BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert

The classic book on creativity is a re-read and a well timed one at that.

I listened to the audiobook of Big Magic by Liz Gilbert back in 2015 when it was released, and bought the hardcopy soon thereafter. I always remembered liking it very much, so in recent times when I have felt quite useless and rudderless in life, it occured to me that this was a book that, re-read, may spark something within me.

On this front, Gilbert delivers. I really appreciate her no nonsense, yet tender way that she delivers advice around sparking, harvesting and maintaining creativity. There are so many great quotes and concepts here.

“…I’m talking about living a life that is driven more strongly
by curiousity than by fear.”

This one gave me a tingle, given the title of this Substack and my determination to live exactly as advised, without recalling it as Gilbert’s advice when I chose the blog name.

I also really love the passage called Decorate Yourself, where Gilbert talks of a friend of hers who has many tattoo’s and who sees her inkings as decorations, as she understands that life is temporary, as our bodies are. This really spoke to me, as the wearer of 11 tattoos (with plans for more!). I see my skin as a canvas of my life, and all of my tattoos have meaning in my life and tell a story. Two are literary inspired!

Re-reading Big Magic has not been inspirational so much as it has been motivating - at times it has made me want to get off my butt and start creating more! I guess that’s part of my current enrolment in B-school too, even though I am unsure exactly what the end result could look like.

It has also been a great reminder that writing for the sake of writing is as good a reason as any - that finding an audience takes time but shoud not be the primary motivator. I write my book reviews so I can remember what I have written and go back, later on, to remind myself of my first thoughts about the book. Often, years later, I return to a review and think “gosh my memory of that book is better now than it was immediately after finishing”, or alternatively “wow, that review did not age well!” I really like that aspect of it - reviews and writing can be fluid and take meaning at any given time, only to have a completely different impact at another time.

If you are seeking something to motivate you, Big Magic might be just the book for you, even if creatie arts like writing, visual arts, photography et al isn’t your thing. I think the advice Gilbert provides in this is quite universal.

And who doesn’t want to read a book with gold star advice such as this:

“I firmly believe that we all need to find something to do in our lives
that stops us from eating the couch.”

Magic, indeed.