From the number one bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert has written a book focused on how to understand creativity.
In doing so, you will unleash the power to truly go and get what you want. Most importantly, how it can be achievable for anyone to deep dive into a creative process, as long as you really want it, and the time is right.
The author shares stories throughout, both from herself and those who surround her, to challenge us to embrace our own creativity. This book has been circulating for a while now (to high levels of praise) and I finally managed to find the time to jump on the bandwagon. Although aimed at anyone looking to get creative in general, I felt as though Big Magic was particularly pertinent for those who are in the process (or hoping) to write a book.
Gilbert talks about how ideas are flinging around the universe as we speak – they float around looking for an ‘owner’ – someone who will look after that idea, nurture it and put in the time to bring that specific idea through to fruition. If you do not do it, the idea will leave you and find its way to a different owner who might act on it. So whilst you have the thought either develop and nurture the idea or let it go and feel comfortable when someone else brings the idea to market (because you have had too many doubts that have blocked you or perhaps the timing has not been right).
The notion of fear
A key concept for Gilbert is around the notion of fear. She states that we actually need fear to operate and push us forward to success. In particular, when we get creative our fear shows up; it loves to be present when things feel uncertain. If this happens it is often a great indication that you are on the right track! Therefore you do not need to go into battle against it, but rather create a free and open space for it.
For me, one of the most powerful messages that I have taken away from Big Magic is to,“Take you out of yourself.” In short, we all seem to get in our own way. Your self-doubt will keep you in a place where creativity cannot survive. You should be free to do what you want to do. Quite frankly others are too wrapped up in their own world to truly worry about what is going on in your world. Whatever does come forth does not need to be perfect, but you must begin somewhere. Anywhere.
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