People 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.

Listening Length

5 hours and 6 minutes
Author

Elizabeth Gilbert
Narrator

Elizabeth Gilbert
Audible release date

September 22, 2015
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Audio
ASIN

B00U08ECQA
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	5 hours and 6 minutes
Author	Elizabeth Gilbert
Narrator	Elizabeth Gilbert
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	September 22, 2015
Publisher	Penguin Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B00U08ECQA
Best Sellers Rank	#986 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #3 in Creativity & Genius #3 in Creativity (Audible Books & Originals) #8 in Popular Psychology Creativity & Genius

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Incredibly powerful.

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2015

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Talk about receiving the right message at the right time. Wow. Big Magic is one of the most honest discussions about the creative process that I’ve ever read. Gilbert strikes a playful and conversational tone, but make no mistake, this is all straight talk. Her no-BS attitude helps do away with the unrealistic expectations and unnecessary melodrama attached to the concept of “creative living” (like how she so expertly pish-poshes the "tormented artist" ideal). And in its place, she asks all people who feel called to create (writers, painters, musicians, ice skaters, WHATEVER) to quietly and joyfully accept their creative inclinations and ideas as gifts from the universe. She reminds them to approach their creativity with curiosity and openness, with playfulness and joy—even when it’s tough, even when there is no Pulitzer, no bestseller list, no Olympic medal, no call from the Met. Own that creativity, she encourages. Also, stay light with it.

This was the message I (apparently) desperately needed to hear. I’m a stay-at-home mom with three young children. And when people ask me what I do, that is what I always tell them. But that isn’t what I want to tell them. What I want to tell them—what I want to shout from the rooftops, in fact—is that I’m a writer. Sure, barely anyone reads what I write, I’ve never been published, and it probably goes without saying that I’ve never been paid for a single sentence. In other words, no one really gets anything out of my work but me. But I love it, straight up. So I keep writing, regardless.

Yet it feels weird to declare yourself “A Something!” when that something doesn’t earn you money or status or likes or hits or retweets. Which means even though this side-passion feels so authentically “me,” I hide it so people won’t think I’m a loser, an imposter, a wannabe, an embarrassment, a failure…and the list goes on.

I guess this reality had been bumming me out more than I realized, because when I read the following words, they resonated with me in an unimaginably powerful and loving way--like I was receiving a cosmic hug:

“Shake yourself free of all your cumbersome ideas about what you require in order to become ‘creatively legitimate’… You do not need a permission slip from the principal’s office to live a creative life. Or if you do worry that you need a permission slip—THERE, I just gave it to you… Now go make something.”

In other words, Gilbert’s message is this: accept that you need to create. Accept that this is a part of you, that you are ALREADY “creatively legitimate.” And just do what you naturally feel compelled to do. Do it with joy—even when it gets difficult—and don’t worry about how it will be received (if it’s received at all). If you are called to be a maker, then you will just have to make. Own who you are, for better or worse.

So that’s what I’m doing from now on. I’m owning it. This is me stating my intent:

Hello, world. My name is Ladybug. I am a writer.

2,289 people found this helpful

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Sarah B

Makes You Want to Write

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2016

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Having read a few of the valid negative reviews, I want to start by talking about what this book is *not* in case you're not sure if you should pick it up:

-it is not a dense, instructional, or academic primer about creativity.
-although Gilbert applies her thinking to all types of creativity, it's not really about anything but writing. Gilbert is a writer, and her examples are about writing. Although, someone who needs inspiration to pursue that creative hobby they've always loved may find some here.
-it's not high brow, and nothing Gilbert talks about is researched or proven. I guess that relates to the first point, which is that

This is a very *light* book. It's an encouraging book. And it's a book that contains, I think, some ideas you may not have heard before, or ideas we don't hear enough. Namely the idea that if you think about inspiration and writing ideas as independent spirits floating about in the ether, you need to do everything you can to attract them. Also that there's no reason to suffer for art, but there's every reason to enjoy it.

I don't really think Gilbert meant for her ideas to constitute a "religion of writing." But it's helpful to think about, in terms of your own positivity, dedication, and openness to creativity. Gilbert assures us that if we approach writing with joy, if we ignore all of the excuses we create not to write (I'm not good enough, I'm too old, I don't have an MFA, it will never pay, etc etc), and make space for creativity in our lives, that the writing will come, and it will be fulfilling.

I gave this book 4 stars because anytime I picked it up and read a few pages (I deliberately took more than a year to finish it), I was guaranteed to write afterward. So that's how I used it. Whenever I needed encouragement, I read a few pages. Whenever I was feeling overwhelmingly negative about writing, I read a few pages. Whenever I was convinced that I would never write a decent word, I read a few pages. In this way, I savored the book like Charlie savors his bar of chocolate for a whole month, nibbling at it in the dead of night when he needed it most.

In sum, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is looking to study, or intellectually explore creativity. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to write. It worked for me. And I'll come back to it again whenever I'm feeling low about writing, because without fail, it made me want to write. And that's it.

593 people found this helpful

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Dolly Cupcake

Repetitive & sadly doesn’t grab me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2018

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I want to like this book but I’m half way through, according to my Kindle, and ready to give up.

