^And by that, I mean that everyone should read this book. This is one of the fundamental ideas that Elizabeth Gilbert explores in Big Magic, that indeed, everyone, whether they like it or not, is creative. More so, you can choose to live a creative life.
The book explores all aspects of creativity and how it works. I’ve come across of pieces of media where it tells you the science of creativity or even how to be productive with it. However, Big Magic is the first book that I’ve encountered that really explains the emotional side of creativity. While I was reading, there were so many times where I would write ‘Same’ or ‘How true!’ in the margins, just because I think Gilbert does an excellent job of retelling how creativity intimately feels. I also think a part of me enjoys looking at creativity through the lens of magic and as something greater than what we usually give it credit. To me, I feel that there’s no harm in believing that some magic in the world. Believing in a little bit of magic gives some sacredness to life.
There were some sections that were particularly helpful to me that I had never considered about creativity.
- a healthy reminder that creativity shouldn’t be something to suffer through. If you’re suffering through it, then find a different way.
- always, always, always find the fun in whatever you’re doing. You can be writing about dark topics, but somehow make the process enjoyable to you. Whether that’s writing at a cafe, record yourself talking about your story to your friends and then transcribing it, or getting yourself a boba. Have fun.
- You love your craft, but have you ever considered if your craft loves you back?
However, there are a few sections in the book where it’s important to take with a grain of salt. I suggest periodically checking in with yourself and asking, “Does this part resonate with me personally?”
For me, I think my biggest issue would be the section where she suggests not necessarily going to college for your chosen creative field. [Prepare yourself for a long, but necessarily tangent] Granted, she mostly argues this, because the education system in the United States basically secures a certainty of a large amount of debt. And debt is the last thing that any creative needs. To have that stress would limit one’s creativity, and she argues that everything you learn in a college setting could be obtained through community, or through several years of perfecting your craft.
I have my own mixed feelings about my college experience. Truthfully, if I wasn’t in so much student load debt, then I would most easily say that my college experience was worth it (so to that, I have to agree with Gilbert: it’s the expensive education system that’s messed up). However, I don’t think it’s wise to suggest not going to college at all. For many people, the return on investment for their college education is vastly more than what they spent on tuition. This does suggest that despite the initial upfront costs, it is worth it to go to college and could be the thing to propel your finances upward.
In terms of specifically attending college for a creative field, I think that depends on the person. Even while I was at college, I wondered if college was worth it. I wondered if I could easily learn this stuff online (the internet is vast and most information is free). For good reason, the costs made me question what the hell I was doing.
However, in being out of college for a couple of years, I have noticed a small, yet significant differences between those who went to school for creative writing and those who didn’t. In my creative writing program, I basically learned that my work wasn’t precious or something to be quietly tucked into a drawer. Every week, I was made to produce work and share it with a group of peers, who took turns critiquing my work. They were encouraged to give feedback, to give suggestions that might take your work in a wildly different direction, and state what they didn’t understand. All the while, I couldn’t say a word back to them. I had to quietly take it all in, mouth snapped shut.
I do think that’s one of things that has aided me in my writing journey: how to receive critique in a professional manner. To wade through which critique resonated with me and which critique was entirely off-base. Also, being in that setting, you learn what people love about your work, which is highly important to developing your narrative voice and your confidence. I learned that dialogue and setting the scene tends to be one of my strong suits, while subversion is not (perhaps something I can work on in the future).
I do believe that anybody can learn these skills. They don’t solely exist in a college setting. However, I do believe that college is an efficient way of learning them. Perhaps I’m biased; I’ve always loved studying and education. But I think this is what I meant by my earlier point: it depends on the person if college is worth it or not.
Besides that, I did enjoy Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Overall, I do think the read is worth it, because it brings the emotionality to creativity and, walks this fine balance of pragmatism and magic (a very hard balance!). If you’re a creative professional, I imagine that you’ll be challenged to expand the way that you view creativity and your own processes surrounding it.