Big Magic

I can understand why this book isn't for everyone. Hell, I think some writers will vehemently disagree with Gilbert's view of the creative life. That's because she pops some very serious fantasies. Like how your art is precious. Will impact the universe. Like how quitting your day job to write full time is the ideal to reach for.

When I read this book, however, I found myself saying: She gets me. she really, really gets me. I have come to the same conclusions about creative living as Gilbert has only because I begun my journey at the age of ten and have the scars to prove it. I have wrestled and have been overcome by many of the fears that she speaks about. And I have also come to a renewed sense of peace about what it means to be a writer like she has.

This is not a how to book. Because you need to discover your own how to. This book is about mindsets - would u prefer to be a content artist or a torturer one? I chose the former.

An inspirational read. First, the book is genuinely well-crafted (sure, it comes off a little cheesy at times but in the end, it is a self-help book...), Gilbert's tone gentle but assertive with nice conceits from her life and those of other creatives to illustrate her points. But I think what struck me most when reading this is how almost everything she was saying corresponded to my relationship with competitive running – how I put an incredible amount of time and effort into it, how I dedicate myself to it everyday through highs and lows (in constant recognition that most days are in-between), how I use it as a means to escape myself, how much I've come to realize the only way to run so much and stay sane is if performance matters, but also doesn't matter at all... And I realize that this is because my relationship with running is the same love relationship Gilbert has with her writing. I don't run to make a living off it, or because of what someone else will think of it... I run because I have to. I run because it feeds my soul. And writing, though I do not practice it so religiously as I run, has the same effect for me. So why am I so afraid to pursue that relationship?

Alright I'm getting a little too deep into my own experience here. Basically, this book has lit a fire in me to get writing – without fear, but also without expectation. Because I love it, and I think, maybe, it too loves me.

This ended up being a bit too “woo woo” for me – not to mention I got absolutely sick of reading about how awesome she thinks her parents are. I dunno mate, reading about the reasons you think your parents are cool just makes me see them as assholes who don't think rules apply to them. So yeah. This was a miss for me.