Creativity Books

"Christian Art" -- an oxymoron? Too often, this seems to be the case. Although we worship the God who created the universe, evangelicals tend to be wary of anything that is not tried and true -- and tired and trite.

In this book, the author makes the case that all beauty and art is a reflection of the ultimate artist -- our creator. Therefore, art is always a service to Him. Anything less than that quickly degenerates into a self-serving indulgence.

Therefore, Christian artists, and that includes anyone who "makes" something, from the touches on a creatively decorated home to the putting together of a homemade go-cart, should do her very best to honour the Creator. Christians, he claims, need to take back art and claim it for their master.

This book was a relief to read -- because it acknowledged the paucity of encouragement to Christians to be innovative and the frusturating tendecy for them to trust so in the status quo. It was inspiring and motivating to read about the need and the importance of being an artist, wherever you are. Of taking risks, and not simply following worn conventions.

In 1972, right at the time the 60s counter-culture had lost its bearings and had crash-landed, this Brazilian poet-philosopher and a then-student in the US published this book.

As far as I know, Rubem Alves has written the best analysis and reflections of what went wrong-or better yet-what often goes wrong with revolutionary dreams, fervor and impulses.

These insights (and others regarding positive visions and the hope that issues them) make this a pertinent book for our times. That is, if the reawakening political energy in our midst has a fighting chance of moving beyond the talk and the blogging.

The book has been out of print for years now but it is available here for as little as a couple of bucks. It may just be the best 2 dollars you will ever spend.

Ceramic artists, especially those involved with Raku firing, are probably already familiar with Robert Piepenburg. Many of us have at least one of his books, most likely either 'Spirit of Clay' or 'Raku', on our shelves already. This book is an exploration of the connections between our psyche/spirit and our creativity, written for anyone interested in fostering their creativity. The book references, and even quotes from, the 'Spirit of Clay' in a number of places, but it is more of a sequel than a re-write and is a wonderful resource for artists no matter what their chosen form of expression. Don't let the references to spirit and spirituality fool you. This is a book about your internal flames and sparks, not one devoted to any single picture of divinity or, as was the case with 'The Artist's Way', a specific religious dogma.

This book provides a clear, concise guide to creativity techniques. The introduction stresses the need for quantity to create quality when generating ideas. Each of the 50 techniques is outlined in a few pages with a clear focus on practical application. If you want a book with a lot of theory behind creativity this is not for you, but if you want to actually get started, this book can help (fast). The book covers both individual and group techniques and also categorises the techniques for either problem solving or idea generation. This book will prove very useful whether you are looking to improve your own creativity, or get the best out of others. Highly recommended.

The goal of The Universal Traveler is to translate what began as a simple organizational realization and grew to become a highly specialized, computer assisted mathematical and statistical discipline for solving complex world problems, back into an easy-to-learn language for everyday use. We believe that all problems, no matter what size they may be, can benefit from the same logical and orderly process now employed to solve many of the complex problems of our time. The principles remain constant. It is only the methods which change, and then, often in appearance alone.

Since "Systems" is the name which has been asigned to Cybernetics and the various numerical techniques for modeling problem situations, we have similarly called our more conversational approach by the name Soft-Systems. We hope the language of the Soft-Systems we have developed and translated in this book will help every reader deal more logically and sysematically with the situation which define the context of their daily life ... or in the least to be able to deal with thwm in a more creative way.
--- from book's Introduction

How many of us wish we really lived our lives, rather than just going through the motions? Author Wendy Nyemaster gives women a valuable tool to do just that. She discusses 10 types of poems and offers a different life purpose for each. This is not about the lofty, incomprehensible poetry you may have studied in high school English. This book is about writing poetry that's personal and meaningful to you. I've written haikus to affirm what is good in my life, a prayer poem to remind me what is important, and a list poem to examine what needs fixing. The experience was challenging, fun and amazingly rewarding. It really works.

Nyemaster includes original poems written by members of her "Poet Posse," a group of everyday women of all ages. Even just reading the poems by the Posse, I'm inspired. We can all relate to these women, their struggles, and the revelations their poems bring. This book is empowering, uplifting. I need this book. You need this book. Keep it handy for frequent reference!

From reasons to get creative and how to find time and ways to spark creativity to funneling it to creative projects and locating ideas, this over-50 guide is a reference any age can actually use to spark creativity and drive newfound business projects. UNLEASHING YOUR CREATIVITY AFTER 50 is an excellent survey perfect for any looking to change, and to direct the change into concrete projects.

Alan Govenar, president and founder of the nonprofit cultural history organization Documentary Arts, presents Untold Glory: African Americans in Pursuit of Freedom, Opportunity, and Achievement, a compilation of twenty-four oral accounts of African-Americans whose efforts stretched past self-imposed and culturally imposed boundaries and into the frontiers of history. From IBM Vice President and Inventors Hall of Fame member Mark Dean, to Civil Rights attorney Oliver W. Hill, to classical pianist and museum founder Josephine Love, each individual dedicated himself or herself to greatness. Extensively researched, featuring a handful of black-and-white photographs, Untold Glory is an inspirational anthology and enthusiastically recommended especially for public library collections.

Now in a fully updated fourth edition, UPI Stylebook And Guide To Newswriting is the collaborative effort of Bruce Cook, Harold Martin, and the Editors of UPI. A no-nonsense, professional style manual, UPI Stylebook And Guide To Newswriting features both basic and advanced techniques for the craft of writing for print, broadcast, or television news, with specific information concerning everything from covering the white house or other governmental agencies to science writing, business journalism, foreign correspondence, the law of libel, codes of ethics, and much more. Highly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, the solid information and even warnings (for example, journalists can and have been taken to court for gathering news information in private homes without the owner's consent - even if they were permitted entry by the police). An absolute "must-have" resource manual for anyone considering or pursuing a career in journalistic writing.

I teach K-8 grade children who have behavioral and emotional problems/disorders. This series is wonderful. My mother read them to me when I was growing up and now I read them to my students. I use these books for all grade levels. They are entertaining for kids but they stress important character traits like honesty, determination, and responsbility. I'm trying to collect all of them for use in my classes. These are books I'm sure I'll be reading to my own children someday and I would recomend them for anyone who wants to raise children with character and good, solid values.