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Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

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  • Create Date：2021-04-16 11:55:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elizabeth Gilbert
  • ISBN：1408881683
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Summary

Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years。 Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity。 With profound empathy and radiant generosity， she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration。 She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering。 She shows us how to tackle what we most love， and how to face down what we most fear。 She discusses the attitudes， approaches， and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives。

Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism， Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us。 Whether we are looking to write a book， make art， find new ways to address challenges in our work，  embark on a dream long deferred， or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion， Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy。

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Reviews

Darya Budzko ，

Буду советовать прочитать эту книгу своим близким！ Цитату выбрала не просто так， слова очень отзываются в моей душе 🤍„Вместо того чтобы набирать кредиты， чтобы оплатить учебу в школе искусств， попробуйте лучше ближе познакомиться с миром， исследовать его смелее。 Или смелее отправляйтесь вглубь собственной души。 Честно и всерьез оцените то образование， которое вы уже получили， – прожитые вами годы， выдержанные за это время испытания， навыки， которые вы приобрели”Фрагмент из книги:Большое волшебст Буду советовать прочитать эту книгу своим близким！ Цитату выбрала не просто так， слова очень отзываются в моей душе 🤍„Вместо того чтобы набирать кредиты， чтобы оплатить учебу в школе искусств， попробуйте лучше ближе познакомиться с миром， исследовать его смелее。 Или смелее отправляйтесь вглубь собственной души。 Честно и всерьез оцените то образование， которое вы уже получили， – прожитые вами годы， выдержанные за это время испытания， навыки， которые вы приобрели”Фрагмент из книги:Большое волшебствоЭлизабет Гилберт 。。。more

Alexa Jennings ，

I like reading books like this because they are just gentle reminders of how we can think differently or do differently。 Do I think the book was big magic？ No。 But it was magic enough。

Shruti ，

I loved some parts of the book。 Overall， quite a fun and quick read with deep insights woven into the witty narration。 Just what I needed this terrible week。

ShaunaCook ，

I connect so deeply with gilbert and I love every word she writes。 This was a wonderful read after two pretty awful books in a row for me。

y i n a ，

Recommended this book by a friend when I mentioned my struggles with fear while creating。She lent me this book that has helped reframe my understanding of what creativity it is。It has both so much meaning， and equally meaningless at the same time。 It's important that this tension exists， because only by having this tension can you create something with heart while letting go of the fear and ego attached to it。 Recommended this book by a friend when I mentioned my struggles with fear while creating。She lent me this book that has helped reframe my understanding of what creativity it is。It has both so much meaning， and equally meaningless at the same time。 It's important that this tension exists， because only by having this tension can you create something with heart while letting go of the fear and ego attached to it。 。。。more

Urfa ，

I really loved this。 Really spoke to the creative soul inside of me。 ❤️

Rachel McGraw ，

I couldn’t finish this。 I found it boring and verging on insufferable。 I’m giving myself credit for getting through as much of it as I did。

Vicki Edwards ，

I love books that discuss the creative process， spark， life。 This one does not disappoint！

Sarah Ward ，

I love this book， and I re-read it about once a year to remember that a creative life is not about earning an income as an author。 It can be just about showing up and letting the creative spirits find you。

Rachel Acalinei ，

I had great hopes for this book， but was sadly disappointed！ Even though I appreciate the writing style （very light & easy to read） as well as the author’s effort to inspire creativity。。。 it’s a very self-aggrandizing book。 Also。。 she believes in magic。 Literal magic。 I think she confuses passion with magic。Believing that creative mojo is floating in the air around you。。 in the air you breath and if you don’t pay attention it will land on someone else。。Or the ideas you think about are actual liv I had great hopes for this book， but was sadly disappointed！ Even though I appreciate the writing style （very light & easy to read） as well as the author’s effort to inspire creativity。。。 it’s a very self-aggrandizing book。 Also。。 she believes in magic。 Literal magic。 I think she confuses passion with magic。Believing that creative mojo is floating in the air around you。。 in the air you breath and if you don’t pay attention it will land on someone else。。Or the ideas you think about are actual living spirits floating around and you need to do everything you can to attract them。。 yeah， really not my cup of tea。- it is not dense， instructional or academic in creativity- It’s not really about anything but writing I would NOT recommend this book to anyone who is looking to study， or intellectually explore creativity。 。。。more

