4 comments about Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life into Story.

1. Barbara Abercrombie's book is a storehouse of information and inspiration. If you aspire to be a writer, this is the book for you. And if you already claim to be one, well, this book will inspire and encourage you to put out your very best work. Loved it!



2. Whether you are a want-to-be writer who needs a little push in the right direction or are starting a journey of self knowledge, Courage & Craft is a good place to start. This book advocates regular journaling. I write in my journal on a daily basis. I find that not only do these entries serve as a good historical record of my journey but also get me into the practice of writing. Therefore, when I sit down to actually write, I don't find it quite as intimidating.
   
   In the past few years I've read several books on journaling. In my mind, Courage & Craft is set apart from the rest for a number of reasons. Each portion of information in this book is followed by practical to do exercises. The exercises I found most useful were questions or ideas that got me thinking and wanting to express my opinion which naturally drew in me to begin writing.
   
   I liked that the author's cues interspersed descriptions of everyday things with deeper subjects of the past. I love the notion of self knowledge but frankly trying to find something profound to write each day is rather overwhelming. Just knowing that I can write about an object in the room or what the weather is and still be moving forward in the process is very freeing.



3. I bought this book on a whim. I'd always loved writing and was looking for a guide to help me get started and to point me in the right direction. I definitely found exactly what I needed in Courage & Craft. It's full of exercises designed not only to get you thinking and seeing the world as a writer, but also to get you into the actual habit of writing (if you aren't already). It's supportive and inspiring. So much so, that I barely got through the first chapter before I was itching get going with her first exercises.
   
   Thanks for this fabulous kickstart. I'm so happy to have purchased this book.



4. As an author and writing coach, I'm always on the lookout for good resource material to recommend to clients and students in my workshops. This one particularly got my attention because it tells how to give real depth, authenticity and meaning to our writing by drawing from our own life experiences. As every successful writer knows, without that ability even the most exciting "thriller" sounds flat and unconvincing. This book tells how to draw from our life experiences while not actually being biographical, that is, by capturing the essence of an experience--the emotion and spirit of a moment--and putting it into proper context with a character you may have created. No matter what your chosen genre--fiction, non-fiction, autobiography, or poetry--this is a book you should read and keep on your reference shelf. --Hal Z Bennett

5 comments about Creating a Life Worth Living.

1. Carol Lloyd's "Creating a Life Worth Living" bears a subtitle that declares it to be "a practical course in career design for artists, innovators, and others aspiring to a creative life." And in that, it succeeds quite well. The course (developed from workshops Lloyd teaches) starts with the assumption that maybe you have a yearning to do something different with your life, but you don't yet know what that is or, at least, how to do it. Starting with a "daily action" and moving on to some material on idea generation and abstraction, Lloyd mixes thoughts on creativity ("It's good to simply look at your lived experience and separate it from your concepts about 'life.'") with concrete exercises and interviews with successful creative people from all walks of life: teachers, painters, actors, writers, inventors, entrepreneurs, performance artists, dancers, directors, and more.

   A book like this won't bandage up your life and make everything better in five easy steps. It won't reveal a magical key that will show you how to make millions from your watercolors. But it can help you to see your life a bit more clearly. It can help you to see the options and resources you might have missed, and it can help you to figure out what needs you have, creatively speaking, and how best to fulfill them.

   Questions encourage you to take both the short and the long view, the practical and the ideal. Lloyd helps you to let go of your preconceptions by having you write down everything, no matter how silly, and by sharing stories of people who succeeded by doing what everyone told them they shouldn't do. So if you're already snugly fitted into your creative career, you'll have little use for this book. But if you're struggling to figure out what to do next or where to go, this book could help you turn your interests and desires into a concrete plan of action that fulfills both emotional and practical needs.




2. Received the book in the condition specified in the listing. It was delivered promptly with no problems. Would recommend this seller.



3. I've owned this book for a few years and even now, I turn to it once in while for motivation. Similar in objective to Julia Cameron's books, it is designed differently, more like a 15 weeks workshop. It is absolutely essential for creative types looking to guidance on their path, no matter what turn they are at.
   
   Even if you don't make a living at your art or craft, this book is excellent for those who want to give more space for their personal project. "Creative types" loom large; there must be something in "Creating a Life Worth Living" for a large number of persons. Most alive and curious working people have a second or many passions beside working at their jobs: engineers writing science fiction books, secretaries making specialty chocolate or salesmen writing books.
   
