A re-review of Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic (audiobook)

I thought I had reviewed Elizabeth Gilbert's (famed author, Eat Pray Love) book Big Magic elsewhere on this blog. This page was about to be linked, with claims that this is a re-review. Funny, I never posted the review, so this is the first, legitimate review.

I listened to the audiobook version, read by the author herself, in the course of two or so days. The author takes the angle that 'creativity' is a force of nature, a secret world inhabited by powerful beings and forces who want to turn substantial through a medium, the creator. And the most a creator can do is facilitate that journey, allow those forces, the latent energies flying about, to be channeled through them. Because if they don't, somebody else will.

This is a book for the creatively-inclined folks. She advises artists of all age, skill and dedication level to keep at their craft, never give up, and never expect reward, really, do it for the sake of doing it, because you enjoy doing it, because you don't feel right when you don't do it, it's a part of your life like breathing is. If it pays the bills, good for you, but don't expect it to, because you're putting too much pressure on your craft, on an activity that brings you joy. But whatever you do, never ever stop creating.

Gilbert narrates her long and roundabout journey into writerhood and her popularity, and argues that the only factor a creative can control is their discipline: they can't control the circumstances that led to their birth and talent, and they have no control over random happenstance, but by putting all the effort they can, through discipline and constant practice of the craft, they can put themselves in a position to benefit from being at the right place at the right time. Don't reject shit sandwiches, Gilbert says, because somebody else is ready, behind you, to eat your half-eaten shit-sandwich and fill up on it.

The most inspiring part of the book I found in Gilbert's contrast between a creative 'martyr', and a creative 'trickster'.  A martyr is inflexible and uncompromising, he will not bow down for what he doesn't deserve, he has standards, he has values, and he will only take when offered with great respect, from an equal, or so forth. A trickster wants to get things done. He doesn't have much of an ego, his goal is to get his work out in the world, to get things done, to get ahead. If that means sneaking up here and there, compromising on the lesser values, he will go right at it. A trickster is just glad he gets things done, and thrives on sneaking into every successful party. A martyr gloms about, complaining how they must have forgotten the invitation, and he's not going to go to the next invitation as a rebuke to the disrespect. Be a trickster, Gilbert suggests, not a martyr.

I loved it so goddamn much. What a framing, I'll keep it in my for many years.

9.5 out of ten stars, the book was amazing!