{"id":51681,"date":"2017-08-27T19:55:13","date_gmt":"2017-08-28T03:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=51681"},"modified":"2017-10-02T07:29:09","modified_gmt":"2017-10-02T15:29:09","slug":"10-books-on-increasing-your-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-books-on-increasing-your-creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Books on Increasing Your Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Increasing your creativity\u2014or developing any sense of creativity in the first place\u2014seems to be hardest when you need it most. Personally, I\u2019d always thought \u201ccreativity\u201d was sort of elusive. I thought\u00a0creative people, like Pablo Picasso, for instance, were blessed with some sort of magical, innate talent that most of us just don\u2019t have.\u00a0And this is how I\u2019d rationalize why people like Picasso were so much more creative than I was. But, as it turns out, I was dead wrong (kind of.)<\/p>\n

You see, most people think Picasso just sat down in front of a canvas and effortlessly cranked out masterpiece after masterpiece all day long, but that\u2019s not how things went down at all. 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.<\/p>\n

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 initially envisioned. A\u00a0few times, he\u2019d start the whole damn thing over again. But, almost every single time, he\u2019d end up with something beautiful. How did he create so many million-dollar masterpieces? Was he talented? Heck yeah. Was he \u201cborn with it\u201d? Maybe, but people are born with all sorts of talents they neglect to nurture and refine.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the key: cultivation. Picasso cultivated his talent into mastery<\/a>. 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 piece of art.<\/p>\n

Bottom line? Creativity is neither magical nor mysterious. Creativity is like a muscle. And if you need help increasing your creativity, then these ten books will show you how to build that muscle up so you can maximize your own creative potential\u2014both personally and professionally. I\u2019ve also listed my own key take-aways from some of these books, as well as my favorite quotes on creativity from each. Hope you enjoy it!<\/p>\n

Prefer audio? Listen to the podcast version of this article here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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

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\u201cCreative work is\u00a0\u2026\u00a0a gift to the world and every being in it. Don\u2019t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you\u2019ve got.\u201d\u2014Steven Pressfield<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe War of Art\u201d<\/a> will teach you how to break through the blocks every creative runs into from time to time. It certainly did the trick for me. Reading it almost feels like getting a solid kick in the rear from your very wise, very experienced, grandpa. Creatives have to work through the fear of failure, being their own worst critics and a 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.<\/p>\n

2.<\/a>\u00a0\u201cFlow<\/a>\u201d<\/a><\/strong> by<\/a> M<\/a>ihaly<\/a> Csikszentmi<\/a>halyi<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"flow\"<\/p>\n

\u201cHappiness is not something that happens. It is not the result of good fortune or random chance. It is not something that money can buy or power command. It does not depend on outside events, but, rather, on how we interpret them. Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come.\u201d \u2014Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(Take another look at the above quote and notice how applicable it is when you replace the word \u201chappiness\u201d with the phrase \u201cincreasing your creativity.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Ever experience that feeling where you totally lose track of time, you feel absolutely unstoppable and your excellent work just seems to effortlessly stream out of you? That\u2019s called a \u201cflow-state.\u201d And in\u00a0this book, you\u2019ll learn how to bring it about within your own work.<\/p>\n

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

\"lateral-thinking\"<\/p>\n

\u201cLateral thinking is like the reverse gear in a car. One would never try to drive along in reverse gear the whole time. On the other hand one needs to have it and to know how to use it for maneuverability and to get out of a blind alley.\u201d\u2014Edward de Bono<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For some people, the concept of increasing your creativity is sort of like hitting the lottery: There\u2019s a fat chance it\u2019ll happen today, but maybe next time. In \u201cLateral Thinking<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0author 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.<\/p>\n

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

\"steal-like-an-artist-51fIZsUhrpL._AC_US218_\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.\u201d\u2014Austin Kleon<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is a book about permission. It\u2019s about the permission to stop hiding behind your own shadow, the permission to start creating something that actually matters and the permission to stand on the shoulders of giants who 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 people\u2019s stuff to make something of your own, then let them know about it. It\u2019s usually (but not always) flattering.<\/p>\n

5. \u201cThe<\/span>\u00a0Creative Habit\u201d by Twyla Tharp<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"the-creative-habit-51U-BkmvXWL._SX375_BO1,204,203,200_\"<\/p>\n

\u201dIf art is the bridge between what you see in your mind and what the world sees, then skill is how you build that bridge.\u201d \u2014Twyla Tharp<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Twyla Tharp is one of the world\u2019s greatest choreographers. In \u201cThe Creative Habit<\/a>,\u201d she tells us that creativity is exactly\u00a0that<\/em>\u2014a\u00a0habit<\/em>\u2026If we want to go from creating ordinary work to creating\u00a0extraordinary<\/em>\u00a0work, then we need to develop the habits that\u2019ll help us make that a reality.<\/p>\n

