Creativity Books

I love this book! I've been drawing since I was little and painting for over 20 years, I'm just now learning to do quick sketches. I had gotten away from drawing and now I'm back and love it! Danny is so inspiring and gets you drawing right off the bat! His sketches and ideas are fun to do and you'll be wanting to sketch everything you see, and you can! He shows you how to make time to sketch and shares my belief that everyone can draw. This is a keeper!

I am really enjoying Creative License written by Danny Gregory. I actually am now on my second reading! After finishing the book I began to read it from back to front! It is a lovely book written with humor, sensitivity and just plain good sense. I got a sort of kick-in-the-pants start from some of his "encouraging" push starts. The quotes are wonderful and often eye-opening. I do have some trouble reading the strange font lettering sometimes - but that is very minor. I loved the book and reccomend it to anyone stuck in their forward movement in the art of their choice.
A.M.C.

I love this book. The colorful pages, the honest and encouraging advice and the fun art all inspire me. Thanks, Danny, for such a great resource. I'm recommending it to everyone.
This is an excellent resource book for writers of any genre. A must-have for your reference library!

Cynthia Morris

I think a dissenting opinion is in order. I was looking for a book on unblocking ones creativity, not a book on being like Danny Gregory. The book seems to be more about how Mr. Gregory expresses creativity than about how to become more creative. If I wanted to learn to draw I would have purchased a book about drawing. If I wished to become a writer I would have sought books about writing. Mr. Gregory seems to be saying in this book that the only way to become a creative person is to draw and write first, which is how he expresses creativity. If I have to force myself to draw and journal I am not becoming more creative, I am simply following what someone else thinks is creativity. Further, Mr. Gregory's drawings are ugly to my eyes. I am amazed that anyone would want him to illustrate anything. The type used in the book is hard to read and some of the print was so small I could not read it. This book was definitely a waste of my money and time. If you are looking to unleash your creativity through some medium besides drawing or writing, you should probably look elsewhere for inspiration.

Remove the block to your creative drive and find yourself once again enjoying your own drawing, painting, writing, crafts, or whatever it is that brings you joy!

The Creative License: Giving Yorself Permission To Be The Artist You Truly Are is all that the title claims. Own it and you have (one of) the keys that will open the door back into the world of your own creativity, unfettered by a need to be perfect.

Be you. Create what you want. Be happy.

What a concept! What a book!

Highly recommended!

this second book totally switches gears from her first book in a good and different way. if you are looking for a change this book is for you! her first book had lots of dark and grungy looks while this one goes to bright and whimsical! i would consider myself on the more seasoned side of collage and sometimes i get sooo bogged down in details that i need to step back a couple steps and see the simpler side again to clear my head. this book helps me get back to that blissful middle ground. great techniques to be had and a refreshing look at a softer simpler side of collage. great job claudine!

Wow- I purchased this because I am just beginning with collage and she has got some great ideas for different back grounds, and techniques. Her style is unique and whimsical! A great resource book!

This is a great book! It contains great directions on making some unique backgrounds for your collage. It also provides a great list of items needed for making magnificent artwork. I have used many of the techniques and have produced some of my best work. If you are new to collage making, this book is a must.

I LOVE this book. It really gets my creative juices flowing when I look at it. Full color photos and actual artist examples enhance this step by step book of cool ideas!

This book is a great compliment to the Collage Discovery Workshop. It has the same beautiful glossy pages and the techniques are simple to learn and produce amazing results. Your creative ideas will flow and I suggest keeping paper close to write down your own original ideas while you read through this book.

Another great gift idea!

Dr. Joe Dispenza is a very eloquent writer and puts scientific research together with anatomy and physiology in very informative and enjoyable book. I recommend it highly to anyone who likes to learn about details and wants their own thoughts to work for them.

If you already have basic knowledge of the nervous system, this book is elementary and tiresome. The story is intriguing, but is wrapped up in the first couple of chapters, followed by long winded explanations of very basic concepts. I feel like it may be beneficial to those who have no previous knowledge of the brain, its function and anatomy, and are interested in learning about it in a little more detail than the average person. Definately not for those who have taken even a basic neurophysiology course, though.

After reading several books of quantum physic, I new that we are responsible for our own reality. This book reenforce the concept through a different perspective, how the brain work, how the mind and matter are linked.
From now on, it will be one of my favorite books, I fully recommend it.

I only hope next time, Dr. Joe Dispenza writes a new book linking more the mind and the matter topic.

