From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love
Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration from Elizabeth Gilbert's books for years. Now, this beloved author shares her wisdom and unique understanding of creativity, shattering the perceptions of mystery and suffering that surround the process - and showing us all just how easy it can be.
By sharing stories from her own life, as well as those from her friends and the people that have inspired her, Elizabeth Gilbert challenges us to embrace our curiosity, tackle what we most love and face down what we most fear.
Whether you long to write a book, create art, cope with challenges at work, embark on a long-held dream, or simply to make your everyday life more vivid and rewarding, Big Magic will take you on a journey of exploration filled with wonder and unexpected joys.
Read Caroline Baum's review
THE book to stop all the excuses we make to prevent us attempting to fulfill our creative dreams. And by creativity, she means anything from writing a poem to growing a garden- there is nothing exclusive or elitist about her definition of self-expression and where imagination can lead you. It’s all good.
Gilbert writes as if she were personally leading you by the hand away from fear, negativity and all forms of procrastination. This is Motivational Plus, with all the warmth, humour and energy we’ve come to expect from Gilbert’s multimillion hit TED talks and bestselling books (Eat Pray Love, in case you forgot, and The Signature of All Things).
On a personal mission to demystify the creative process, Gilbert shares the wisdom of decades of personal searching and insight into her own need to tell stories. She is, quite simply, one of the planet’s most natural and gifted communicators (but it’s how to nurture that gift that interests her).
Cynics fail to see the authenticity of her purpose, and the sincere generosity of her intentions. Yes, it may all sound a bit American and Oprah-ish for some, but there are gems of useful, practical advice here, pep talks to help you stay on the path, and confessions about mistakes made and failures overcome (a surprising example involves Clive James painting bicycles.) I’m a rusted on fan, so you won’t hear a word of complaint from me about the medium or the message.
Industry Reviews
If a more likable writer than Gilbert is currently in print, I haven't found him or her ... Gilbert's prose is fuelled by a mix of intelligence, wit and colloquial exuberance that is close to irresistible, and makes the reader only too glad to join the posse of friends and devotees who have the pleasure of listening in * Jennifer Egan, New York Times Book Review * A writer of incandescent talent * Annie Proulx * Gilbert dares us into adventures of worldly discovery * Barbara Kingsolver, New York Times Book Review * Sumptuous ... Gilbert's prose is by turns flinty, funny, and incandescent * New Yorker * Readers prepared to enter Gilbert Time will be rewarded: she is an unflaggingly curious writer, prone to delightful touches * Lucy Atkins, Sunday Times * Smart but unpretentious, funny, warm, and generous ... By the end of one of her books, you feel as if she is your friend, too * San Francisco Chronicle * Charming ... Her tone is relentlessly endearing. It's like talking to your hippy-est friend, the one who never turns up at the right bar but always makes you feel great once she's got there ... Some great stuff about the power of ideas themselves, about how utterly useless emotions such as fear are when trying to do anything creative, and why we all have a right to live creatively * The Debrief * Gilbert writes about enchantment and wonder, but her feet are always firmly on the ground ...Eminently practical ... Witty and self-aware, she never urges her readers to just follow their dreams or to believe that they can't fail, or any of the usual platitudes often thrown at people with creative ambitions ... It's all very refreshing ... In almost every section of Big Magic I found something that rang perfectly true to my situation, something that helped me to view my work and creative stumbling blocks in a new and more productive way ... Whether you're worried about getting started, burning out, making money, failing or even succeeding, there is something in this book that will speak to you * Irish Times * Gilbert offers powerful insights into the mysterious nature of creativity, and she delivers the vibrant message that we can all find, and create, magic * Veggie * Doing that [Turning fear into a positive force in your life] starts simply by acknowledging that having fear isn't the same as letting it control you. In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert describes this brilliantly, explaining that living life healthily alongside fear is like taking it on a road trip * Top Sante Health and Beauty * I was feeling fragile about quite a few exciting projects that were up in the air. This book, which is all about creativity, helped me recognise anxiety is just part of the creative process, which made me much more accepting of the way I was feeling. Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of Eat, Pray, Love - she's so open and makes me laugh. I buy this for loved ones and recommend it to clients and students who I think will find it inspiring -- Eve Menezes Cunningham * Fit & Well * Absurdly comforting * Mslexia *
