Instaread - Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Guide to

Elizabeth Gilberts

Big Magic

Creative Living Beyond Fear

by

Instaread

Please Note

This is a companion to the original book.

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Table of Contents

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert is a book of motivational passages, anecdotes, and quotes meant to inspire readers to embrace creativity in whatever form is most natural for them. By exploring creativity through real life experiences and words of encouragement, readers learn to face what holds them back from embracing inspiration and activating their creative nature, also known as finding Big Magic.

Fear stifles creativity and prevents people from experiencing their true creative potential, whether that is the fear that the creation might be no good, no one will like it, no inspiration will come, they are too young or old to embrace their creativity, or any other number of fears that can hold someone back. Being enchanted by creativity and inspiration enables readers to come to know inspiration intimately, which helps them learn to be more open to inspiration when it comes and make the best possible use of it. Some people seek permission to lead a creative life. However, in actuality, creativity is a human instinct that requires only openness and courage to pursue.

Being persistent in creativity is crucial for people to come to see the fruits of their creative successes even when it becomes difficult to persevere against all odds. People must trust in themselves as well as in creativity and inspiration so they can live a fully creative life and create what is bursting forth from their minds, regardless of the outcome once it is brought forth into the world. Divinity offers another avenue for creativity to come forth from the depths of a persons soul. All of these topics converge to demonstrate the best way to lead a creative life without fear or limitations, filled instead with Big Magic.

Elizabeth Gilbert: Gilbert is a fiction and nonfiction writer. She delves into her writing experiences and the experiences of others to demonstrate how creativity can manifest in readers lives if only they let go of their fears and are open to Big Magic.

1. People must have the courage to live a creative life, which is also considered an amplified life. They must face any fears they might have that could hinder their creativity.
2. Creativity comes with many paradoxes that people must hold in their minds simultaneously to fully grasp creativitys meaning and process.
3. Creativity can be seen as magical, not just a figurative sense but a mystical sense. The power and nature of inspiration and the way it works are magical as well.
4. Ideas have a compelling way of working in terms of how people perceive them, followed by an acceptance or rejection of that idea.
5. People do not need permission to be creative, as it is an instinctual part of human existence. If anything, people should embrace their creative entitlement.
6. People should welcome and enjoy creativity instead of complaining and acting like a stereotypical suffering artist.
7. People must be persistent when it comes to creativity in the face of all odds, as well as in spite of potential negative criticism that the creative work could come up against.
8. People striving for perfection in their creative endeavors will encounter many pitfalls from start to finish.
9. Creativity does not always make a good career choice. For many people, creativity should be approached as a vocation instead.

People must have the courage to live a creative life, which is also considered an amplified life. They must face any fears they might have that could hinder their creativity.

Analysis

The key question for people is whether they have the courage to uncover the hidden treasures within them and let creativity have its own way. To lead a creative life, people need only be driven by curiosity rather than fear, and an amplified life is one full of creativity, which can mean a happier and more expanded and interesting existence. People do not have to go through life thinking they are not good enough or are too old or young, or deal with any other assorted fears, to invest their time and energy into their creativity.

Fears are a frequent blocker or killer of creativity, as they cannot just thwart the creative process, but they can prevent that process from starting at all. Even if fear does not prevent someone from creating something, such as writing a novel or creating a painting, fear could stop them from doing what they need to do to promote and sell that work of art, if that is their intention. For example, if a novelist completes their book but is too nervous to write blog posts, do live readings at bookstores, speak on writing panels, or send out their book to reviewers, their work will likely never see the success it could if they had overcome their fears of promoting their work.

One way to overcome fear of creativity is for a person to leave motivational notes or images for themselves around their workspace. This could be photos of family, friends, or other figures who inspire the person. It could be motivational quotes or passages from books that offer a quick dose of inspiration, or it could be past works, such as a writers previously published articles or reviews of their book. Surrounding themselves with inspiration can help people work through their fears of creating and promoting their work of art.

Creativity comes with many paradoxes that people must hold in their minds simultaneously to fully grasp creativitys meaning and process.

Analysis

Creativitys paradoxes abound and can make its execution tricky at times. While fear can be an inhibitor to creativity, fear actually needs to run alongside creativity, and people must make enough space in their mind so that both can coexist peacefully. Instead of getting rid of fear altogether, which could also get rid of creativity since the two go hand in hand, embracing fears for what they are and giving them enough room to exist without running peoples lives can help people secure their creative drives. Similarly, creativity is simultaneously sacred and profane, a chore and a privilege, playful and serious, and so forth.

Another paradox is that creativity should be both meaningful and meaningless at the same time. In other words, creative works should matter greatly to the creator, but they should be meaningless so as to not cause stress, worry, or fear when they are presented to the world. When a magazine writer sends an article to their editor, they need to do their best to make the article great, but they also need the actual text to be meaningless to them so that when the editors red pen comes or when critics speak negatively of the article, the writer can still maintain a sense of sanity and stability. The same can be said when the writer has to look at this article as both sacred and profane, as the work must be important without its importance being overwhelming and stifling to the creative process.