Big Magic summary

The planet we live on isn’t inhabited by just humans, plants and animals. Ideas are living, breathing and growing around us too! They exist purely for someone out there to realize them.

Know that feeling when a thought takes hold of you and won’t let go? If it seems to show up everywhere and keeps pestering you in quiet moments, then it’s likely you’ve got a great idea on your hands. Don’t let the grocery shopping, TV or other obligations distract you from it. It’s up to you to accept it and work with it.

Sources of inspiration are all around you, and you’ve got plenty of talent. Yet, you constantly end up stuck halfway, or even struggling to get started. What’s the problem?

The truth is that most creatives are their own biggest obstacle. Pursuing art is a daring move, and we often tell ourselves that we’re not up to the challenge. Our inner voices jeer at us for thinking we could create something unique or turn our ideas into reality.

Creative people often struggle with the need to be “taken seriously.” Whether it’s from friends, partners or relatives, artists feel pressure to make their commitment to their passion seem legitimate. Many creatives even spend years getting academic qualifications for this reason. But is this really necessary?

The truth is that you don’t need a degree to do what you love. Only real life experience will give you the knowledge to pursue your craft. The author’s bestseller Eat, Pray, Love is the result of her personal journey to find the joy in living after a rocky divorce.

We all know that cliché of artists enjoying whimsical, carefree lives full of bohemian parties and no “proper job” to speak of. Yet, when most artists live out this cliché, they strangle their own creativity by using their art to pay the bills. However, there is another way.

Rather than becoming a sell-out, you can support your creative career by keeping your day job. This might seem like a cop-out, or as though you’re not committing passionately enough to your art. But balancing your day job with your artistic pursuits can in fact inspire more passion: just imagine you’re having an affair with your art!

Oscar Wilde once described the life of an artist as “one long, lovely suicide.” He seemed to believe that the authentic creative life was one of self-inflicted suffering. Countless artists today still martyr themselves for their craft.

Yet, there’s another way to fuel your creative spirit without driving yourself mad. Rather than playing the martyr, why not start playing the trickster? While martyrs adhere rigidly to their principles no matter the cost, the trickster takes things lightly.