It goes on and on about the blocks to creativity and basically the message so far seems to be : if you want to be creative just have a go! Sorry Amazon community, everyone else seems to love it, but I just want to be honest.

115 people found this helpful

Janie U

Repetitive and thin on practical advice - but I still love the author!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2019

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I've read several books by this author and adored them but came away from this book feeling strangely untouched by it.
I think I get the message - ie. drop the fear and allow yourself to be as creative as you want to be. I understand why this is important to the author and can also understand why it is important to many people.
As a book though, I thought it was unnecessary to write. The message is very short and clear with not enough to fill a book without lots of repetition. I tried to find something substantial and practical that can be taken away to put into practice and there is very little of that.
I still love the author (in fact her latest novel is one of her current favourite recommendations) but this one was not a hit with me.

46 people found this helpful

georgia

Wonderful & inspiring

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2018

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It posed many questions for me for my own future and also taught me to be more playful and trusting with my creativity in the process of ‘figuring it all out’. I would recommend to any other creatives out there.

23 people found this helpful

All big life-sized creative questions answered in a fun Elizabeth-Gilbert-way!

Reviewed in India on February 6, 2017

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EDITING THE TITLE: This book isn't for those who wish to live a creative life. It if for those who wish to LIVE. (Because really, what is life without creativity?)

This book is all of life! Really. All big questions that have ever raised themselves in my head- most of them are answered in here in a very fun Liz-Gilbert-Only way. The book is not like EAT PRAY LOVE. But I don't think anyone other than Liz Gilbert can write it. It doesn't have any practical 1-2-3-4 step by step guidelines. But it is very much applicable in everyday life.

Read it if you are afraid of new things.
Please read it if you wish to do any creative-projects in life.
Please please read it if you are looking for a mystic creativity mentor.
Please please please read it if you are a suffering creative. (You don't have to suffer to be creative.)

All I know is that this book is going to be my long-term companion.

96 people found this helpful

Johannes

Sympathisch, aber unwissenschaftlich und etwas absurd

Reviewed in Germany on June 11, 2020

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Die Erzählung ist super und wirkt sympathisch, es liest sich wirklich sehr leicht und gut! Leider stellt die Autorin absolut absurde, unwissenschaftliche Theorien auf (z.B. Ideen sind eigene Entitäten, die im Universum herum schwirren und nur darauf warten, zur richtigen Zeit vom richtigen Wirt realisiert zu werden, und falls sie dies nicht tun, sich einen neuen Wirt suchen, da sie "von Seele zu Seele" übertragen werden können..).

Ich gebe mir wirklich mühe, offen für neue Perspektiven zu sein, aber es war mir einfach unmöglich, manche ihrer Behauptungen ernst zu nehmen. Im übertragenen Sinn kann man manches zwar nachvollziehen, aber sie lehnt sich oft wirklich sehr weit aus dem Fenster. Es ist auch schwer zu erkennen, ob die Autorin manche ihrer Erklärungen zur Veranschaulichung "übertreibt", oder sie buchstäblich so glaubt.

Sie behauptet auch, es gäbe für multiple, gleichzeitige Entdeckungen von Ideen und Theorien keine Logische Erklärung. Dabei ist das doch ganz offensichtlich logisch. Um eine bestimmte, z.b. wissenschaftliche Entdeckung zu machen, muss es zu diesem Punkt bereits einen gewissen menschlichen Fortschritt, bzw. Wissensschatz im jeweiligen Gebiet geben, auf den man sich stützt. Klar, dass am Puls der Zeit immer "ähnliche" Dinge erforscht oder entdeckt werden; erst das Feuer, dann das Rad, dann die Quantenphysik. Da also viele Menschen mit sehr ähnlichen Einflüssen, Denkweisen, Geschmäckern und Wissensständen nach ähnlichen Dingen forschen, ist es absolut erklärbar, dass irgendwann vielleicht mehr als eine Person, gleichzeitig auf dasselbe Ergebnis kommen kann. Oder mehrere Leute sehr sehr ähnliche Idee haben. Auch wenn die Umstände zugegebenermaßen etwas willkürlich erscheinen können. Wir Menschen sind eben nicht immer so "originell", wie wir es gerne von uns denken.

Das ist zwar nur eine von vielen Kleinigkeiten, an denen ich mich vielleicht etwas zu sehr aufhalte, aber an diesem Punkt konnte ich einfach nicht mehr weiter lesen..

Für Leute, die solchen wagen Behauptungen gegenüber auch gerne skeptisch sind, kann ich z.B. Bücher wie "Outliers" von Malcom Gladwell, oder den Klassiker "Schnelles denken, langsames Denken" von Daniel Kahneman empfehlen. Diese Bücher haben zwar nicht viel mit Kreativität zu tun, aber erklären viele ähnliche Sachverhalte und bringen einen zurück in die Realität.

Andere Bücher über Umgang mit Kreativität, die ich als gut befunden hatte, wären "Unlocking Creativity" von Michael Beinhorn oder "Processing Creativity" von Jesse Cannon. Beide wurden von Musikproduzenten geschrieben, das sollte ich dazusagen.

32 people found this helpful

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