   Whatever your passion, whatever the stage you are at living it, you can find ideas to guide you and portraits of creative people enjoying their own life worth living. In the same vein, I would also recommend "The Pathfinder" by Nicholas Lore and "Soul Mapping" by Nina Frost et al.



4. I bought this book one year ago and I love the humor of the writer and insights I got from it. I did go through the exercises during 12 weeks. And some exercises and ideas opened a whole new perspective on my life and career. Lloyd is down to earth and her book is funny and well written. She gave courses and out of that experience she wrote this book.



5. Creating a Life Worth Living is one of the best purchases I've made in some time. Rather than the usual advice of satisfying an inner child or making a laundry list of things you THINK you might like to try, Carol Lloyd leads you through a series of exercises that help narrow down the field considerably. She requires you to work, to think about who you are, identify your bad habits and obsessions and incorporate those as well as your talents and inclinations. She encourages you, but it's clear the work is yours to do. This is a workbook for people who are creative, are looking for a direction, and can use self-examination as a propelling force rather than an excuse for not moving forward.

5 comments about Time Management for the Creative Person: Right-Brain Strategies for Stopping Procrastination, Getting Control of the Clock and Calendar, and Freeing Up Your Time and Your Life.

1. I expected this book to provide innovative, useful information; after all, I'm a creative professional, always have a million projects going on at the same time, and really could use some help. Unfortunately, instead of original advice targeted to people in creative fields, this book is geared to harried housewives and disorganzied hobbyists. It is crammed full of platitudes, cliches, anecdotes about quasi-celebrities ("As a stand-up comic, Gary Shandling enterains audiences by poking fun at himself..."), quizzes (Are you right-brained or left-brained?), quotations, items ripped directly from press releases ("According to a survey by Select Comfort ...") and bulleted lists of hints (focused primarily on housekeeping and automobile maintenance) including:

   * Stop to smell the flowers (yes, he actually says this)
   * Brush your dog or cat while watching your favorite TV show
   * Choose plants that are easy to grow
   * Make enough for two meals when you cook and freeze the second meal
   * Use paper plates and cups
   * Hire a cleaning service
   * Get more sleep

   Probably the worst piece of advice this book offers, though, is "the future will take care of itself." No, it won't, especially if a deadline is looming and the rent check is due! If you work in a creative field and are looking for advice about enhancing your creativity and/or better managing your time and projects, skip this book. It is a complete waste of time and money.




2. Mr. Silber has managed to write a book that is funny, down to earth, and immensely helpful. His stories are priceless, and the tips are ridiculously useful and easy to implement.



3. Proof that anyone can write a book. Do not waste your money on this -- it is worthless. You can do better by asking yourself about your time management faults and coming up with your own solutions. This book has nothing of value. It is full of typos and ridiculuous quotes.



4. If typical time-management advice leaves you cold, this book offers a refreshingly different perspective, and tons of practical ideas that are based on creative and abstract thinking, not linear, robotic instructions. This is for those of us who are usually 5 minutes late, who search the house for a slip of paper with vital information, and who find day-planners to be tedious and inconvenient. And this book never makes you feel guilty or inadequate for not following traditional advice on "productivity."
   
   This book proposes that organization and time management strategies should be personalized and comfortable. They should be empowering, not restrictive, and make your life more relaxed, not more stressful. Until reading this book, I had not considered that this was possible. I have adopted many of the author's ideas and specific suggestions, and I have continued using them for over a year since I first read it. I've increased my freelance earnings, created a workspace I love to work in, and reduced the stress in my life. If you cringe at most time-management books, please read this one.



5. I liked this book very much because it was written for people like me. I was given many explanations for my behavior without making me feel badly. Also there were many practical suggestions that one could start doing as soon as the book was read. I especially found the part on procrastination helpful.

5 comments about Journalution: Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life and Manifest Your Dreams.

1. This book is a great help if you are learning to journal or you are stuck in your process.



2. This is the greatest book I have read on journaling. Sandy Grayson gives an abundance of ideas to jumpstart the reader on the path to journaling. Sandy
   makes journaling fun, easy, and healing! Thanks Sandy!



3. This is a great book to help you get started. The prompts are phenomenal...they'll get you thinking about yourself in ways you haven't before. The prompts will also give you new ways to think of your world and and your spirituality. If you're looking to discover yourself, the way you really think, feel, and who you truley are...not the way the world or media says you should think and feel, but what your true self says...then buy this book! Sandy is a wonderful writer and has an innate ability to help you discover and search the depths of your soul.