Hi folks. I've met Joe a few times over the past years & I just wanted to extend my thanks to him. He's been very helpful & hopeful to myself and many others. I've bought his big book, Evolve your Brain, and although I may not understand it all as well as Joe does I certainly found it practical & inspiring, like Joe is. Nice book. Thanks again Joe. Sincerely, Harrison Hicks

While this book is well-written and packed with technical information about the brain, it is not at all about "evolving your brain". A better title for this book would be "How the Brain Works". I was on page 320 when I realized this book wasn't going in the direction I hoped it would. Detail after detail about the way a brain works. Quite the opposite of what I hoped.

An amazing effort creating an amazing result.
One of the most remarkable collection of concepts, ideas and observations.

Never fails to nudge the creative mind our of a slump.

The product was shipped the next day and got to me quickly. The book is awesome and was in perfect condition when I got it. Thanks!

This book is a tour de force of creativity and it is suitable for everyone, not just graphic designers. Each page is so thick and rich that you shouldn't browse through it. I highly recommend you limit yourself to 1 page a day so you can absorb and digest what it contains. It is a stunning whack of creativity that you need to take slowly. Over time this book will help you to see and to think in different ways and with significantly more "creativity".

If you consider yourself to be a creative person you absolutely, positively, have to get this book. It will change you.

All the scraps of thoughts, quotes, illustrations, art, and scientific insights all blend into a very nice amalgam of a book. I didn't read it from cover to cover, but rather opened up somewhere random and read different pieces. The randomness of all the inspirational thoughts allows for this type of reading - I think it actually makes the book even better. It almost works as the mind itself: getting bits and pieces of information to juggle with really gets your creative juices flowing.
A must have, and must-random-read, for everyone in the creative industries and arts sector. Not sure about what other people should do with it.

the book is big, heavy and has a confusing layout(page numbers refer to spreads, not individual pages) Some pages are printed with black type on darkblue or gray making them almost unreadable (including the index which also has numbers smaller than most eye charts.) There is no index and little way to get back to something you found before without post-its. Yet for all its drawbacks, it's a fascinating compendium of design ideas - ideas in general. Great price for this much imagery. And if one has even a bit of leisure to peruse books for what just might pop out, this would be a good one to have.

I'm a cellist and this book improved my playing and made me want to go into music therapy.

I'm a drummer and I've found this book to touch upon a lot of pertinent issues that no one else really covers, it has truly helped me to completely revamp my practicing and my relationship to the drum set and music is becoming more and more positive every day

This book is a must have for everyone that wants to achieve mastery in everything that we want to succeed in, NOT only music. I agree with the previous positive comments, also that the subconcious mind plays the most important role for achiving what we desire. Therefore the meditation is necessary tool for effortless mastery...

JC

Please get involved with this product. I was at a fellow musician's home in Sydney about 6 years ago when I first read this book. Since then I have changed from an uptight, crappy player into a player who gets noticed, has "chops" and one who can find peace in playing. Like the man says, I used to approach the piano with trepidation - now, like Kenny, the piano seat is the most comfortable in the house for me. I have even prescribed this book to my students. IF YOU WANT TO BE A MUSICIAN, YOU MUST READ THIS. I repeat
READ THIS NOW - BEFORE YOU WASTE HALF YOUR LIFE (like I did) WONDERING WHY YOU CAN'T PLAY LIKE "A HEAVY".

Effortless Mastery is a wonderful book. So many great insights that really cut to the core of why we all play and love music. Werner's thoughts on practicing have profoundly helped me.

The basic idea, when it comes to practicing is to get control of your focus and be patient. We all feel like we have a ton of things to work on and frequently our mind rushes us through ten things without absorbing anything at all. Werner's approach is to work for short bursts on something basic to your playing, like a rhythm or a technique or the form of a tune, all the while remaining detached and not even trying to play correctly. In fact, your mind should go the other way while practicing, "I hope I play it wrong."

Every mistake that you make shows you where the problems in your playing lie. You then keep reducing the material until you can effortlessly play something or in other words until it is mastered. And this micro practicing has a macro effect as confirmed by my own experiences and also elaborated on in the book.

This book on collage is a hit with all my high school art girls. It is the juice starter for even the most reluctant art students. I warn you all to get ready for big mess making and a lot of fun. Tracy also has some great tips for us seasoned artists that need a few news trick in our bag. There is a dvd also that makes a great companion to her book.

I got this book when it first came out because the reviews sounded so interesting and I had seen Traci's work featured in magazines. The thing I love most about this book is that it features lots of COLOR and originality as opposed to lots of vintage photos of people with dunce hats, clown hats, butterfly wings and angel wings nestled into muted walnut-ink-stained backgrounds. I refer to this book often for inspiration and I really appreciate that it incorporates sewing. I have a degree in graphic design but sewing has remained a love of mine for 45 years. The softness of fabric, along with the usefulness and permanence it offers, give it the edge over just paper.

