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goddess_eve21's review against another edition
I tried listening to the audio while following along in my physical copy ...
I read this once upon a time, and tried to revisit this to see what exactly inspired me to read it in the first place.
I just could not find it ...
I am sure at that point in my life the author inspired me to go after exactly what I wanted to do, and can even go as far as saying that I agree with some of the things I re-read in the book ... HOWEVER, besides that, I just could not get into the rest of the book.
It was too fluffed up with a whole bunch of nonsense, and in my opinion, took away from the whole idea of where ideas even come from.
I can honestly say I gave it a chance, and now I can move on.
I read this once upon a time, and tried to revisit this to see what exactly inspired me to read it in the first place.
I just could not find it ...
I am sure at that point in my life the author inspired me to go after exactly what I wanted to do, and can even go as far as saying that I agree with some of the things I re-read in the book ... HOWEVER, besides that, I just could not get into the rest of the book.
It was too fluffed up with a whole bunch of nonsense, and in my opinion, took away from the whole idea of where ideas even come from.
I can honestly say I gave it a chance, and now I can move on.
goddess_eve21's review against another edition
I tried listening to the audio while following along in my physical copy ...
I read this once upon a time, and tried to revisit this to see what exactly inspired me to read it in the first place.
I just could not find it ...
I am sure at that point in my life the author inspired me to go after exactly what I wanted to do, and can even go as far as saying that I agree with some of the things I re-read in the book ... HOWEVER, besides that, I just could not get into the rest of the book.
It was too fluffed up with a whole bunch of nonsense, and in my opinion, took away from the whole idea of where ideas even come from.
I can honestly say I gave it a chance, and now I can move on.
I read this once upon a time, and tried to revisit this to see what exactly inspired me to read it in the first place.
I just could not find it ...
I am sure at that point in my life the author inspired me to go after exactly what I wanted to do, and can even go as far as saying that I agree with some of the things I re-read in the book ... HOWEVER, besides that, I just could not get into the rest of the book.
It was too fluffed up with a whole bunch of nonsense, and in my opinion, took away from the whole idea of where ideas even come from.
I can honestly say I gave it a chance, and now I can move on.
flowchelle's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
As a whole, I really enjoyed this book! I wasn’t expecting it to be so focused on writing (I should’ve because this woman is an author) but a lot of the examples and advice could be applied to broader topics. The beginning was a bit slow but by the middle it picked up and towards the end I was enjoying the exploration thoroughly! I found a lot of the content pretty thought-provoking and I definitely grew to appreciate the lens in which Elizabeth Gilbert applies to view life!
I think the idea that creativity is inherently valuable ‘BECAUSE’ was fun to entertain. Mainly due to the fact that I didn’t consciously know that I already believed this to be true! So although I didn’t really shift in my perspective any personally, this book was fun because it felt conversational on a topic that I hadn’t given a lot of thought to but agreed with!
I think the idea that creativity is inherently valuable ‘BECAUSE’ was fun to entertain. Mainly due to the fact that I didn’t consciously know that I already believed this to be true! So although I didn’t really shift in my perspective any personally, this book was fun because it felt conversational on a topic that I hadn’t given a lot of thought to but agreed with!
yodamom's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @ 61%
I tried, for 61% I tried. I found a couple quotes from other people that I highlighted but that was it. I never highlighted anything the author wrote. I had to ask myself why am I reading a book where the authors advice is not connecting with me ? Why wasn't it working, several reasons. One was the qualifications of the author, two was the lack of any real actions.
The author, I did not know who she was when I purchased this book, I had not read her Eat Pray Love novel, but had seen it on store shelves. She talked about her success of that piece, many times as her great masterpiece, which qualified her to give advice on creativity. She came across to me as self absorbed, pompous, and full look at me, see how wonderful I am. Where was this creative genius, the spark that would send us humans out into the world to make ourselves into the artists we held hidden inside ?
This came across more as a memoir of her greatness to date than a self-help book. What little there was seemed gimmicky and useless to me. I gathered no information helpful to use of pass on, no steps no actions.
I tried, for 61% I tried. I found a couple quotes from other people that I highlighted but that was it. I never highlighted anything the author wrote. I had to ask myself why am I reading a book where the authors advice is not connecting with me ? Why wasn't it working, several reasons. One was the qualifications of the author, two was the lack of any real actions.
The author, I did not know who she was when I purchased this book, I had not read her Eat Pray Love novel, but had seen it on store shelves. She talked about her success of that piece, many times as her great masterpiece, which qualified her to give advice on creativity. She came across to me as self absorbed, pompous, and full look at me, see how wonderful I am. Where was this creative genius, the spark that would send us humans out into the world to make ourselves into the artists we held hidden inside ?
This came across more as a memoir of her greatness to date than a self-help book. What little there was seemed gimmicky and useless to me. I gathered no information helpful to use of pass on, no steps no actions.
hanzy's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book found me when I needed it. Perhaps had I read it a different time, I may not have appreciated it as much
jennifertijssen's review against another edition
2.0
Wel okay, her en der zitten er wel wat wijze adviezen in. Maar veel onderdelen van het boek spreken elkaar tegen en het verhaal dat de schrijfster zichzelf vertelt over hoe creativiteit werkt komt niet heel coherent over.
effievee's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
bookph1le's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, there's nothing revolutionary in this book as far as what Gilbert is saying. She hasn't found some magical new formula for unlocking your creativity. Instead, what she has done is create a dialog, as if you were sitting down to coffee with a friend and confessing that you really wanted to be creative but... Gilbert deals with the variety of things that could follow that "but", and she pulls apart each and every one.
