Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

My acting coach went gaga over this book over our Christmas break and strongly encouraged all of the students in her acting studio to read it. I was eager to take her up on it. Inspiration and creativity are squishy concepts to define and can seem even more enigmatic to pursue. But because of my calling and my very DNA, pursue them I must.

I opted for the audio version from Audible.com, read by the author Elizabeth Gilbert. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My Christian worldview keeps me from fully accepting her notion that ideas are mystic lifeforms in and of themselves wandering the universe looking for human partnerships. But I can entertain it as a compelling metaphor and Ms. Gilbert and I agree that creativity is a gift that can be nurtured, developed, pursued, rejected, and passed on to others.

Gilbert states that the creative life is full of contradictions. “Creativity is sacred and it is not sacred. What we make matters enormously and it doesn’t matter at all.” I have found this to be true. Actors are asked to research, prepare, consider, and give all of our heart and emotions for an audition – only to walk out of the room, let it go, and give no more thought to it whatsoever. This is the healthiest way I know of to deal with the vast majority of auditions that do not result in a booking.

Worship leaders are told that we have the incredible opportunity and task to tell the gospel, and “lead people into the throne room of God.” … OK. Well. That’s an awful lot to ask of a guy with a guitar and can lead to quite a head trip (or worse) when we take ourselves too seriously and we lose the grounding of our own humanity.

So personally, my biggest takeaway was to lighten up. (“Lighten the f*** up,” my beloved coach would say). I resolve to treat my creativity as a gift, to hold it lightly and with an open hand.

Over to you: Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?

*You can buy the book on Amazon or do like I did and download it from Audible. I have no affiliate relationship with either company and receive no compensation from the sale of the book. … Although, perhaps I should consider it.