"Everybody imitates before they can innovate."

"Your education isn’t over when they say it’s over; your education is over when you say it's over."

"You must learn how to become a deeply disciplined half-ass. It starts by forgetting about perfect. We don’t have time for perfect. In any event, perfection is unachievable..."

"I think perfectionism is just a high-end, haute couture version of fear. I think perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat, pretending to be elegant when actually it’s just terrified. Because underneath that shiny veneer, perfectionism is nothing more than a deep existential angst that says, again and again, 'I am not good enough and I will never be good enough.'"

"Done is better than good."? ?

"Do what you love to do, and do it with both seriousness and lightness."??

"Play the odds. Put yourself forward in stubborn good cheer, and then do it again and again..."

"I want to make something perfectly clear here: I do not deny the reality of suffering—not yours, not mine, not humanity’s in general. It is simply that I refuse to fetishize it."

"What I’m saying is this: 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?"

"Interesting outcomes, after all, are just awful outcomes with the volume of drama turned way down. I think a lot of people quit pursuing creative lives because they’re scared of the word interesting."

"I think the fiercest question of all is this one: What would you do even if you knew that you might very well fail?"? ?

"Magic Lessons" with Elizabeth Gilbert, a podcast: 22 magical episodes with Elizabeth Gilbert where she further explores how to live creatively and interviews some fantastic guests.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/magic-lessons-with-elizabeth-gilbert/id1138081319

"Your elusive creative genius"–Elizabeth Gilbert's famous 2009 TED talk on creativity and genius.

https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_your_elusive_creative_genius?language=en

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