Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (2015) is a self-help guide by author and journalist Elizabeth Gilbert. This New York Times bestseller outlines six elements of creativity: courage, permission, enchantment, persistence, trust, and divinity. Gilbert uses anecdotes from her life and writing career, as well as the work of others, to explain these concepts, and presents her views and philosophical musings about creativity and inspiration. The work explores themes such as The Importance of Play and Curiosity, Apparent Contradictions in the Creative Process, and Creativity as Magical.

This study guide uses the 2015 hardcover edition published by Riverhead Books.

Content Warning: The book uses the words “fat,” “madness,” and “crazy,” and refers to suicide, alcohol, and drug addiction.

Summary

Big Magic focuses on the elements of creativity, rather than steps or exercises to induce it. Gilbert uses anecdotes to discuss and offers philosophical and reflective ideas about the magical nature of creativity and inspiration, which she calls “Big Magic.”

In Part 1, Gilbert addresses the courage to create. She defines creative living, which involves living with curiosity instead of fear, and explains how people can be brave when being creative, while allowing fear to exist. She notes how living creatively can help induce the magic that occurs with creativity and inspiration.

In Part 2, Gilbert discusses enchantment and outlines her views of creativity. She suggests that ideas live as separate entities from humans, have consciousness, and seek humans to take them up and use them in their creative endeavors. She explains how people can sometimes lose ideas or have an idea that someone else has passed on. She discusses the concept of genius, which she views as an external guide. She also considers the concept of success.

In Part 3, Gilbert challenges the idea that people need permission from others to create and suggests that they give themselves permission. She explains that everyone can be creative because it is a human trait, and that people must believe that they are allowed to create. She challenges the idea of originality and contends that authenticity and individuality are more important. She suggests that people be creative only for themselves, rather than trying to help others. She argues that an education is unnecessary and that people can learn from the world and their own lives. She tells people to stop complaining and enjoy creativity, rather than taking it seriously.

In Part 4, Gilbert addresses the need for persistence. She describes how creativity will include failures and challenges, and that people should keep their day job. She explains how to attract creativity, avoid perfectionism, and ignore others’ opinions. Creative individuals also need to be persistent.

In Part 5, Gilbert addresses the importance of trust. She considers how the idea of the suffering artist is a stereotype about creative individuals, and that it is unnecessary and unhelpful. Instead, people should trust in creativity and become more playful with it. Gilbert also eschews the need for passion and suggests people have curiosity instead. She addresses dealing with failure and sharing one’s work. One should trust the creative process; the results are unimportant.

In Part 6, Gilbert briefly discusses divinity and how creativity is both sacred and not sacred and full of contradictions.

Big Magic focuses on a nonstandard definition of creativity and its inexplicable, magical nature. In contrast to other self-help books, Gilbert emphasizes ideas over practical steps and exercises. Gilbert uses literary techniques like personification, metaphor, simile, and analogy to illustrate her philosophical ideas. She also discusses hard work, curiosity, the inner critic, suffering, and treating creativity as play. She encourages people to be open to the idea of creativity while illustrating Apparent Contradictions in the Creative Process. Gilbert suggests that people avoid motivations like helping others or success, and focus on doing the work for themselves. This allows one to abandon pressure, part of the book’s overall goal. Gilbert also suggests skipping an education in the arts. This is also meant to help people feel less pressure and more openness to creativity.