Corazon ，

I own a physical copy as well as the audiobook。 I can literally pick this book up at any point where I was listening， or some chapter， and can always get a shot of inspiration in some shape or form。 Different phrases and examples come out to me in different reads/listens depending on where I am in life， and is kept close as a constant reminder that Big Magic is always waiting。

Devin ，

I mean， to be upfront。。。 It's a non fiction book drawing from Liz's personal experience to inspire creativity in readers。 Naturally， it's all about her， and naturally， it's self-helpy， and at times preachy。 （These are the two major themes of disappointment in other reviews）That said， great book for an easy， inspiring read。 It approaches creativity in a refreshing way， with full reverence and a dash of kookiness。 I found myself looking inward and taking inventory of my own dreams after finishing I mean， to be upfront。。。 It's a non fiction book drawing from Liz's personal experience to inspire creativity in readers。 Naturally， it's all about her， and naturally， it's self-helpy， and at times preachy。 （These are the two major themes of disappointment in other reviews）That said， great book for an easy， inspiring read。 It approaches creativity in a refreshing way， with full reverence and a dash of kookiness。 I found myself looking inward and taking inventory of my own dreams after finishing tthis book in two sittings。 。。。more

Monica Coddington ，

I listened to the audiobook version and the author narrates it。 I always enjoy that。 I really enjoyed this book。。as someone who was searching for *something during the pandemic， this gave me insight into a more creative life。 It was a fantastic read and I enjoyed many of her anecdotes and advice！

Jennifer ，

Definitely one I could re-read。 Made me really think about stimulating my creative interests more。

Shreya Patel ，

It's got a lot of good nuggets， but it was hard to keep my concentration going throughout the whole book。 Felt like a very long lecture。 There was a lot of stuff I already knew in there， and this is all anecdotal evidence and advice rather than evidence-based research。 Would recommend to people who don't consider themselves creatives and want to be more creative。 It's got a lot of good nuggets， but it was hard to keep my concentration going throughout the whole book。 Felt like a very long lecture。 There was a lot of stuff I already knew in there， and this is all anecdotal evidence and advice rather than evidence-based research。 Would recommend to people who don't consider themselves creatives and want to be more creative。 。。。more

Jillian Alexandra ，

Ah！ What a breath of fresh air！ I have a lot to say about this book。 Normally I stay far， far away from any self-help/self-discovery books。 Most turn me off with the underlying tone of self-righteousness and low-key shaming。 This book was NOTHING like that。 After reading this book， I felt so utterly inspired to just get out there and do the things I've always wanted to。 What I loved about Elizabeth Gilbert's writing in this book was how she described exploring your creativity amongst your daily Ah！ What a breath of fresh air！ I have a lot to say about this book。 Normally I stay far， far away from any self-help/self-discovery books。 Most turn me off with the underlying tone of self-righteousness and low-key shaming。 This book was NOTHING like that。 After reading this book， I felt so utterly inspired to just get out there and do the things I've always wanted to。 What I loved about Elizabeth Gilbert's writing in this book was how she described exploring your creativity amongst your daily life。 We all know someone who is living abroad doing instagram stories on how they rejected that 9-5 life and wouldn't ever be confined to the normal living expectations that so many people do because their told to。 I've always felt a slightly annoyed by this narrative because I have followed that path and newsflash: I am actually quite happy and have been able to do have some amazing life experiences。 I didn't need to quit my job and fling myself fully into travelling the world to prove that I loved to travel。 Elizabeth Gilbert's encouragement to keep up that side of your life， while still pursuing your creativity rang so true to me。 I especially loved how she detailed this by saying you should never put pressure on your creativity to support your life， that is exactly what kills so many people's creativity。 I also just left feeling very inspired。 I think it details how important it is to engage in creativity， whatever that may be。 I watch every day how art and music changes the dynamic in my students day。 Sometimes I just want to join in and fling by teacher duties to the side。 As mentioned by Elizabeth， having a creative outlet is so important in helping us escape our daily lives （I still love my 9-5 life but occasional escapage is necessary）。 Love， love， love everything about this book！ I truly think everyone should read。 。。。more

