In my eyes, Elizabeth Gilbert is a genius. I love everything she does. I immediately bought Big Magic when it came out but purposefully waited to read it until a time where I felt like I could give creativity more of my time and attention. I knew reading her words would inspire me to actually create, and boy did it. I also feel like the release of this book aligned perfectly with my life, coming into the world right as I decided to start blogging as a creative outlet. Funny how things work out like that 🙂 The messages in this book were just what I needed, and I love all the advice she gives. Starting a blog (or doing anything creative) can feel scary at times because you don’t know what people will think or if anyone will read it or care. Yet somehow none of that mattered, and I had to just go for it because I knew it would be good for me. Liz touches on this in the book– how creativity is good for your soul and how you can’t let fear stop you from experiencing the big magic that comes along with it. I agree with her; I don’t care if no one notices my blog or if people think it’s good or not. I just care that I’m doing it at all. I also felt reassured because she talks about getting things out into the world (even though they might be messy and imperfect) versus striving for perfection that will never exist. I feel like we can all take away so much from reading this book, especially when it comes to that. I highly recommend reading this novel, not only to “creatives,” but to everyone. Liz gives us a new way to think about creativity and also weaves in great examples from her own life and experiences to support her views. It makes me happy to think that more people will be out there creating after reading this book!
I attended the Big Magic Book Tour last year and got to hear Liz in person speak about the book. Here’s a snap from that day:
Also, this post aligns with the release of Liz’s 2nd season of the Magic Lessons podcast starting August 1, 2016. You should definitely tune in!
To close, I wanted to share one of my favorite passages from the book found on page 173: “Bring forth what is within you, then, whether it succeeds or fails. Do it whether the final product is crap or gold. Do it whether critics love you or hate you- or whether the critics have never heard of you and perhaps never will hear of you. Do it whether people get it or don’t get it. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to be Plato.”
Thank you Elizabeth Gilbert for bringing forth what is within you.