1 comments about Fanning the Creative Spirit.

1. Maria and Charlie Girsch, toy-makers both, have put out a book on creativity entitled "Fanning the Creative Spirit: Two Toy Inventors Simplify Creativity." This book is for pretty much anyone who wants to fan the flames of their own creativity, whether at work or at home, with respect to any chore, job, hobby--or nothing at all.
   
   This is a comparatively small book, with large margins, plenty of hand-drawn pictures and doodles, stand-out quotes, and so on. If you're looking for something particularly meaty this might not be your best choice, but if you want something non-threatening that won't make you feel weighed down at the thought of reading it, it could be perfect.
   
   The book includes a wide variety of exercises and tools of all types to help you better access your creativity. Some are more generally designed to increase your creativity or help you see the world in new ways; others are specifically aimed at helping you to tackle projects or problems.
   
   The book is a bit on the silly side. This kind of creativity book is perfect for some people because it helps them to loosen up emotionally, which in turn helps them to loosen up creatively. It puts other people off, however. So again, whether this is a pro or a con highly depends on you.
   
   On the other hand, it also has something of the feel of a corporate training program. This is a little harder to explain, but I'll do my best. I think it's because of the acronyms and structured tools and exercises oriented toward teams of co-workers. This gives the book a feeling not unlike being at a work-sponsored seminar, which feels a bit odd to me. But again, this will work fine for some people and not for others.
   
   Whether you'd find this particular creativity book useful and helpful is, I think, highly dependent on your personality. Some people will find the corporate seminar-like structure to be a turn-off; others will roll their eyes at the silliness. However, if those don't bother you, I think there's plenty here that will be of value to you. The exercises are handy and fun. The childlike attitude should encourage a loosening of the thought processes. The tools are simple, clear, useful, and well-defined. The quotes are well-chosen, and the tone is encouraging and helpful.

4 comments about The I Ching for Writers: Finding the Page Inside You.

1. Plenty of spiritual guides have been written on the subject of the I Ching; but none with the specialized focus of Sarah Jane Sloane's The I Ching For Writers: Finding The Page Inside You, which tells how to apply I Ching concepts to writer's block and inspirational paths. Each of the I Ching's sixty-four hexagrams is interpreted by Sloane from years of study of over fifty translations, and synthesized into comments pertaining to writer's struggles with words. The I Ching For Writers: Finding The Page Inside You evolves into a delightful, inspirational cure for writer's block under Sloane's careful applications and analysis.



2. I've got or read probably a dozen books on writer's block. Some are useful, some aren't. It looked like fun, but there's a few problems with this one. For one thing, it takes a bit of time.
   
   1. Cast 3 pennies.
   2. Record the combination of heads and tails as "broken" or "unbroken" lines, including "floating" lines.
   3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 six more times.
   4. Assign numeric values to each line (6, 7, 8, or 9) depending on the type of line it is: floating yin, unbroken, broken, or floating yang.
   5. Match up the upper 3 lines and lower 3 lines to a chart in the back, and where the two sets intersect is the number of the hexagram. (Those floating lines aren't accounted for here, so I assume those are treated as unbroken lines. She never really says.)
   6. Look up the hexagram.
   
   As if this isn't complex enough, it now gets trickier. After all that effort, the hexagram may not even apply.
   
   For example, for Hexagram 64, my fourth line is a 6. But the book only describes what it means if it's a 7, 8, or 9. So how do I interpret that? Further, Hexagram 64 is all about completion and celebrating being near the end of your work-in-progress (because this is the last hexagram in the group). Except I'm not near the end or completion. I'm nearer the beginning, so this isn't helping at all.
   
   This book may be fine for some people. It just wasn't for me.



3. Sarah Sloane's *I Ching for Writers* is a real treat! The advice Sloane offers is informed by proven writing pedagogy (theory on the teaching of writing), and the discussion is clear, practical and accessible. Maybe most important, the author has a terrific sense of humor!
   
   I loved the writing exercises so much that I assigned the text in a college course for advanced writers. My students had great fun throwing the pennies and with the wonderfully creative writing prompts.
   
   Highly recommended!



4. To cast the I Ching, you throw three pennies six times to arrive at one of 64 hexagrams. For each hexagram, Sloane offers an essay with writing advice, suggested writing exercises, and a prediction of how your writing will proceed. You need to read the instructions for finding the right hexagram carefully; if you don't, you might become confused as a previous reviewer was.
   