Ashley ，

Not what I expected going into it。 Not really my cup of tea， but i can see how people could find some inspiration from this book。

Tabitha Sumsion ，

Loved it！ Love self help type of books that are short and to the point。 The book is geared more towards people who consider themselves creatives， but I think everyone should read the first chapter， which encourages everyone to find something creative they enjoy。 My biggest takeaways were to be curious， try new things， sometimes good enough really is good enough， fear makes us human， just keep creating， don't take your creative work so seriously and it helped me to see ideas as things with minds Loved it！ Love self help type of books that are short and to the point。 The book is geared more towards people who consider themselves creatives， but I think everyone should read the first chapter， which encourages everyone to find something creative they enjoy。 My biggest takeaways were to be curious， try new things， sometimes good enough really is good enough， fear makes us human， just keep creating， don't take your creative work so seriously and it helped me to see ideas as things with minds of their owns looking for a host and we should treat them with respect and persistence。 。。。more

Emma ，

love love love

The Cozy Nook ，

2。5 but keeping it at 2。 I really wanted to like this book since I’ve heard so many great things about it。 The first part was great！ I enjoyed it， but I did not think that I’d hate this by the second half。I think what irked me the most is that she talks about taking care of our “creative journey” but then contradicts herself on the next page and say， “creative fields make for crap careers” and “arts aren’t necessary”。 WHAT？“Go and make absolutely whatever you want to make。 It’s nobody’s business 2。5 but keeping it at 2。 I really wanted to like this book since I’ve heard so many great things about it。 The first part was great！ I enjoyed it， but I did not think that I’d hate this by the second half。I think what irked me the most is that she talks about taking care of our “creative journey” but then contradicts herself on the next page and say， “creative fields make for crap careers” and “arts aren’t necessary”。 WHAT？“Go and make absolutely whatever you want to make。 It’s nobody’s business but your own” to then looking down on creatives who want to earn from doing the things that they love。 Now that I think about it， what I got from reading til’ page 185 is to nurture your creativity， but just treat it as a side hobby。 There were good parts， don’t get me wrong。 But to be honest， it was too self-indulgent， self-righteous and too privileged at times。 Would I recommend it？ I’d say go for it since there are points that you might find yourself agreeing on and to be honest it’s also nice to have a disagreement with an author。 It makes you think of where you actually stand on things。 Go and read it， but just like with everything， take it with a grain of salt。PS。 I don’t think there’s anything wrong in full heartedly pursuing your creative side。 Regardless of your intentions and process， because at the end of the day， your creative pursuit will be different to the next person beside you。 。。。more

Meredith ，

This is a short but effective book on creativity and the creative process。 Gilbert makes great points for anyone looking to live “a creative life，” though she - not surprisingly - focuses primarily on writing。 I love that she is unafraid of challenging some popular beliefs about creativity， such as the idea of the starving artist and the idea that pain and suffering are critical to creating meaningful work。 I have not yet read any of Gilbert’s fiction but I definitely plan to do so after spendin This is a short but effective book on creativity and the creative process。 Gilbert makes great points for anyone looking to live “a creative life，” though she - not surprisingly - focuses primarily on writing。 I love that she is unafraid of challenging some popular beliefs about creativity， such as the idea of the starving artist and the idea that pain and suffering are critical to creating meaningful work。 I have not yet read any of Gilbert’s fiction but I definitely plan to do so after spending this time with her， listening to her describe how she works。 。。。more

Alina Steadman ，

I loved the set up of the book。 I also loved the shortness of the audiobook， because I had a hard time making connections with this read。 Some connections she attempted to make between real life and creativity was， let's say， not cool。 1。5 stars。 I loved the set up of the book。 I also loved the shortness of the audiobook， because I had a hard time making connections with this read。 Some connections she attempted to make between real life and creativity was， let's say， not cool。 1。5 stars。 。。。more

