Starting a business, following your dream, doing things you love for a living and not feeling like you work – these are everyone’s goals, but no one really gets there. People never associate work with pleasure, yet moving in the right direction could ensure a prolific working environment to love. It feels impossible for a lot of people – something that is limited to genius entrepreneurs only.
You look at things and they look simple, then you ask yourself – how come I ignored that? Maybe you are not creative enough or maybe your imagination is not stimulated. The point is, you do not have to be a genius to be creative. Some people are born with it, while others have to train it. If you are in the second category, here are some of the best books on creativity to help in your career and personal life.
Your Next Big Idea, by Samuel Sanders
A little practice and consistency will go a long way when trying to boost creativity. This book will show you how some of the most successful people come up with great ideas by analyzing the world around them, but also how to recognize hints, clues and details while trying to find a good idea. There are a bunch of exercises to stimulate your mind and ensure ideas come naturally, without even trying too hard.
Creativity is often harmed by classic stigmas and overcoming them is the way to go forward. At the same time, you will learn how to brainstorm accordingly and produce one idea after another. Whether it comes to ideas in business or your personal life, sharing solutions is one of the keys, but doing it by the book is a completely different thing. At the same time, the feasibility of your ideas is worth some attention too.
While creativity and great ideas will help anytime, anywhere, they are most commonly used for business purposes. It makes no difference if you aim for a small business or you are an aspiring entrepreneur. This book will help you find ideas to push your business forward based on training from industry leaders. As for your personal life, learn how to tackle problems in the most effective manner.
Steal Like An Artist, by Austin Kleon
Austin Kleon makes it pretty obvious in the beginning of the book – you do not have to be a genius to be creative. Anyone can be creative with a bit of work and the right mindset. The goal is to be yourself. Being fake or going for one idea or another without feeling a passion for it will not take you anywhere – it might be a good idea, but you also need the right vibe in order to come up with successful results.
Austin Kleon knows that anyone can be creative, regardless of the situation. Most people do not know how to do it, yet they are creative deep down inside. The title does not teach people to steal and modify ideas, but to find inspiration in others and adapt based on your own passions and hobbies. From many points of view, this is a manifesto for the digital age, which the world goes through at the moment.
There are lots of positive messages to help you change your mindset, excellent illustrations and numerous exercises to train your brain – just like any other virtue, creativity is well trainable. Chances are you will start exploring your artistic side before you even finish the book. It is, indeed, an innovative message that can help you push your imagination further.
Creative Confidence, by David M. Kelley and Tom Kelley
Whether you feel dull, boring or you simply never have good ideas, chances are this book will give you a hand. While many of the techniques recommended by David M. Kelley and Tom Kelley can be applied in your personal life too, the truth is this is one of the best books for starting a small business if you have no clue how to find that great idea to push yourself to another level.
Quite often, professionals and companies assume that creativity is a type. Some people are creative, while others are not. The truth is creativity can be taught and trained. Deep down inside, everyone is creative. However, most people have no idea how to find this aspect in their lives. The book brings in some great stories and examples from the authors’ business profiles.
Based on personal experience, the authors have identified the principles of creativity, as well as strategies and techniques to help people discover their creative potential. The book will show you different ways to approach problems and find solutions. Learn how to be more successful by increasing productivity through creativity.
The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron
Julia Cameron’s masterpiece is a bestseller that has sold in millions of copies. Initially, this book comes out as a collection of ideas, tips and tricks to boost your creativity. The author has interviewed numerous authors and artists regarding where they get their ideas and creativity from – all these thoughts have been published in an impressive collection, initially designed at aspiring artists.
Initially, the book was rejected by literary agencies, so the author printed a copy and sold xerox copies. Its title was changed and it was finally published in 1992. It became a bestseller overnight and one of the top rated self-help books in the world. About three decades later, the book is still actual – in fact, it is probably even more vital today, in a world struggling with a lack of creativity.
The book was obviously updated a little since the original release. Furthermore, it has been expanded, as the author has revealed new ways to boost one’s creativity. Bottom line, it can help anyone, anytime, anywhere. It is a book that will help you in your personal life, but it is also one of the top rated books on creativity at work and in the business life.