This was the first collage book I purchased when I found I was really interested in this art form. She has some really creative, interesting ideas for lettering etc. REALLY neat mixed media ideas in here.

Tracy inspires you to get your hands inky and have a ball! I recently took an all-day class with Tracy in which we made the "Big Sac" featured in this book. The time just flew by, we all had a blast, and I get tons of compliments on my finished bag. I spent another day dyeing paper towels, which are so much fun to use in collage. These projects are perfect for someone who is just getting into collage and doesn't want to use "precious" materials - for the price of a roll of paper towels and a few dye re-inkers, you can make wonderful art and have a great time doing it!

I love art books but prefer to check them out from the library instead of buying them - I'd rather spend my $$ on supplies. However, when I find a book I want to refer to over and over again, I buy it. This is one of those books! Traci takes you from simple, quick techniques to more in-depth, time-intensive projects. The best part? With a little time & patience, ANYONE can master anything presented in Collage Unleashed. Traci's fun & free spirit drips off every page as she encourages you to use color and fun in your art. With clear directions, lots of pictures and a wide variety of great ideas, this book is a definite MUST HAVE. Collage Unleashed is the polar opposite of "stuffy" - you will find new techniques and lots of inspiration. Just be prepared - the eye candy contained in this book will have you trying fun new things before you know it!

In this re-issue of Brande's classic (first published in 1934) this author, editor, and writing teacher focuses on the many problems writers face, and she proposes solutions.
John Gardner, in the foreward, writes "The root problems of the writer are personality problems: He or she cannot get started, or starts a story well, then gets lost or loses heart, or writes very well some of the time, badly the rest of the time, or writes brilliantly but after one superb story or novel, cannot write again, etc."
Brande concentrates on the writer's mind and heart, and not on writing technigues. She has set out to address the writer's personality problems, such as lack of confidence, and self-respect.
She asserts that there is a sort of "writer's magic." When addressing the disappointments and rejections that all aspiring writers face, she states, "I hope this book persuades some who are hesitating on the verge of abandoning writing, to make a different decision."
She informs her reader of the four major difficulties she has observed time and again, in her writing students, and writers in general: "The Difficulty of Writing at All," "The One-Book Author," "The Occasional Writer," "The Uneven Writer."
Brande believes that becoming a writer is mainly a matter of cultivating "a writer's temperament." That is "the author of genius does keep till his last breath the spontaneity, the ready sensitiveness of a child, the innocence of the eye." Some chapter titles are "Harnessing the Unconscious," "Writing on Schedule," "The Source of Originality," "The Practice Story," and "The Writer's Magic."
The book contains an excellent index, as well as a bibliography. Brande's insights do not feel dated to me. They pertain to the writers of today and provide inspiration, stimulation, valuable exercises, and the hard-earned wisdom of a highly successful writer and teacher. A valuable addition to every writer's library!

There are a number of books on this subject; and I own a fair few of them. This particular item, has put an end to buying books on how to write. It is excellent. All of the others are by the "how to" writers. This, I believe is the only one; by a "why" writer.
Why we do, and don't do things, pertaining to writing. The author taps the pulse that will enable you to write...if you follow her lead. And that is demonstrated, via the curious and excellent exercises listed.
This book cannot be spoken of highly enough, for effectiveness and originality. You will also discover much about yourself and various motivations you possess.
It puts a full length mirror up to the aspiring writer, and asks "So you want to be a writer?...well if you do; you better get real". Aaannnd...Dorothea doesn't go on and on and on.....!
Clear, written well, brief and to the point.
Best of the lot by a country mile!

I am not a professional writer, however, I am learning to write ebooks and wanted guidance on getting into the the mindset of being a writer. This book did the job for me. Although written in 1934, the advice is well ahead of its time.

I was procrastinating about writing an ebook for weeks and took the authors advice to start writing as soon as I get up from bed in the morning and write whatever comes to my mind.In other words, let the sub concious come forth with ideas and information. Within 3 days I had completed a draft version of my ebook.

If you want an easy to follow book on becomming a writer, I would recommend this to anyone.

Long before Julia Cameron gave budding artists a creative kickstart with "The Artist's Way", Dorothea Brande was coaxing aspiring writers out of self-imposed dry spells, first with her creative writing classes and finally with "Becoming A Writer", which is a Cliff Notes version of the practical lessons she presented to one roomful of disillusioned students after another during the 1920s.