Carolina Linkowski ，

Great reflections about creativity！I wasn't sure if this book could be defined as a “self-help” one but I found it very inspiring。 Without reading the writer's previous works， it's something more close to an autobiography （as Eat Pray Love ） rather than a universal book about creativity。 She primarily mentioned personal experiences and thoughts。You have to agree with Elizabeth and like her writing style otherwise， you wouldn’t like it。I found her cheesy and straightforward which are traits that Great reflections about creativity！I wasn't sure if this book could be defined as a “self-help” one but I found it very inspiring。 Without reading the writer's previous works， it's something more close to an autobiography （as Eat Pray Love ） rather than a universal book about creativity。 She primarily mentioned personal experiences and thoughts。You have to agree with Elizabeth and like her writing style otherwise， you wouldn’t like it。I found her cheesy and straightforward which are traits that I personally enjoy。 I think you can catch a lot of good advice from this book。 The fact that those words come from a writer that admits her ups and downs made it an authentic and enjoyable read。 It was a book where I highlighted my favorite chapters so that I can go through them again。Thank you， Elizabeth！ 。。。more

Heather ，

I'm probably not the target audience for this book—I'm not particularly looking for encouragement in creative pursuits—but my fiancé got a copy as a gift and I ended up picking it up from the shelf while waiting for a library hold on a different book to come in。 Gilbert's tone is conversational and engaging， and she tells lots of great stories about her own writing life， and about the artistic pursuits of others， all under the broad themes of Courage， Enchantment， Permission， Persistence， Trust， I'm probably not the target audience for this book—I'm not particularly looking for encouragement in creative pursuits—but my fiancé got a copy as a gift and I ended up picking it up from the shelf while waiting for a library hold on a different book to come in。 Gilbert's tone is conversational and engaging， and she tells lots of great stories about her own writing life， and about the artistic pursuits of others， all under the broad themes of Courage， Enchantment， Permission， Persistence， Trust， and Divinity。 Early in the book， she defines "creative living" as "living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear" （9）。 Later in the book， she returns to the idea of curiosity—noting that she thinks that telling someone to follow their curiosity is better than telling them to follow their passion， since passion may feel too big or intimidating or people may not know what theirs is， whereas with curiosity， you can start small and see where it takes you。 I like that， and I liked Gilbert's own story about following her curiosity， when she realized she was interested in gardening （though she never had been previously）。 She talks about how she planted a garden， then found herself doing research to find out where the plants in her garden came from。 She then realized she was interested not so much in the "garden itself， but the botanical history behind it—a wild and little-known tale of trade and adventure and global intrigue，" which ended up being the subject of one of her novels （243）。 Gilbert is big on choosing to look at things in ways that make things easier for yourself， not harder for yourself， which makes a lot of sense to me。 Like: she rejects the idea of the tortured artist/thinks that "too many creative people have been taught to distrust pleasure" （209）。 She talks about interpreting certain situations in certain ways， like when she writes about how a story she submitted was rejected， then later ended up being accepted by the same person for the same publication。 The accepted story was submitted by Gilbert's agent， and she talks about how she could have a negative interpretation of this， thinking that "it's who you know" that matters， rather than talent （193）。 But as she puts it， she would rather take it as proof that "miraculous turns of fate can happen to those who persist in showing up" （ibid。） （As she also points out， she doesn't know the other circumstances around the initial rejection or later acceptance: maybe the first time around， her story was read at the end of a long and difficult day; maybe the second time around， the person reading it was in a great mood。） Even some things she chooses to believe that may seem bonkers （ahem， like the idea that ideas have their own "will" and "consciousness"（35）） can be seen in this same spirit: if you start with the idea that there is an abundance of ideas and that the right one will come to you， your experience of creativity may end up being less pressured， more full of a sense of wonder。I like how much joy there is in this book， whether Gilbert is advising readers to "Sneak off and have an affair with your most creative self" （161） or talking about a woman she knew who became an expert in ancient Mesopotamian history at the age of eighty or relating a story about a guy in a lobster costume。 And now I kind of want to read that novel that Gilbert wrote that came from her curiosity about plants！ 。。。more

