This gets a little more deep than I expected, but I don’t mind sharing a bit more of my story if it helps someone.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Format: audiobook
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
I took some notes while listening to this book. It has been some time since I listened to a non-fiction and self-help type of book. This is more of a craft book on creativity and how Elizabeth Gilbert gets her creativity and maintains it. This post gets deep and it is still feels unorganized.
Review
Dude, I love how this woman thinks and the peace she has. It is similar to how I think but she has a bit more of what I want. Traveling and has written a first draft. That’s it. I just want to travel, but I’m broke and am nervous about solo traveling. I want to get a first draft written. It’s been a goal for years, but I give up and let go of the idea. This did not have a huge impact on me or significantly changed my way of thinking, but it did stimulate my mind and way of thinking. I don’t know if I would reread this for inspiration, but I would get a physical copy to bookmark and highlight quotes I liked.
Reflections While Reading
My Fear: Sharing my inner voice with people. I have terrible social anxiety and have past instances with bullying so I struggle to try anymore. Struggling to share my voice and my creativity creates this anxiety that refuses to let me escape from my fears and I lean into them.
My Courage: While listening I had one, but now, I don’t remember what it was. I do not have courage in myself and my person. I have courage in my creativity. I always have since I was little.
My Creativity: I will not give up on it and I want to live in it. It is delicate and soft. I do not give up on my creativity but I will be discouraged by it. Creativity is magic. I enjoy the idea of magic in art and I think that is why I am drawn to it. The fine details in linework and the beautiful landscapes and the worlds twirled between words awes me every single time. Music, writing, performing, storytelling, drawing, painting, everything that one would put under the art category. It’s magical.
How Ideas Come to People: I agree that ideas sit and wait for the right person to ask to formulate the idea in a project. I have many ideas come to me in dreams. I have some that come to me like a person sitting next to me wanting to tell their story with someone. They sit and have a conversation with me and I transcribe it. Like Ruth Stone, I try to quickly write dreams after I have them. It truly feels like “big magic” but I have not fulfilled those ideas in some time.
The Loss of Ideas and Stories: for me, it is the story I can never write but the first one I seriously tried: runaways later nicknamed Kaia x Lars. Lars still comes to me and talks but Kaia was the first character I came up with and started to write. I wanted to tell her story, but I lost that. So, maybe that story will become Lars’ one day.
Other Notes
I love the idea of having a speech for fear when you are beginning a new project, or road trip, as Gilbert put it. It is you and creativity, with fear as a silent rider.
The idea of multiple discovery was revealed to me sometime during a history class in middle or high school. I have heard of the example Gilbert gave, and I love the other examples she provides like multiple people liking you. Ideas are something to work with no matter how stubborn they may be, but they may not be for you to produce. When Gilbert said, you can say no to an idea but be polite because it still has to find someone to produce it, it made me pause while doing dishes. I always feel bad for letting go of an idea or forgetting about them. This felt like a breath of relief.
One day, I hope to make money from creativity, but I will not rush into it because there are other methods for me to make money to live and travel and continue pushing through the turmoil. I don’t indulge my creativity to maintain the livelihood of society, I create to escape and to have fun. I consume art to escape and to have something fun for myself.
I don’t make enough time to divulge in my fine art creativity. For writing, I will plan, outline, plot, brainstorm, daydream, but I don’t make time to actually write. By the time I do get to writing, I am tired and ready to move on to the next day. “Dress for the novel you want to write.” I might just try that.
I need to learn to be a “deeply disciplined half ass” in my perfection and my laziness. Perfectionism is definitely a hidden fear that holds you back from getting into any projects. It’s why I always restart a blog or channel. My mindset is literally good enough when it comes to life and the things that are required of me.
I definitely got into some deep thoughts while reading. If you made it this far, thank you. I’m not sure what this post is, but maybe it could be useful to anyone who needs motivation or wants to see someone in a similar place.
I would recommend Big Magic to anyone who is in a creative rut. While it might not push you back into the process, it could help promote your way of thinking. Take it as you will. If you have read this book, let me know what you thought about it or any of the topics I reflected on.
take care,
aless ♡
aless the introvert 