Creative Living Beyond Fear

I just finished Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat Pray Love. Below the title on the cover, it says “Creative Living Beyond Fear” - and that is something I deeply identify with, because being creative can be terrifying.

I’m trying to be more mindful of my writing, and that has culminated in reading more books and blogs on how to be a better writer. I’ve been reading KM Weiland’s website Helping Writers Become Authors, grabbed a book during a layover called Improv for Writers, and I picked up Big Magic. I snagged this novel in Ann Arbor at one of my favorite bookstores, Literati, and I’m so thankful I did. I actually shed a tear at the end of this book. There are no characters, no plot twists, no tragic deaths at the end. It is simply a book about how to live creatively, and it brought me to literal tears.

Imposter syndrome, feelings of inadequacy, the pressure to succeed, the angst and pain of artists, trying to live happily - if you’ve identified with any of these feelings, Big Magic has you covered. It’s a self help book for being creative that is your most supportive, and at the same time, most realistic, cheerleader. It preaches positivity, finding your own fulfillment from your work, and letting go of the negativity and darkness that being “a creative” has acquired over the years. I’m not very religious or even spiritual, but this book makes me want to be, to connect to the inspiration floating around in the universe.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, anyone. You don’t have to be a writer, or an artist, or trying to make a living out of something creative. If you have a love or even a like for creativity - whether it’s gardening, dancing, doing improv on weekends, or singing to yourself in the shower - this book is for you. This is a book whose message I want to carry with me for years and years, and you will likely feel the same.

There are so many amazing quotes in this book, but I’ll end with this one. It comes at the end of the Lobster Story - the piece that had a tiny little tear sneak its way out of my eye as I finished this novel.

“We did not come all this great distance, and make all this great effort, only to miss the party at the last moment.”