4. I like the book very much. It is the type of book you read , put down to digest, and then pick up and read again. I love it!



5. I love this book.
   I can't wait to finish so I can start my therapy.

5 comments about The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life.

1. The book perpetuates harmful stereotypes about aging. Cohen chastises older people who try to take care of their health. He claims that they are searching in vain for a "magic bullet" to regain their youth. Cohen then advocates a false mind/body dualism. Through this dualism, one gives up taking care of their body in order to follow their creativity. I honor the author's belief in the importance of creativity; however, I believe that the approach presented is self-defeating.



2. If ever there was any question about our ability to make meaningful contributions at midlife, this book will dispell all doubt! I found the continual notes (on the outer edges of the pages) encouraging, as they documented the multiple contributions made by individuals of "advanced" years. This is absolutely exciting, and gives me hope for the future!



3. This "easy-read" book offers both professional and lay people alike a very refreshing and encouraging perspective on maturity. When coupled with a gentle sense of spirituality and wisdom which comes from life experience, it should help the reader to establish and reinforce a sense of purpose and resilience that engenders hope and creativity unimagined by most youth. This book is to become a part of my professional counseling practice for senior patients to read and discuss as they search for a deeper meaning and ultimate purpose in their lives. In a sense, I anticipate it will help to set the stage for welcoming passions of an existential nature, heretofore unknown in many individual's lives.



4. Was perplexed by a negative review of this book, so I wanted to find out, firsthand what the author really said and I am so glad I did. Nowhere does the author chastises older people who try to take care of their health. Just the opposite.
   
   Not only does the author have fifty year old plus folks on the cover, kayaking, swimming, painting etc but on page 188 he writes of 'More on the Effects of Creativity on Health' . Heck the whole book is about embracing the second half of life and taking personal responsibility for making needed changes so that you live to one hundred and do so eating healthy, interacting with others, becoming involved in ones community etc etc etc.
   
   On page 10-11 , the author notes that studies of aging people and in my work with them, four aspects of creativity stand out:
   
   1) Creativity strengthens our morale in later life 2) Creativity contributes to physical health as we age 3) Creativity enriches relationships 4) Creativity is our greatest legacy. That 'Increasing numbers of preliminary findings from psychoneuroimmunological studies-research that examines the interaction of our emotions, our brain function, and our immune system-suggest that a positive out look and a sense of well being have a beneficial effect on the functioning of our immune system and our overall health' These findings are particularly strong among older persons.'
   
   The many examples of famous and everyday folk who have been or become creative after age fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty are empowering. In Chapter 9 titled Creativity us Everyday Life: Letting It Start with You,' the author gives some excellent examples of how as the quote he gives from Lao Tsu notes 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step'., and how we do have the choice to think outside the box, and live life to the fullest. And that we need to make the effort to get involved in a variety of activities that will stimulate the mind from different directions. Be it painting, reading more, walking more, volunteering more. Anything that will stimulate the brain which in turn will stimulate the rest of the body.
   
   I am so impressed with the book I am buying a copy for a physician friend as well as the library over at hospice, where our widow/widowers group meets.



5. The author emphasizes creativity as an important part of growing old but does a poor job of guiding the reader in terms of what they might do to awaken "human potential in the second half of life." I expected a less vague, more concrete set of guidelines rather than an anectodal review of the author's previous patient loads. Psychotherapy can help everyone (duh!) but the author takes that premise and builds a book that purports to target the special problems of the aged. It isn't really that selective and could apply to nearly everyone. The author's experiences are somewhat enlightening but become excessively autobiographical by the end of the book.

5 comments about 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: The Handbook of New Ideas for Business.

1. This book is both original and good. The part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.



2. This book is an excellent collection of creative-thinking techniques that will make you more creative in your business and personal lives. This ranks close to the classic book on creative-thinking "Thinkertoys" by Michael Michalko.



3. I liked the book because it shows you in a clear way several techniques to generate ideas. Some of the techniques are unpractical, and some are incredibly simple, effective and easy to implement. I have a copy of this book at work and I use it with my team.



4. There are a lot of books out there on creative problem solving that are inspiring, but a person is left wondering how to really solve problems.
   
   101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques is a great books filled with practical tools/exercies/activities to get people to think outside-the-box. My company has embraced brainstorming and problem solving as a critical element in doing business; this book is a much used resource.