   This is a fun way to introduce serendipity into your writing. Sloane's advice is both practical and inspiring. I particularly enjoyed her essays "Overseeing the True Way" and "Acknowledge a Great Vision That You Already Possess."
   
   Of course sometimes the hexagrams you cast may not be what you want to read about. You might find the selected essay either inapplicable or downright unpleasant. But part of the charm of the I Ching experience is in considering how the hexagram might apply, and seeing how you can learn from taking a new perspective.
   
   I checked this out from the library but I'll be buying a copy as it's a fun resource for those times when my writing needs an injection of insight. A friend of mind also recommends The Observation Deck: A Tool Kit for Writers (Past & Present), as a way of introducing randomness into the writing process.

No comments about Upgrade Your Brain (52 Brilliant Ideas): Boost Your Memory, Think More Clearly, and Discover Your Inner Einstein (52 BRILLIANT IDEAS).

1 comments about First Thought Best Thought.

1. I've been having an ongoing flirtation with the "Beat Generation" this year, having read Diane Di Prima, Anne Waldman, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, among others. When I stumbled across this set of audio CD's, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. To hear these giants of their generation reading their own works was a dream come true.
   
   The title "First Thought, Best Thought" was the phrase that poet Allen Ginsberg used to describe spontaneous and fearless writing--a way of "telling the truth" that arises from naked and authentic experience.
   
   Here's the gist of the CD's:
   
   *William S. Burroughs teaching his breakthrough methods for generating fresh writing--including "the cut-up method," chance operations, and dreamwork.
   
   
   *Diane di Prima on how to survive as an artist: preserving your sensibility, creating a supportive artistic community, getting published, self-publishing, and much more.
   
   
   *Allen Ginsberg exploring every stage of poetic activity--from inspiration, to composition, to revision, to performing your poetry in public.
   
   
   *Anne Waldman on the elements of the poet's craft--from the raw material of the words themselves to the many aspects of the poem in performance.
   
   I must say that my own writing practice (after listening to these CD's a few times) has been profoundly enriched for the better. I've decided to publish my own poetry and I'm experimenting with the cut-up method suggested by Burroughs. It's a blast and funny has hell at times.
   
   If you need a giant dose of inspiration and/or encouragement for your writing, then by all means, BUY THIS COLLECTION!
   
   Of course, the Universe being a giant cross-reference, these authors led me to other great books: "Women of the Beat Generation" by Brenda Knight was an eye-opening read about the women of that generation.
   
   Here's a blurb from that book: "In many ways, women of the Beat were cut from the same cloth as the men: fearless, angry, high risk, too smart, restless, highly irregular. They took chances, make mistakes, made poetry, made love, made history. Women of the Beat weren't afraid to get dirty. They were compassionate, careless, charismatic, marching to a different drummer, out of step. Muses who birthed a poetry so raw and new and full of power that it changed the world. Writers whose words weave spells, whose stories bind, whose vision blinds. Artists for whom curing the disease of art kills."
   
   I'd also recommend, "Fast Speaking Woman" by Anne Waldman and "Memoirs of a Beatnik" by Diane Di Prima. Ms. Waldman got her inspiration for the title poem from the Shaman, Maria Sabina. So, you MUST read about Maria Sabina in this amazing book, "Maria Sabina: Her Life and Chants" by Alvaro Estrada. Here's a taste of one of her chants:
   
   Because I can swim in the immense
   Because I can swim in all forms
   Because I am the launch woman
   Because I am the sacred opposum
   Because I am the Lord opposum
   
   I am the woman Book that is beneath the water, says
   I am the woman of the populous town, says
   I am the shepherdess who is beneath the water, says
   I am the woman who shepherds the immense, says
   I am a shepherdess and I come with my shepherd, says
   
   Because everything has its origin
   And I come going from place to place from the origin . . .
   
   (Alvaro Estrada, "Maria Sabina: her Life and Chants")

5 comments about Drawing on the right side of the brain.

1. 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.



