I could not wait for Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book Big Magic to arrive in bookstores. I may have even purchased my copy on the very day her book came out. I remember coming home from the bookstore with the kids and getting them set up with a project so I could sneak in a few pages. I was not disappointed.
There is something about Gilbert’s writing that makes her so relatable. It’s like speaking with a friend. And on the topic of inspiration and creativity – she gets it. She puts her finger directly on the pulse of that elusive spark that is the ‘magic’ where ideas form. She defines clearly what many of us feel and sense but find difficult to capture and hold onto as an idea.
There are times in the book where she does take a risk in getting a bit too mystical for some people’s taste. The notion that ideas come to us and if we – the host – are not ready to receive them then they will seek out another. She uses the a great personal story to convey this fantastical theory – and I’m a believer.
The best messages I took away from her book were these:
- There is buried treasure in all of us. We just need the courage to bring it forth out of us. (Wow. Powerful stuff).
- When inspiration hits, and you have an idea, take ownership of it. Grab that tiger by the tail and don’t let go.
- “You don’t need permission to live a creative life … Or, if you do worry that you need a permission slip – THERE, I just gave it to you. Consider yourself fully accredited. Now go make something”. Probably my favorite quote of the book right there.
- It’s never too late. You can start living a creative life whenever you decide you want to start.
- We create because we have to. We make sacrifices because our creativity matters enough to make time and find the energy to do it.
- Miracles can happen to those who are persistent and show up. Never surrender. Never take no as your final answer.
- Say ‘yes’ to every clue of curiosity you are given. You never know where your curiosity will lead. Your job is to trust it.
- If you create something and it didn’t work, give yourself permission to let it go and seek out your next project with an open heart.
- We are all beginners.
- The outcome cannot matter.
- “You made it; you get to put it out there. Never apologize for it, never explain it away, never be ashamed of it. You did your best with what you knew, and you worked with what you had, in the time you were given. You were invited, you showed up, and you simply cannot do more than that.”
This book is a wonderful cheerleader for bringing your creativity to life. It is a book I will leave on my shelf to re-read again and again, because we all need a pep-talk to keep our ideas going. It takes a lot of focus and energy to bring inspiration to life. I want to live my life dedicated to following my creativity, wherever it leads. I hope you will, too.