6. \u201cThe Talent Code\u201d by Daniel Coyle<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"the_talent_code_51X37zKAfVL._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_\"<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery human skill, whether it\u2019s playing baseball or playing Bach, is created by chains of nerve fibers carrying a tiny electrical impulse\u2014 basically, a signal traveling through a circuit. Myelin\u2019s vital role is to wrap those nerve fibers the same way that rubber insulation wraps a copper wire, making the signal stronger and faster by preventing the electrical impulses from leaking out. When we fire our circuits in the right way\u2014 when we practice swinging that bat or playing that note\u2014 our myelin responds by wrapping layers of insulation around that neural circuit, each new layer adding a bit more skill and speed. The thicker the myelin gets, the better it insulates, and the faster and more accurate our movements and thoughts become.\u201d\u2014Daniel Coyle<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In \u201cThe Talent Code<\/a>,\u201d Daniel Coyle, a journalist and reporter, brings us a scientific approach to creativity. In the book, Coyle tells us about a neural insulator called \u201cmyelin,\u201d which some neurologists consider to be the key to acquiring skills of every kind\u2026 And of course, if you want to level-up your creative output, you\u2019ve gotta level-up your skills. Bottom line? More myelin = creative excellence\u2026 Creative excellence in sports. In business. In art. In everything. And if you want to achieve creative excellence, too, then you\u2019ve got to be growing myelin on a regular basis. The best way to do it? 10X the amount of practice you put into becoming the best at what you do. If you\u2019re in sales, call 10X the amount of people you normally do, and you\u2019ll naturally get better and more creative as a result. If you\u2019re a writer, 10X the amount of words you write per day and you\u2019ll naturally get better and more creative as a result. Set goals that are\u00a0just<\/em>\u00a0beyond your reach so that you\u2019ve got no choice to level-up your skills in order to achieve them. That\u2019s how you build more myelin.<\/p>\n

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

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

\u201cCreativity is a central source of meaning in our lives for several reasons\u2026 First, most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity. We share 98 percent of our genetic makeup with chimpanzees\u2026 Without creativity, it would be difficult indeed to distinguish humans from apes.\u201d\u2014Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In \u201cCreativity<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi schools us on how to leverage flow-states to increase our creativity. In the book, he discusses what he learned after interviewing 91 creative professionals from a wide array of professional endeavors, from astronauts to writers, philosophers and everyone in-between. Here are a few big ideas from the book: Creative people have a thirst to constantly continue learning about their subjects 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.<\/p>\n

8. \u201cDaily Rituals\u201d by Mason Currey<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"daily_rituals_517lOS+zzmL._SX335_BO1,204,203,200_\"<\/p>\n

\u201cInspiration is for amateurs .\u2026 The rest of us just show up and get to work.\u201d\u2014from \u201cDaily Rituals\u201d by Mason Currey<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this creativity book, the author profiles 250 of the most creative people of modern history. Freud. Orwell. Benjamin Franklin. Maya Angelou. Ayn Rand. All these people had creative habits that helped them gain their notoriety. And in this book, Mason Currey details those elements of their daily lives, from when they wake, to how they work, to the foods they eat. Everything\u2019s covered. This is an awesome coffee table book. Pick it up whenever you need some of the world\u2019s greatest thinkers to inspire you towards increasing your creativity.<\/p>\n

9. \u201cCreativity, Inc.\u201d By Ed Catmull<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"creativity-inc\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t enough merely to be open to ideas from others. Engaging the collective brainpower of the people you work with is an active, ongoing process. As a manager, you must coax ideas out of your staff and constantly push them to contribute.\u201d\u2014Ed Catmull<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This book is about the intersection of where creativity meets commerce. It was written by the co-founder of Pixar, Ed Catmull. The key creativity take-away I walked away with after reading this book was about igniting higher levels of creativity within an organization. I learned that I could inspire my employees to become more creative by fostering an\u00a0environment<\/em>\u00a0that was actually conducive to creativity.<\/p>\n

10. \u201cThe Originals\u201d by Adam Grant<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"originals_519x-323TLL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_\"<\/p>\n

\u201cOur companies, communities, and countries don\u2019t necessarily suffer from a shortage of novel ideas. They\u2019re constrained by a shortage of people who excel at choosing the right novel ideas.\u201d\u2014Adam Grant<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The actionable insight from this book for me was this: increasing your creativity requires increasing your output. Regardless of what type of work you do, the key to creative genius lays in creating constantly and consistently and in very high quantity. It\u2019s all about volume\u2013those who create the most work increase the odds of creating the best work. Maya Angelou wrote 165 poems, Picasso created over 5,800 works, and 12,000 drawings. Einstein wrote 248 publications. Bottom line? High output \u2014> high creativity.<\/p>\n

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Time to start increasing your creativity.<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Now that you\u2019ve got this list of the 10 best books on increasing your creativity \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