Will everyone appreciate this book? Probably not. Gilbert does slay some pretty sacred cows, including the notion of the "tortured" artist, but I think she makes a very compelling case for all the cows she slays. The bottom line of this book, really, is do you want to be a creative person because you want the sense of accomplishment and transcendence that creativity can inspire, or do you want to be a creative person because you're hoping to make millions and be lauded by the masses? If it's the second, Gilbert basically tells you that you need not apply, and I agree with her. Creativity may pay off monetarily or in the form of social approbation, or it may not, but if all you really want is to create, who cares? Gilbert holds up all the fears that commonly hold people back and says, "So what?"
While I'm not a religious person, I got where she was going by likening creativity to a sort of religious calling. As she says, she doesn't advocate for people moving out to a mountain and living a life of solitary devotion to creativity--unless that's your thing, in which case you should do it. Instead, she's advocating for creativity as a form of not just self-expression, but as a way for people to make something beautiful solely for the sake of making something beautiful. As she says, it's both essential and non-essential. At heart, I think that's what makes us human: that we create things that aren't necessary merely because we like the look of them, or the sound of them, or the taste of them, or the way they feel when we wear them. It's in the act of creating--even if our creation is bad or misunderstood or unloved--that we are able to get outside of our own heads for a bit. We can forget about our mundane worries and struggles and we can experience moments of pure joy.
Not that she's saying that all this can come about without some fear and struggle and some sense of pain. What she advises is that we learn to live with these things without allowing them to control us. I know this seems simplistic, but she does such a great job of laying out how to avoid being controlled by your fears. What she's revealing here is that what holds most people back is themselves. What does it matter if people dismiss your creativity or think you're strange? The best kind of creativity, Gilbert says, is the kind that's done entirely because *you* want to do it, not because you're trying to appeal to the masses. The Big Magic, really, is experiencing the joys of creativity for yourself and not for some nebulous, unknown consumer market. If you're fortunate, the market may follow. If not, it won't. Either way, you'll have created something and will have the pride of knowing that it's yours. And when you're done, you'll let it loose, acknowledge that it may not be perfect, and go on to make something else. You can do all this with a sense of awe that you're doing something that fulfills a need deep within yourself. It won't feed you or clothe you or put a roof over your head (unless your creative outlet is something like farming or weaving or carpentry, in which case you may well fulfill some of these essential needs as well), but it will provide you with experiences that you can hoard like treasures, to be pulled out and admired and marveled at whenever you so desire.
Reading this book was so good for me because it helped me to see how counterproductive some of the nagging voices in the back of my head are. It encouraged me to take creative leaps and to be philosophical when those leaps sometimes fail, as they inevitably will. Gilbert has helped me to see that, no matter what, I will always long for that creative outlet, so why bother denying it to myself? I can engage with it for the pure joy of engaging with it, and if anything else comes of it, great. If not, well, I'll have been living the life I want to live, and that really counts for more than anything else.
Will everyone appreciate this book? Probably not. Gilbert does slay some pretty sacred cows, including the notion of the "tortured" artist, but I think she makes a very compelling case for all the cows she slays. The bottom line of this book, really, is do you want to be a creative person because you want the sense of accomplishment and transcendence that creativity can inspire, or do you want to be a creative person because you're hoping to make millions and be lauded by the masses? If it's the second, Gilbert basically tells you that you need not apply, and I agree with her. Creativity may pay off monetarily or in the form of social approbation, or it may not, but if all you really want is to create, who cares? Gilbert holds up all the fears that commonly hold people back and says, "So what?"
While I'm not a religious person, I got where she was going by likening creativity to a sort of religious calling. As she says, she doesn't advocate for people moving out to a mountain and living a life of solitary devotion to creativity--unless that's your thing, in which case you should do it. Instead, she's advocating for creativity as a form of not just self-expression, but as a way for people to make something beautiful solely for the sake of making something beautiful. As she says, it's both essential and non-essential. At heart, I think that's what makes us human: that we create things that aren't necessary merely because we like the look of them, or the sound of them, or the taste of them, or the way they feel when we wear them. It's in the act of creating--even if our creation is bad or misunderstood or unloved--that we are able to get outside of our own heads for a bit. We can forget about our mundane worries and struggles and we can experience moments of pure joy.
Not that she's saying that all this can come about without some fear and struggle and some sense of pain. What she advises is that we learn to live with these things without allowing them to control us. I know this seems simplistic, but she does such a great job of laying out how to avoid being controlled by your fears. What she's revealing here is that what holds most people back is themselves. What does it matter if people dismiss your creativity or think you're strange? The best kind of creativity, Gilbert says, is the kind that's done entirely because *you* want to do it, not because you're trying to appeal to the masses. The Big Magic, really, is experiencing the joys of creativity for yourself and not for some nebulous, unknown consumer market. If you're fortunate, the market may follow. If not, it won't. Either way, you'll have created something and will have the pride of knowing that it's yours. And when you're done, you'll let it loose, acknowledge that it may not be perfect, and go on to make something else. You can do all this with a sense of awe that you're doing something that fulfills a need deep within yourself. It won't feed you or clothe you or put a roof over your head (unless your creative outlet is something like farming or weaving or carpentry, in which case you may well fulfill some of these essential needs as well), but it will provide you with experiences that you can hoard like treasures, to be pulled out and admired and marveled at whenever you so desire.
Reading this book was so good for me because it helped me to see how counterproductive some of the nagging voices in the back of my head are. It encouraged me to take creative leaps and to be philosophical when those leaps sometimes fail, as they inevitably will. Gilbert has helped me to see that, no matter what, I will always long for that creative outlet, so why bother denying it to myself? I can engage with it for the pure joy of engaging with it, and if anything else comes of it, great. If not, well, I'll have been living the life I want to live, and that really counts for more than anything else.