Big Magic
Elizabeth Gilbert digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity, offering 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.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
3mentions
3people
2018–2023years
67% recommend33% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Read both fiction and non-fiction but really got back into fiction this year. I was job searching for the majority of the year and as cheesy as it may sound, it feels like reading brought childlike magic back into my life. Here are my favorites:
1. The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh 2. The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews 3. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 4. Daughter of the Moon Gooddess by Sue Lynn Tan
1. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy 2. Eat & Run by Scott Jurek 3. Center Center by James Whiteside 4. The Color of Water by James McBride
(Two books I recommend that I read last year: The Signature of All Things and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert)
- Do you have to change your career to become a writer? I would focus on becoming a writer, and then if it works out change your career.
Also, it depends what kind of writer you want to become - some options are easier than others. For example, would you classify a journalist as a writer? Is technical writing "writing"?
Barry Eisler is a good example of a writer who broke into writing gradually. A former lawyer, it took him 7 years to get his first book published. He wrote in lunch breaks, on flights, after the kids went to bed. He had to re-write that first book at least twice based on feedback from agents/publishers.
Ted Chiang is an example of a technical writer who changed into science fiction writing.
I changed from teaching into technical writing.
How you will change into writing (which I assume is what you want) will depend on your starting point and how far down the road to becoming a writer you already are.
p.s. Have a read of "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert - I believe there's much of value in her suggested approach.
- I just finished reading “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear” by Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame) and she brought up a related and interesting idea I can paraphrase:
In midlife we’re concerned with status and our outward appearance, which can hinder creative output. Then we get older and realize that we don’t care what anyone thinks about us, which can lead to more creative risk taking and accomplishments. Then we get even older and we find the truth: nobody is thinking about you (except you) so it’s not worth concerning yourself with status or outside validation.
In the midst of my own midlife crisis in the making I often find myself coming back to these types of concerns: How do I look to others? How do I compare to others? What am I missing out on?
Thankfully I’ve been able to, so far at least, keep any real crisis similar to what’s described in the article or otherwise from occurring. I try to remind myself of what Gilbert explained, that no one really cares about me so I should live my life without worrying to much about what they think.
I read a lot of books about creativity and most aren’t great, but I think “Big Magic” is a decent read. I also enjoyed the audiobook of “Creative Quest” by Questlove.