Yusra Obeid ，

I wish I can give it 10 stars。 In my eyes， this is a perfect book to read about creative living。 The number of pages that I had to bookmark has evidently yelled at me "YOU CAN RELATE TO THIS AND THAT！"， "STOP CLINGING TO YOUR MALEVOLENT EGO THAT IS DESTROYING YOUR LIFE INWARDLY。"If you want to live a creative life or you are terrified to do something because you fear failure and criticism then I suggest you read this book！ IT WAS AN AMAZING READ THAT REQUIRES YOUR ATTENTION THOROUGHLY！Surprising I wish I can give it 10 stars。 In my eyes， this is a perfect book to read about creative living。 The number of pages that I had to bookmark has evidently yelled at me "YOU CAN RELATE TO THIS AND THAT！"， "STOP CLINGING TO YOUR MALEVOLENT EGO THAT IS DESTROYING YOUR LIFE INWARDLY。"If you want to live a creative life or you are terrified to do something because you fear failure and criticism then I suggest you read this book！ IT WAS AN AMAZING READ THAT REQUIRES YOUR ATTENTION THOROUGHLY！Surprisingly， I have bookmarked more than 50 pages just to reread them whenever I want to reread them， and I truly want to engrave their meaningful words into my mind and heart to act upon their words lovingly。The book encourages those that want to live creatively TO LIVE without fear of criticism， to do what we are passionate about without expecting anything in return since the world won't grant our wishes all the time， to let go of our ego and create， and to complete our work even if it sucks。I am grateful to have read this book and to have it change my perspective 180 degrees and made me face my fears that were settling in my heart audaciously。 I have been creating ever since without having fear pulling me maliciously towards it。 I am truly grateful to this writer for writing this book。I can't even share my favorite lines nor pages from it because I am captivated by its plentifulness and its genuity so I will definitely stop here。Thanks for reading my short review。 。。。more

Jenny Forero ，

It was more of a personal journey through creativity than this Big Magic one expected when purchased the book。 However， the book contains some useful advises！

Roblux Craft ，

This book consumes your soul and keeps you entranced with every turn of the page。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Pranav ，

Easy 4。5 stars for this brilliant book。

Christina ，

It reminds me of a theoretical college lecture。。。interesting concept for philosophical writers。 Bummed after enjoying Eat， Pray， Love and City of Girls。

Bailey Johnk ，

This could have easily been a 4 star read if I hadn't picked up this book at a moment when I really needed it。 It's probably a general 4 star， but a personal 5 star。 I love the exploration of creativity and inspiration and how to incorporate it into a sustainable life， how to take on the ebbs and flows， the highs and lows of that artistic choice。 I've been so desperately missing my art and my old projects and this only made me pine more。 And it forced me to evaluate my own choice of creative lif This could have easily been a 4 star read if I hadn't picked up this book at a moment when I really needed it。 It's probably a general 4 star， but a personal 5 star。 I love the exploration of creativity and inspiration and how to incorporate it into a sustainable life， how to take on the ebbs and flows， the highs and lows of that artistic choice。 I've been so desperately missing my art and my old projects and this only made me pine more。 And it forced me to evaluate my own choice of creative life and almost reaffirmed it for me。 I can't imagine doing anything else。 The common thread in most of the reviews is the section on getting higher education in arts。 I went to an art school and majored in creative writing。 While I'm drowning in student loans， I have no regrets。 It helped me build connections and strengthen my craft in ways I could NEVER do on my own。 So yes I disagree with a good part of that section。 But I recognize the place it comes from and her intentions， which are not bad。 She is attempting to save people the lifelong anxiety that comes along with college for our generation。 Understood。 But she does mention that it's ultimately each artists choice whether or not higher education is right for them， if the benefits are worth the deficits。 I tried to leave the section with that grain of advice。 Art school isn't for everyone。 There are many pursuits you can do independently and see success in without a degree。 But finding fulfillment in higher education should never be something to be ashamed of。Anyway， I really did love this book。 It found me at the perfect time。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0