"Becoming a Writer" was originally published in 1934. Long before introspection became the norm in our society, Ms. Brande addressed the fears and frustrations that prevent writers from maximizing their true potential. She proposed a series of exercises to get one's creative mechanisms in gear and make the act of writing so automatic that self-censorship loses its hold. She scorned the adage that where writing was concerned, "true genius can't be taught", elevating the hopes of her students and the hackles of the existing literary community, which (figuratively) shot interlopers on sight. By encouraging the use of daily writing, regular exercise, and heavy doses of reading as the means of unlocking creative power, Ms Brande probably saved many new authors from seeking inspiration in a bottle of bathtub gin.

It's a small book, and the content is sparse compared to the huge volumes that occupy the shelves in the Writers and Writing sections of bookstores, but in the case of "Becoming A Writer", a little says a lot.

Excellent book for all beginning writers and is just as useful for those who have been writing for a while. Mrs Brande attacks the subject in a witty and encouraging way so that one's enthusiasm is fired up once again. Well worth having on your book shelf.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to cultivate the habits of good discipline that consistenly lead to creative ideas.

It's the kind of book I would want everyone to read. I want to buy a lot of copies and share them with a lot of people. I just loved it.

Twyla Tharp's "The Creative Habit" is at once inspirational and practical.
This well-known dancer guides the reader through some brass tacks of the
studio work ethic while allowing and encouraging the mind to soar.
This is an honest, no-nonsense book for all artistic disciplines.

A refreshing and inspiring glimpse into the creative habits employed by a successful artist, generously shared in a well thought out, intelligent, down-to-earth practical way. Twyla shares her personal experiences and keen observational skills in a way generalizable to nearly any creative field. A pleasure to read and re-read. Practical, not just fluff. She shares behind-the-scenes step-by-step insights into the preparation for some of her more successful projects (Movin Out, etc). Puts to bed the idea that artists are supernatural beings who simply sit still and wait for bolts of lightning to strike them with inspiration. Reading this book is highly conducive to inspiration. I bought a second copy as a gift.

This is THE book to have when you curl up with a glass of wine. The last third was especially relevant to me. It not only encouraged me to be okay with my obstacles and failures, but also it caused me to actually appreciate and celebrate them. You don't have to define yourself as "creative" to get a great deal out of this book. There's something in it for everyone.

I don't normally write reviews, but this book is truly special. As an art teacher for many years, this book is so practical and spiritual in its approach, it's hard to describe. I marveled over such an open and honest approach to workshop ideas, and the benevolent freedom of sharing that the author brings. I carry this book with me everywhere...continually reading and re-reading through it, and thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?"

This was the most boring book on art I have ever read or should I say flipped through and returned.

Living the Creative Life is challenging me to look at creativity in many new ways. The approach taken from the viewpoint of many different artists in many different media shows the versitality of our innate creative spirit. The idea that all humans are creative if they allow that part of the whole person to flourish is not new to me, but the way this author discusses the creative spirit is fresh. The book is beautiful to look at and I love the format -- small size, lovely illustrations and great ideas for jump starting creativity.

You can't but be inspired after reading this wondrous book! I will admit first hand, I personally have no intention (nor the talent), to ever become a world class artist by any means. I do have passion to create however, and this book along with another I received around the same time, Your Home A Living Canvas: Create Stunning Faux Finishes & Murals with Paint, by Curtis Heuser, have almost convinced me to rethink my day job. How rewarding (and envious), it sounds from all these talented souls, to be devoted and fortunate enough to get to spend their time without a doubt, doing what they love. Not to say it is without effort, but the pure joy and love for expression, explodes off the pages and simply can not be denied in both of these glorious titles.

Unlike the various first hand artistic testimonials featured throughout "THE CREATIVE LIFE..." - "YOUR HOME..." follows just one decorative artist's amazing creative journey, leading to the publishing of his extroidinary first book which documents the rebirth of his ordinary historic home, through must see mural and faux painting techniques and decoration. In addition, Heuser's book is full of beautiful before, during and after photography, and inspiring how to do the same for your own home-projects. There are similarities in both of these titles however, as the reader will discover and can almost touch the often unexplicable creative passion in the hearts and spirits of these diversely talented artistans.

There appears a special kinship between the artists and authors of both these books - as each are driven by the undeniable desire to express themselves through a wide range of interesting art mediums. I want to personally "Thank" both authors for so eloquently and unselfishly sharing their work and individual views on creativity with us! Both books offer rare insight and are worthy of our every penny! ENJOY!!!!

It is hard to imagine anyone could read this book without stopping multiple times to experiment with some form of art explorations of their own. The author makes it seem natural and oh so inviting. The only drawback is the small print on busy pages. It is sometimes difficult to read the suggestions.