2. An amazing book. Note that it has been updated so there is an updated version too. This book is the perfect complement to my new book The Vision Board: The Secret to an Extraordinary Lifebecause new scientific studies show that by using both sides of your brain left and right you can get into teh flow much easier. THE VISION BOARD delves into the opportunity to use both right and left brain and if you need a little right brain exercise this is the place to start after you read THE VISION BOARD 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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

5 comments about The Lost Soul Companion: A Book of Comfort and Constructive Advice for Black Sheep, Square Pegs, Struggling Artists, and Other Free Spirits (Dell Book).

1. I stumbled across this great little book and loved every minute of reading it! For anyone struggling to live their life more creatively, be it music, art,writing, etc, this book is for you. It can be difficult to get where you want to be in these fields, but there is hope and helpful suggestions here!



2. Somehow I never can get enough of little books by artists who have managed to find their niche in the world while relating to all of us who still struggle. Like SARK, Susan has obviously opened up her heart for us to see that we are not alone and that the world is only as good or bad as we make it for ourselves.

   Thanks, Susan, for inspiring other stuck artists and for sharing your stories.




3. I bought this book because the title really appealed to me. I am a square peg, free spirit, struggling artist, all of the above, but I am and never have been suicidal.

   What I thought would be a funny, uplifiting book, turned out to be a survival guide for those considering suicide.

   I am sure that this book is helpful to many people who do feel lost and feel there is no other way out, but not all free spirits feel so helpless. We could use some guidance and humor but not a list of "100 things to do instead of committing suicide."




4. I am both weary and wary of warm-fuzzy, pet-your-inner-artist books. Only rarely do I feel like a "lost soul." However, I found The Lost Soul Companion to be quite refreshing! Kudos to Brackney for offering practical advice and sharing her own experiences so matter-of-factly. I recommend reading this book if only to be reminded that there are others in the world like yourself, and that they are doing Just Fine.



5. I had expected this book to have a little more advice about succeeding as a 'square peg'/struggling artist, rather than just surviving... and hadn't quite expected so much information on "Why you shouldn't kill yourself" or "Why anti-depressants are OK".
   
   As a previous reviewer noted, a struggling artist isn't necessarily suicidal. Perhaps the flaw with the book is the inclusion of too many 'types' of people in the title. Indeed, the advice you'd give to a 'black sheep' would not really be the same as the advice you'd offer to an artist who hasn't 'made it' yet. The author ends up talking a lot about general hopelessness, when it isn't all that relevant to many of the people she's addressing; particularly 'free spirits' who, by the sounds of them, are possibly quite carefree and, well, free-spirited.
   
   I suppose the word "comfort" in the title is a major hint towards all of this, but I felt it was all a bit extreme. I will give credit to the author for having an accessible, warm style of writing though. It keeps the book fairly likeable.

4 comments about The Writer's I Ching: Wisdom for the Creative Life.

1. As the author, Jessica Morrell states, "Writing is discovery." The Writer's I Ching is a guide that helps writer's creatively engage with the synchronicity of the universe, often helping push through writer's block to discovery.
   Great minds have consulted the ancient wisdom of the I Ching for thousands of years. From Chinese emperors to Carl Jung, many have sought answers from its teachings and have been enlightened by what they found. Ms. Morrell has put it all together in an easy to use format so we mere mortals can do the same.
   Many have found the I Ching confusing or difficult to use and understand. I didn't get it the first time through, but as I use it I gain clarity and often garner insights I feel I would not have reached without guidance. If I'm stuck on a story point or character issue, I can pull out a card and read what the I Ching has to offer. It's like having a story psychic in my pocket for when I seek advice.
   The cards are beautifully designed and the format of the book is reader friendly. Ms. Morrell's experience and writing clarity adds depth to the material. Her writing style is enjoyable and aids in digesting what could be obscure material.
   The Writer's I Ching is a nice addition to my writing library.



2. I note that Jessica Morrell's Writer's I-Ching is available on Kindle as an e-book; it's going to be a big surprise when the avid e-reader realizes the yummy part of this book is the complete set of I-Ching cards in the back that you tear out and assemble into a very satisfying little deck of your own. Once you have the deck in hand, the book becomes useful.
   
   Stuck on a scene in your novel? Shuffle the deck, draw a card and look up the wisdom of the ages PLUS exactly the right writing prompt you need to kick your scene up a notch.
   
   If you're a creative writing teacher like me, you'll have fun taking the deck into class and asking students to each draw a card and write to the image they see on the card. Only after they have written their first freewrite do I let the book loose to wander around the room, so students can look up their card and access another level of idea and a new writing prompt.
   
