Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

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

The book starts with an Epigraph that asks what creativity is and answers it as “the relationship between a human being and the mysteries of inspiration” (ii).

In the first section, Gilbert addresses courage through a story about American poet Jack Gilbert (no relation), who won awards, accolades, and fame for his poetry and then moved to Europe to escape fame. He continued writing poetry but did not share it until 20 years later. More fame ensued, and he left the public eye for 10 years, finally returning to the US to teach at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in a position that the author took after him. She used his office, found his books there, and studied his poems. She learned that he taught his writing students curiosity and courage and told one aspiring writer: “Do you have the courage? Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say yes” (7).

The author bases her description of “creative living” on this question. She explains that creative living doesn’t just apply to the arts but “living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than fear” (9).