Show Your Work!, by Austin Kleon
Show Your Work! is a bestseller showing people how to unlock the inner potential by working on their creativity. This is not the first book in Austin Kleon’s portfolio. Initially, he taught people how to steal thoughts and ideas floating in the air. In this book, he shows people who stole ideas how to actually become famous and make some money out of them – a book for businesspeople, with accents in the personal life.
Show Your Work! reveals some interesting secrets about creativity. It shows how important it is to use networks and gain connections – rather than network yourself. It may sound like a marketing release, but it is not really about promotion. Instead, it is about rediscovering yourself and letting others join the fun. It has examples, rules, quotes and stories to teach people what to do with their creativity.
Each chapter is self-explanatory in this detailed user manual. Share small things on a daily basis and become famous. Stick around and show people that you are there. Take advantage of your creativity to come up with new, funny or perhaps dumb ideas. There are, of course, a few marketing ideas as well, but overall, the book will teach you how to make your creativity famous.
The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp may not ring too many bells for some people, but she is certainly a personality in a few industries. With links to Broadway shows and choreography industry leaders, she shares some of her best kept secrets to boost creativity and hone personal skills. The book is inspirational from some points of view, but also practical – a well detailed guide with specific and direct techniques.
The secret to creativity? Make it a habit. Make creativity part of your life and everything will change to 180 degrees. It is one of the best books for starting a small business, as well as one of the best books to become a better friend, a nicer person and a leader. It will help you both professionally and practically, whether you are a businessperson, a musician or a painter.
There are numerous exercises with a practical approach – everything based on the author’s personal experience to become more creative. Find the spine of your career and adjust it in a beautiful way, but also get as much as possible from your productivity. Scratch some new ideas, come up with great ways to solve problems and you will discover endless works of possibilities.
Imagine: How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer
This book reveals some of the most unusual (and most efficient) ideas to boost creativity. Some people have found secrets to creativity that may look unusual and dumb at first, but they were proven to change everything. For example, some companies have centralized bathrooms. Some others have given brainstorming up, while the blue color is now a common option to boost creativity.
While lots of people are focused on old fashioned ideas and techniques, the truth is there is new evidence on creativity and this modern approach can make the difference in the long run. The author shows that creativity is not a gift. Some people are not just more creative than others. They simply have better training and more experience, so they can take better advantage of this skill.
The author also shows why children are naturally more creative than adults and encourages the reader to think like a child. Daydreaming is alright, as long as it is done productively. You will learn about habits, techniques and ideas to boost this skill and enhance the inventiveness of the human nature – everything can be trained, but it requires consistency and a positive approach.
Daily Rituals, by Mason Currey
Discover the secrets of some of the world’s most creative minds. This is one of the best books on creativity if you want to boost this skill from multiple directions. For example, Franz Kafka realized that life is short and his possibilities are limited. His room was noisy, while the office was terrible. He has found ways to wiggle through by using his creativity.
This book analyzes the approach used by over 160 inspiring minds in history – from scientists to poets. They have discovered how to overcome small daily obstacles in order to succeed, but they have also found new rituals to get the job done – and do things they love. Some of these techniques include waking up early. Some others are about drinking, donuts, coffee or long walks.
Not everything in this book might work for you, but you can try this and that to find your way around daily obstacles – learn from people like Benjamin Franklin, Charles Darwin, Igor Stravinsky or John Updike.
Creativity, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
This book makes a link between creativity and a happy life. It is about the small things in life that can make life beautiful and most of them can be achieved with a good dose of creativity. The creative excitement is given by the amount of creativity in one’s life.
The professor behind this book has based it on interviews with some of the most creative people in the world, from Jonas Salk and Ed Asner to Robertson Davies and Eugene McCarthy. Each of them describes the effect of creativity in their lives.
The author analyzes the factors that cause the so called optimal experience – when both enjoyment and concentration are maximum. Learn how to find yours with a few simple techniques and your creativity will skyrocket.
In the end, these are some of the best books on creativity to explore this skill. Whether you feel dull in your personal life or you need a more efficient approach in work, any of these books will open your mind and push your productivity through the roof. Whether you want to discover new techniques to unveil productivity or you try to find the perfect experience to be creative, these books will show you the way.