   This is a super useful and intriguing deck for anyone who enjoys adding intuitive sparks of insight into their writing life.
   
   You don't have to believe in sortilege to want one of these decks: BAD!
   
   One word: GOTTAHAVEIT!



3. The Writer's I Ching is a book for writers that offers a way to break free of narrow thinking and reconnect writing to a larger symbolic universe. The book includes 64 brightly colored cards that must be torn free from the binding to form the reader's own deck. Each card represents one of the traditional hexagrams of the I Ching. Most of the book consists of Morrell's descriptions of each hexagram and her mapping of symbolism into elements of the writer's process, creating 64 metaphoric episodes that can be drawn out at random and considered for their meaning in the writer's current situation.
   
   Morrell presents a very brief history of the I Ching and its Taoist underpinnings, but this is not her focus. In fact, this introductory material appears hastily assembled and rife with editorial errors. (For example, directional attributes and yin/yang associations are inconsistent between tables and text.) This annoys, but does not detract, since the I Ching serves more as a jumping off point than a destination.
   
   Morrell's focus is on what the I Ching offers the writer: counsel, peace of mind, and confidence. It "focuses and nudges" our understanding, reinforces the intuitive voice within, and reassures that the challenges we face are part of a larger set of universal patterns of change. Morrell warns that the I Ching is not "a quick fix or a substitute for your own common sense," but the I Ching is "invaluable for helping you see deep into the present moment and understand the attributes of this time." This is an exercise in pattern finding and metaphoric thinking.
   
   Morrell's book is no substitute for a more comprehensive book about the craft of writing, but in the midst of the writing (or living) process, it does provide the sudden change of perspective that illuminates new patterns and breaks one free of narrow thinking. Ironically, pulling a card at random reconnects one to a larger non-random whole.



4. The I-Ching for Writers by Sarah Jane Sloane (written two years earlier, in 2005) is much better!

3 comments about Understanding Those Who Create.

1. I had heard Dr. Piirto speak at conferences, and was delighted to get this second edition of her book. I was even more pleased to see that it had won the Parent's Guide Award. I often had wondered about tests for creativity, and whether our schools really nurtured it. This book is provocative in those areas, as well as regarding how creative adults in different occupational areas differ in personality and family background experiences. An excellent and fascinating book!



2. Dr. Piirto's book is fascinating. If you are an artist or a business person, this book is for you. Understand yourself and those you love. Find out why writers suffer from bipolar disorder and alcoholism. Discover the personality that propels Bill Gates and other business dynamos. Figure out where you fit in and why you do what you do.



3. Understanding Those Who Create by Jane Piirto. Dayton, OH: Ohio Psychology Press, 1992.
   This is an excellent book for those who are interested in, yet new to the field of creativity. The author starts out by dealing with definitions and assessments of creativity and then goes on to present research about the characteristics of creative individuals within various fields such as visual artists, creative writers, creative scientists, mathematicians, musicians, and composers. This book is recommended for educators and parents.

2 comments about Witch's Brew: Good Spells for Creativity (Witch's Brew Good Spell).

1. Wonderful little bag of tricks for the aspiring artist, musician, writer, or more. The spells are very effective in clearing out blocks, summoning the muse or a creative partner, or motivation for that deadline. It also dispenses advice on creating a "creative coven" and sharing energy, support, and ideas. This is a good idea, anyway, as creative people tend to march to the sound of their own accordian. Whether you practice Wicca or not, this is a good little helper to check into and try.



2. the reasion I wanted to say so is that creativity is a hard to find spell intention. not like love or revenge or protection.
   I own all of the books in this serise and the other one I would recomend for the same reasion is the one on freands. some of her spells in her books are hard to do because they requeire you to spend money on magical ingrediants like oils and herbs. but the spells are not as exspencive as some others in other books I'v found and some are easly done with avalible materials.
   I wish she would write a spell book for students because I'v found it hard to find spells with that intention. everything in the other review is true . I just wanted to add my two cents

2 comments about Transformers: The Artists of Self-Creation.

1. All I was looking for was how to turn from my humam form into a semi-truck or maybe even a gun or something, but nothing....not even a mention of the Matrix..



2. Definitely disagree with Chris Bradshaw's review of the book and wondering what planet he is from?!