Magic Maker - by Pam Grossman (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Magic Maker is filled with stories of artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, and other creatives throughout history who have applied magic to their process. Grossman shows us how we can tap into the same inspiration for our own creative pursuits, whether it's writing a song, a novel, software code, or figuring out our path in life"--

Book Synopsis

"Rich descriptions of creativity and magic are paired with a practical roadmap for making a life in devotion to both." --Jessica Dore, author of Tarot for Change

A magical guide to enhancing your creative process, from "the Terry Gross of witches" (Vulture)

Creativity and magic are one and the same.

Creative people often speak of being channels for inspiration, while others refer to communing with their muse. For many, this is more than mere metaphor, as artists throughout history have employed magical techniques to tap into their creativity, express powerful messages, and make contact with the sacred. From the songwriting divination of David Bowie and the bewitching shapeshifting of Beyoncé, to the Ouija board poetry sessions of Sylvia Plath and the abstract painting séances of Hilma af Klint, to the manifestation method of Octavia E. Butler and the daily meditation of David Lynch, mystical practices have been responsible for generating some of the world's most beloved creations. While there are many books on creativity out there, none of them examines the specific ways that magic has been embraced by creative visionaries throughout history, nor do they explore how makers can start using these methods in their own creative processes.

Magic Maker is the first. In this book, critically acclaimed author of Waking the Witch Pam Grossman shares how you can use magic to enhance your own creative practices.

Smart, captivating, and gorgeously written, Magic Maker is filled with stories of artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, and other creatives throughout history who have applied magic to their process. Grossman shows us how we can tap into the same inspiration for our own creative pursuits, whether it's writing a song, a novel, software code, or figuring out our path in life.

Delving into topics such as spellcasting, invocation, spirit communication, divination, and more, Grossman provides an enchanting and practical guide for anyone who wants to unlock their own creative magic and make whatever it is you're meant to in this lifetime.

Review Quotes

One of Treadwell's Books' Favorite Books of 2025
One of The Skimm's These Six Audiobooks Will Make Winter Chores More Exciting

"I like to think of this as a witchcraft-inflected Big Magic or The Artist's Way--a practical guide to enhancing and committing to your creative practice using accessible forms of magic. As always, Grossman is a joyful, wildly knowledgeable, and all-around nonintimidating guide into the world of the esoteric. This has been the perfect way to infuse my writing practice with a little extra enchantment moving into the new year."
--The Skimm

"With this metaphysical yet page-turning book, Grossman weaves a cloak of enchantment for anyone intrigued by the notion that creativity is not only an expression of the intellect, but also of the spirit. Magic Maker is a delightful, extensively researched, inspiring personal and cultural exploration and practical spell-book on the art--practiced down through the ages--of materializing the unmanifest through the process of creation."
--The Irish Times

"Magic Maker, to me, functions as a grimoire, a creativity handbook, as well as sort of an anthology of thinkers and doers throughout history who people can become inspired by and draw from."
--The Creative Independent

"A truly excellent guide for anyone seeking to ignite their creative practice."
--Treadwell's Books

"This is the best book yet written about the relationship between magic and inspiration, in all branches of the arts and some of the sciences as well. It is also a good all-round one on the making of magic in general, especially for the solitary practitioner."
--Ronald Hutton, author of The Triumph of the Moon and The Witch

"Step into Pam Grossman's Magic Maker and step into a world of infinite possibilities. Deftly weaving the stories and beliefs of great artists and thinkers before us, Grossman makes a clear argument for the power of the occult within the creative process. In this luminous book, brilliant Grossman uses charmed language and wit to inspire us to follow our own creative path and summon our collective magical voices together. Read Magic Maker and once again find optimism for the future of creativity."
--Dorothea Lasky, author of Thunderbird and Milk

"I adore this book! There's so much inspiration and magic inside these pages from my favorite witch and mentor."
--Jinkx Monsoon, two-time winner of RuPaul's Drag Race

"There are few people who live up to the term 'magic maker' as fully as Pam Grossman. Lucky for us, she is willing to reveal her creative secrets! For anyone who struggles with the 'mystical art of creating' this book shows you not just a path, but a pantheon of spirits, gods, and wise witches to help guide you. For all of us who are tormented by the demons of creative self-doubt, this book is a spiritual sword and shield."
--Dylan Thuras, cofounder of Atlas Obscura

"Pam Grossman, the witch laureate of literature, uncovers the mysterious 'something' that bridges idea and act, inspiration and enterprise, wish and coming true--and she shares her magic formulas for creativity with brilliance, aplomb, ardent practicality, and historical breadth in Magic Maker. For creatives and seekers (aren't they the same?), Pam has written the definitive manual to dream-making."
--Mitch Horowitz, PEN Award-winning historian and author of Occult America

"I wish I could travel back in time to gift my baby art witch self a copy of Magic Maker. An empowering book for all humans seeking to activate their own inner magic and powerful creative potential."
--Yumi Sakugawa, author of There Is No Right Way to Meditate

"In this book, Pam Grossman beautifully demonstrates how to unite and intertwine your creative and spiritual paths through preparation, devotion, and intentionality. I read it during a heavy time in my life, and came away feeling energized, excited, and inspired to create anew. Magic Maker is a powerful resource that all creatives and witches should have on their bookshelf. Fun, lively, and informative, this book shimmers!"
--Chelsea Wolfe

"In Magic Maker Pam Grossman uses her extensive expertise to examine the intersection of magic and creativity in all its various forms. The result is a treasure trove of rich, well-rounded research with inspiring prompts to aid you on your own magical path towards creative breakthroughs. A delightful balance of information and inspiration, Magic Maker parses out the technology of witchcraft practices to show readers how integral magical thinking is to the realms of art, literature, and beyond."
--Erica Feldmann, owner of HausWitch and author of HausMagick and Intention Obsession

"A beautiful book to unlock or amplify your own magic. Pam feels like she's talking directly to you as a fellow creative and encourages you to make a magician of yourself or play with intention. It really helped me understand why I feel compelled to do my job, and it made sense of my preparations and rituals. I loved it."
--Suranne Jones

"In a world that too often conceives of creativity in ways that prioritize the autonomous individual and productivity-at-all-costs, Pam Grossman's Magic Maker offers narrative and practical scaffolding toward a creative life that returns making to its rightful place as a relational process capable of re-enchanting both creator and world. More than convincing, Magic Maker is generous. Rich descriptions of creativity and magic are paired with a practical roadmap for making a life in devotion to both. Grossman has given readers a two-fold gift: First, robust language for making good sense of what creative life can be and entail, and second, practical instruction for remembering our selves as relational beings capable not only of changing our worlds, but being transformed by what we make."
--Jessica Dore, author of Tarot for Change

"Grossman's exploration of what it means to create is expansive and inspiring, bolstered by intimate anecdotes of artists' creative philosophies. . . . This is a thought-provoking guide and a joyous ode to creativity's many mysteries."
--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Pam Grossman is a writer, curator, and teacher of magical practice and history. She is the host of the internationally beloved podcast, The Witch Wave and the author of Waking the Witch and What Is A Witch. She is also coeditor and coauthor of the Witchcraft volume of Taschen's Library of Esoterica series. Her writing has appeared in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, The Atlantic, TIME.com, and many more. She divides her time between Brooklyn and the Western Catskills alongside her husband and their two feline familiars.