Big Magic Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert- Book Review

I cannot believe how fast I finished this book. Honestly, I started bringing it with me to work and it was all over from there. 

My goodness... this book is incredible, especially if you're a creative. I highly suggest this book to anyone and everyone interested in bettering your mind (even if you don't have a creative bone in your body, which I believe we all must.) 

In a nut-shell Liz Gilbert tells you to get over your fear and jump into the world of creativity. Show your work. Be proud of your work. But never take it too seriously. 

There's a ton of great stories from her life & also some of her acquaintances lives as well that help to show you that you're not the only person on this planet who's ever had to go through creative "stump" or a creative brain fart, or even just fear of creating something. 

My favorite story comes from early on in the book, which I won't spoil for you by telling you any details, but BY GEORGE it's fascinating. If you've read the book already this should jog your memory... She is talking about how ideas are beings, & that they can come to you, & they can leave you if you leave them idle for too long. 

I think the most important creative life lesson that I learned is that "nobody was ever thinking about you, anyhow" Honestly, think about that the next time you question yourself or your art based on the validation of others. No one is truly ever thinking about you 24/7, yes that sounds sad, but I thank God in Heaven that no one is constantly thinking of me that much, besides myself. This little lesson taught me that if I want to make a video on my channel of self-care every dang week, then I should. If I want to do a video on vacuuming my floors, then I should. Because who really cares for my art more than me? No-one. I understand that in today's world it can truly seem like you need the validation, the views, the likes, just to get your art out there and seen by thousands... but you don't need that, you don't create your art for that... you create your art for yourself, it comes from not only the imaginative mind but from the loving heart. Liz Gilbert pointed this out to me, & honestly as soon as I read that part of the book it felt like 100 pounds had been lifted off of every pressure point on my body, I felt so free. 

I have to say, & I don't want to jinx it, but this book (along with other coincidences in my life) has sparked a fire in me to start writing more. Not only writing blog posts every week, but....man this is kind of hard to write... start a book, start a novel. Write something completely my own from my imagination. Write something of fiction that can not only send my readers to another land, but send me there in the process. Will it ever be published? Will anyone other than me & my dad read it? Can I even spell everything right? 1st of all thank God for spell check, & also my dad who will forever be my editor in chief when it comes to my literary excursions, 2nd of all who the hell cares if it's ever published, who the hell cares if it's ever read... I want to do this because I feel the universe tugging at my pants leg, & whispering "do it, do it now" & guess what I'm going to do? It.

Go read Big Magic Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert... you won't regret it. 

Till Next Time,

-Em