This book gives a very good understanding on how to use and control your creative side of your mind. Good how to's and good reading. i would also recommend her other books she has written. all are well written and gives a good insight on how to improve your talents and creativity.

An amazing book. Note that it has been updated so there is an updated version too. This includes 12 chapters that are outlined here: 1) Drawing the the art of bicycle riding, 2) Expressing yourself in drawing: the nonverbal language of art 3) your brain the right and left of it 4) Crossing Over: Experiencing the Shift from left to right 5) Drawing on Memories: Your History as an Artist. 6) Getting Around your Symbol System: Meeting Edges & contours 7) Perceiving the Shape of Space: The Positive Aspects of Negative Space 8) Relationships in a new mode: putting sighting in perspective, 9) Facing forward: portrait drawing with ease 10) The Value of Logical Lights and Shadows 11) Drawing on the Beauty of Colro 12) The Zen of Drawing: Drawing Out the Artist Within and an afterword-- is beautiful handwriting a Lost Art and a Postscript.
This is the most widely used and highly praised drawing insruction book in the world. It has sold millions of copies and has been translated into at least 10 languages. As it says on the back cover-- it can teach you to draw even though you feel you have little talent and doubt that you could ever learn. It will allow you to gain skill even if your drawing is still childlike. If you're already a professional artist or artist in training it gives you greater confidence. First published in 1979 it is a classic. Most importantly it talks about the dual nature of human thinking -- verbal, analytic thinking mainly located in the left hemisphere and visceral, perceptual thinking mainly located in the right hemisphere. It follows the work of Rober Sperry psychobiologist who received the Novel prize in 1981 for his studies. According to the author, the key principle is that "drawing is a global (or whole) skill requiring only a limited set of basic components. It has some similarities to other global skills that are key to live-- driving, walking and even skiing. The author even talks about the perception of the whole (the gestalt). R mode -- right mode may seem difficult and unfamiliar -- and even off the wall. BUT learning to draw also helps one to control how one's own brain handles information.

Some may quibble over the left-brain, right-brain theory, but this is still that rarest of things-a book that actually delivers everything it promises. Experienced artists probably don't need it, but anyone who yearns to draw and thinks they can't will be amazed.

I was 40 years old when my husband bought me this book and some drawing materials as a birthday gift. All those years, I'd been convinced I couldn't draw a thing. Using the instructions in this book and a beginner's class, I was thrilled to find myself producing some excellent drawings, including very realistic 3-dimensional portraits. Thank you, Betty Edwards, for one of the few books that really did change my life.

It works!

I've picked up a few drawing books and always found myself losing interest after an exercise or two. With this book, I not only made satisfying drawings from the beginning, but found that I couldn't wait to get to the next exercise. Some of my portraits (but not all) were faithful to the subject in spirit as well as mere appearance.
There are some objections to be made. The statements about consciousness may be mere assertion-or they may be exactly what's needed to sedate an overly analytical brain.
But the objections, while they may be true are completely unimportant. What matters is that by following this method without sabotaging it, a complete novice can learn to draw quickly and have fun doing it.

Lynn Hoffman, author of New Short Course in Wine,The and the workable bang BANG: A Novel

All the stuff about "R-mode" and "L-mode" is really just pop-science. Like Freud before it, and as is the current trend with "memetics", it's a popular idea which people use to pigeonhole and explain social and psychological phenomenon which rely more on theory than anything else. Edwards makes the all-too-often assumption that any difficulty facing a potential artist is the "right-brain's fault". And after the first few chapters it gets really tedious. I wouldn't be surprised if she read this review and said to me that my "right-brain" is tricking me into thinking it's not really doing anything ;o)

However, Edwards does indeed make a few valid points. She argues that drawing is a skill, much the same as reading as writing, and therefore it can be taught and learnt by almost anyone. Makes sense to me. She further argues that the reason why most adults can not draw is because drawing is not considered a survival skill and isn't stressed in the education system. Makes sense, too.

The underlying theme behind the brain-hemisphere nonsense is simply perception. To draw realistically requires that you actually process the visual information of what you want to draw, rather than relying on any preconceived information. It's a bad habit, really, but hardly a "right-brain" conspiracy theory as Edwards makes it out to be.

The book is broken down into various exercises, all of which force the reader to get into the habit of perceiving things "as-is", such as "vase-faces" and upside-down drawing, and well-established concepts like negative space are also discussed. This is where the book shines.

Good for both beginner to intermediate artists, the overall theories, instructions and exercises make it worthwhile... if you don't mind sifting through the junk, that is.