Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, explores the magic of creativity and its intersection with fear and courage in her New York Times bestseller Big Magic. 

Gilbert takes the reader on a journey of how an idea, which she views as a living force desiring a reciprocal relationship, mysteriously moves from inception to fruition based on a variety of factors, including a creator’s willingness and readiness to pursue it. 

Since creativity leads to uncertain outcomes, the perfect breeding ground for fear, Gilbert has learned that the key to pursuit is making space for fear and creativity to co-exist, with the caveat that fear is not allowed to make the decisions (23-26). She provides tools to help the reader create a foundation of courage and speaks to perfectionism, ego, caring what others think, curiosity versus passion, and our inner trickster. Ultimately, the outcome of your creativity is not your concern, she confidently reminds us, because you have created and that’s what counts. 

For those who feel creativity is tied to suffering, she proposes that creativity is not that serious and there is another way. Her process is to approach work “from a place of stubborn gladness” (219).

Along with pragmatic advice about coming to terms with paying the bills and pursuing creative endeavors and understanding the distinction between a hobby, job, career, and vocation, the titular theme shines throughout the book with stories of how ideas will doggedly find a home somewhere, with someone. 

Think you aren’t creative? Hogwash. Big Magic brings us back to the first evidence of human art 40,000 years ago and reminds us that somewhere in our own family’s history family members were making things (87). Gilbert reminds us that at any age we can pursue creativity from our unique perspective and that we don’t need to create masterpieces to qualify. Our creativity may simply awaken by returning to a hobby that brought us joy in our younger years. 

I’ve read this book twice and have a feeling I will return to it again because it is so chock full of both practical advice and wondrous encouragement that it earns a place in my list of favorites. Why look at creativity through Gilbert’s Big Magic lens? She makes a solid case and, honestly, it’s a whole heck of a lot more fun. I welcome the magic.