Nurturing Creativity - Ten Best Books
So many people live under the mistaken idea that they are not creative, putting aside amazing ideas, interesting opinions, and incredible adventures because those things are for creative sorts. It’s a fallacy that we are either born creative or not. Creativity can be learned, practiced, and nurtured. You don’t have to be an artist or a writer to reap the benefits of a creative life. Creativity is not something you do, but the way you live.
Stop scrolling social media - these sites implicitly encourage (demand) we all think the same, want the same, be the same. What a boring people we have become in our effort to keep up with the people on our feed. Do your own thing, surprise yourself, scare everyone else.
The following ten books are excellent sources of both inspiration and practical advice on ways to stretch your creative muscle (hello, brain!).
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin - Prolific music producer, Rick Rubin, has not allowed himself to get stuck in one genre of music, but rather appreciates all acts of creativity. His method is not to direct the musicians to create something he likes, but to help the musicians open up to their own source of creativity and create something authentic to them. Rubin encourages us to understand the expectations we falter under are expectations we have placed on ourselves, and we can remove them at any time. Creativity is a responsibility - not to the world, which is another added pressure put on people - but to ourselves.
Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You by Ray Bradbury - a collection of essays and poems that celebrate the actual act of writing. Celebrating the writing process is hard because, well, writing is hard, and we tend to focus on the destination (thank God that’s done!) instead of enjoying the work. Enjoy the work and follow your instincts rather than simply regurgitate what others have written because it seems to be what the reader wants.
Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision & Reality by Scott Belsky - A book on creativity, yes, but Belsky focuses on the organizational issues that prevent our ideas from ever seeing the light of day. We all have ideas and it’s a shame that we have not been taught the practical skills that allow us to bring those ideas to life. Belsky’s book changes all of that. And no, his ideas on organization won’t stifle your creativity.
The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin - Yes, a creativity book by marketing master Seth Godin! This book moves away from marketing into what could be called ‘the courage to create.” Godin advises us to plug our ears to all the advice that tells us to play it safe and to lay it all on the line for our creative work - whatever that work may be. “It’s better to be sorry than safe,” is the line I’m going to keep in my breast pocket from now on.
Deep Work by Cal Newport - There is no truly great or satisfying work that happens without intense, focused work. Newport argues against multitasking and constant connectivity in favor of sustained, disciplined effort doing the thing we are most passionate about.
The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin - Yep, another creativity book by Seth Godin! This one gives us the tools to work through the fear - whatever fear that may be for you. Godin says consistency is more important than talent and, helpful to creators of all stripes, that writer’s block is a myth.
Every Tool is a Hammer: Life is What You Make It by Adam Savage - Adam Savage of Mythbusters gives us a “toolbox of problem-solving” and shows us how to find an idea and follow it through to completions, advising us not to wait until everything is perfect and counseling that the one of the most important things we can do in our life, relationships, and work is to reduce friction. This makes sense if you think about it - how much energy do we waste getting worked up by the minutiae? A chapter worth of energy? An article? An entire novel? Get over it and get your work done.
The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde - Have you ever given someone a gift only to discover it tucked in the back of their closet later? This is probably how the Universe/God feels when we have been given the gift of creativity and refuse to acknowledge and develop it. Hyde’s book has a huge spiritual component and asks us to be grateful and generous with the gift we have been give. There is also quite a lot of thoughts on the difference between art and commodities and how to navigate our creative work within the market.
The Creative Habit: Learn It & Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp - Still waiting for the muse to strike? While you’re waiting, read this book. The muse may or may not show up, but that doesn’t matter. Tharp gives 32 practical exercises that are designed to help us make creativity a habit and she encourages us to not be afraid of the amount of preparation and effort it takes to do good work.
How to Have Creative Ideas by Edward de Bono - From the master of lateral thinking research, de Bono gives us 62 games and exercises to develop our capacity for creative thinking. de Bono’s book is based on the premise that creativity is not something we are born with, but something we can develop and nurture.