Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic was given to me by one of my dear friends. When I visited my mother in Germany this year, my friend announced that she'd drive all the way from Switzerland to come and see me and  stay over for the weekend.  A week before she arrived I received an Amazon package from her, sent to my mom’s house with a note saying that she thought I might like this book and that I could keep it if I wanted to.  

I loved that gesture. What a sweet idea. And because I liked the book and I thought the book liked me too, I told her that I’d love to keep it. 

Anyways. Big Magic is from Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote Eat Pray Love, which - now don’t give me the “eyebrows up” thing - I never bothered to read! I’m sure I would have liked the book and instead of watching the movie I should have done just that. I’m not really a fan of reading bestsellers, especially not in their peak time when everyone on the train reads nothing else but that piece.  Plus, as cool as Julia Roberts is (I’d totally melt in front of her if I met her), I have started to resent the thought that I only see JULIA ROBERTS rather than the character she plays when I watch her latest movies. It’s very aggravating when that happens. 

Back to Big Magic. Although I haven’t finished it yet (I’m almost there) I couldn’t wait sharing it with you. I think it’s for people who search for more, and who need a push that helps them express a creative passion they have or think they have. In it Elizabeth Gilbert shares her experiences, struggles, as well as great times she had and has with writing, while using wonderful quotes, lovely anecdotes, and by personifying creativity in a very amusing way. 

I went through different emotions while reading the book: At the beginning I felt in-tune with Elizabeth Gilbert because I thought that we were similar in many ways (e.g. that she was afraid of many things, and how she thought about life in general). 

A while later I started feeling gloomy because I loved her writing style so much and the thought that I could never be like her was like a constant, tiny sting. 

In the part, in which she talks about Persistence I even could make out some feelings of detachment; suddenly Gilbert was this overly annoying confident, “Come on! The world is not a womb” saying woman with a whip in her hand, who always knew that her passion was writing and that she wrote A LOT, ALL THE TIME. In other words, she made me feel uncomfortable, lazy, and like a failure because I started doubting myself. We weren't similar at all. 

But eventually, something deep inside of me, no matter how much I disliked her confident tone, told me that she was right, whether I liked it or not. 

I’m not sure what feelings this book would bring up in you, but it’s surely a very inspiring piece for anyone who wants to know more about a “creative living beyond fear”. 

I can honestly say, that I love her witty humor and her refreshing, pragmatic, playful way of looking at things. 

Enjoy!