While I appreciate the impassioned case for creativity that Gilbert makes in this book, I suspect that I am not her intended audience. Big Magic is, at its core, a book-length permission slip to live a creative life, to make art, and to not listen to the critics (both in the world and inside your head) who tell you to stop. Gilbert encourages us to take art seriously (as in, show up with discipline to keep writing) but also lightly (as in, keep in mind that in the end, it’s all for play and fun). Her world view is more anthropomorphized than mine – she views inspiration as a being that shows up and collaborates with you, and will go visit someone else if you neglect it. But it’s a charming worldview, even if it’s not my own. All that said, I’ve never needed anyone to give me a permission slip to do things I like. So while I’m glad this book exists for the people who need it, I’m not really one of those people. Still, it was a nice palate cleanser of a book after some heavier fiction.