Whether you love or hate Eat, Pray, Love—Gilbert actually addresses this dichotomy—Big Magic should not be ignored. She begins by defining creative living as “the hunt for the strange jewels the universe has buried in each of us,” and then provides examples of people she knows who have found their jewels. She acknowledges that jewel hunting can be scary, and helps deconstruct the fear that prevents us from living our best creative lives.
Gilbert shares the importance of inspiration and our responsibility to it, as well as what happened to her when her response to inspiration wasn’t timely, and it left her for Ann Patchett. She didn’t get severance, alimony, or even a second chance. Her idea just left her for someone who was ready to grow that idea into a novel. It’s an amazing story and I hope you’ll read both Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder and Big Magic.
This is just the tip of the iceberg! While Gilbert, as a writer, addresses concepts like persistence and trust from that perspective, Big Magic can apply to anyone practicing any craft. If you love The Artist’s Way, and other books that inspire creativity, you will love Big Magic.