{"id":33811,"date":"2015-07-13T08:24:33","date_gmt":"2015-07-13T16:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=33811"},"modified":"2015-07-15T08:00:48","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T16:00:48","slug":"5-creativity-books-everyone-needs-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-creativity-books-everyone-needs-read\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Creativity Books Everyone Needs To Read"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Personally, I\u2019ve always thought \u201ccreativity\u201d was sort of an elusive term. I always thought that creative peeps \u2014 like Pablo Picasso for instance \u2014 were blessed with some sort of magical inborn talent that most of us just don\u2019t get to have. And this is how I\u2019d rationalize why people like Picasso were so much more creative than I was.<\/p>\n

But as it turns out, I was dead wrong\u2026 sort of.<\/p>\n

Most people think Picasso just sat down in front of the canvas and effortlessly produced masterpieces all day long. But the truth is, that\u2019s not how things went down. The way Picasso actually painted was much more in-depth. He\u2019d sit down and start at the corner of the canvas with one single stroke of the brush. Then he\u2019d expand from there; allowing the brush to let him transfer whatever he was envisioning onto the canvas. Sometimes he\u2019d decide to let an idea take his painting elsewhere. Other times he\u2019d end up painting something totally different than what he envisioned initially. Other times, he\u2019d start the whole damn thing over again. But almost every single time, he\u2019d end up with something beautiful.<\/p>\n

How\u2019d he create so many masterpieces? Was he talented? Hell yeah. Was he \u201cborn with it\u201d? Maybe. But people are born with all sorts of talents that they neglect to cultivate<\/a>. And that\u2019s the key: cultivation.<\/p>\n

Picasso cultivated his talent into mastery. He was dedicated to his craft. In other words, he did it often enough to recognize that if he went off the beaten path halfway through a painting, he could take a different route and still end up with a beautiful piece of art.<\/p>\n

Bottom line? Creativity is NOT magical or mysterious. Creativity is like a muscle. And these 5 books will show you how to build that muscle up<\/a> so that you can maximize your own creative potential \u2014 both personally and professionally.<\/p>\n

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1. \u201cThe War of Art<\/a>\u201d by Steven Pressfield<\/h2>\n

<\/a>\"creativity<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe War of Art\u201d<\/a>\u00a0will teach you how to break through the blocks that every creative runs into from time to time \u2014 fear of failure; being your own worst critic; lack of self-confidence. Pressfield also talks about overcoming procrastination and the energy that comes from working on the things you deem to be your true calling. You can listen to my personal take on the book\u00a0right here<\/a>, or you can\u00a0pick up a copy for yourself here<\/a><\/p>\n

2. \u201cFlow<\/a>\u201d by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi<\/h2>\n

\"creativity<\/a><\/p>\n

Ever experience that feeling where you totally lose track of time, you feel absolutely unstoppable, and excellent work just seems to stream out of you effortlessly? That\u2019s called a \u201cflow-state.\u201d And in this book, you\u2019ll learn how to bring it about within your own work.\u00a0Get the book here<\/a><\/p>\n

3. \u201cLateral Thinking<\/a>\u201d by Edward de Bono<\/h2>\n

\"creativity<\/a><\/p>\n

For most folks, the concept of creativity is sort of like hitting the lottery \u2014 fat chance it\u2019ll happen today \u2014 but maybe next time. In \u201cLateral Thinking\u201d, author Edward de Bono shows us how to align our thinking in a way that actually helps us become more creative. While everyone else is trying to dig the same hole in the same place, this book shows you how to dig a new hole somewhere different.\u00a0Get the book here<\/a><\/p>\n

4. \u201cCreativity<\/a>\u201d by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi<\/h2>\n

\"creativity<\/a><\/p>\n

In\u00a0\u201cCreativity\u201d<\/a>, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of \u201cFlow\u201d (see above) comes back to school us on how to leverage flow-states to take our creativity to another level. In the book, he discusses what he learned after interviewing 91 creative professionals from a wide array of professional endeavors \u2014 from astronauts, to writers, to philosophers, and everyone in between. Here\u2019s a few big ideas from the book: creative people have an endless thirst to constantly keep learning about their subject of interest, they never get sick of practicing the fundamentals, and they know how to connect seemingly unrelated ideas together to create something totally new.\u00a0Get the book here<\/a><\/p>\n

5. \u201cSteal Like an Artist<\/a>\u201d by Austin Kleon<\/h2>\n

\"creativity<\/a><\/p>\n

This is a book about permission. Permission to stop hiding behind your own shadow. Permission to start creating something that actually matters. Permission to stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before you and take advantage of their great ideas. The idea isn\u2019t to \u201csteal\u201d other people\u2019s work. So don\u2019t do that. Stealing is bad. Just take bits and pieces from other people\u2019s work and make something of your own out of that. If you use someone else\u2019s stuff to make something of your own, then let them know about it. It\u2019s usually (but not always) flattering.\u00a0Get the book here<\/a><\/p>\n

Jump-start your creativity<\/h2>\n

Now that you\u2019ve got this list of creativity books \u2014 there\u2019s only one question left\u2026 Which one do you read first? Should you go out and get all of them immediately?\u00a0Should you read them all at once?\u00a0Or should you take a lifetime to read them? So many options. So little time. Ultimately, it\u2019s totally your decision what you do with this list and how you apply it to your life and career. But if I may, here\u2019s what I would suggest you consider as you get started:<\/p>\n