5. Very helpful book and I give it 5 stars for easily fulfilling its purpose, i.e. an introduction to many of the problem solving techniques, and I highly recommend it for that purpose. This book does not go into a comprehensive discussion of the various techniques, nor was it intended to, but it does give a very good introduction to each and you can research further those techniques you would like to use. I have researched some of them on the internet (free of charge).
   
   He categorizes the techniques by function (in other words, he presents the various techniques in the particular stage of the problem solving process in which they are most effective) and gives you an excellent summary in the Appendix.
   
   I have read quite a few books on Problem Solving / Decision Making and they all come down to Divergence and Convergence, or Creative and Critical thinking. One book I read (Psychology of Intelligence Analysis) made the very good point that creative and critical thinking are both absolutely necessary in the problem solving process, however, in his words, they do not mix well. You must consciously and diligently halt all criticism and judgment, no matter how small, during the divergent phase of the problem solving process - "deferred judgment". This is the foundation for any productive brainstorming session, or even any individual analysis of a problem. There will be plenty of time to evaluate later on.
   
   This book functions as a brainstorming session...it presents many ideas and approaches, and allows you to review each one and determine which is best for your situation. Many of the techniques in this book, and any other problem solving book, are really just different variations of brainstorming sessions (larger or smaller groups, an extra step or two, limitations on one thing or another, a change in procedure, etc..) which is OK too. Most problem solving techniques are either brainstorming sessions of some sort, or techniques designed to force you to lay aside your preconceived opinions and study a problem from different angles (yes that is a major simplification).
   
   The book is organized and formatted very well. The information is presented in an interesting manner and never gets boring. Most of the sections are short and sweet, and what few times he goes beyond a couple pages is by necessity. I really liked the "Summary of Steps" that are throughout the book and the mini case studies were nice as well. Personally, I would like to have seen at least a couple extended case studies, but that was not the purpose of this book.
   
   One of my favorites is the Delphi technique. I have actually used a form of it several times in my work before I even knew it was a technique, and I suspect many of you have used it too in an informal way. I have had some good success with it and believe it to be an excellent technique in any stage of the problem solving process, whether I am dealing with professionals, layman, mechanics, or bozos.
   
   Very helpful, well written and well-organized book. The $15 or so for the book is a great investment for your career or business. I am sure there are more comprehensive books that cost alot more, but this one fulfills it purpose nicely.

5 comments about The Vein of Gold.

1. Julia Cameron's books should be mandatory coursework in all creative writing classes or any kind of dramatic and performing arts programs around the world! Luminous, loving, and healing are the trademarks of her artistic recovery programs. Climb this mountain and find your creative muse! The book follows a weekly development plan to exacavate the voice within. A gradual mentorship no matter where you are on the journey to expressing your artistic birthright.
   
   Don't we all have a story to tell that is uniquely our own? Or perhaps there is that song that is one which places us in our element like nothing else? And then again, there are those stage roles that seem written just for us, or are they? The answer in Julia Cameron's Vein of Gold is ... YES! Cameron describes in her book how the actor Robert De Niro seems born to play certain mystery roles and when he steps out of them the thespian magic seems to disappear. This is the basis for the Vein of Gold, which followed the very successful Artist's Way, as a 12-week study in artistic recovery.
   
   The Vein of Gold continues upon Cameron's practice of morning pages, artist dates to be taken solo, and a series of tasks designed to coax out the creative child. Each chapter begins with a rich collection of Cameron's wisdom as a professional writer herself and follows a particular theme. Readers are encouraged to stay on each theme presented in the chapter, such as abundance, and do homework assignments such as a collage or add decoration to their living space. The point of this is to draw out in a reader what is uniquely their own story, song, or poem to birth. In the commercial world of art, Cameron notes, a lot is being quantified by how much money a movie earned, how much a painting was sold for, or how many hits songs a record spawned. This message is often what gets in the way of finding one's vein of gold because the artists believes that they must deliver art that is "acceptable" rather than "authentic". In the Vein of God, Cameron strives to draw out what is already there and meant to expressed rather than mould a person's art into a template of popular opinion.
   
   Beyond the 12 distinct chapters, the book is divided into kingdoms to illustrate the kind of inner journey that Cameron is taking her students on. Each kingdom (sight, story, sound, attitude, relationship, and spirituality) reflects the kind of "sense" training that is intended to help readers excavate their own vein of gold as practical exercises probe leading questions into the psyche. What Cameron wants is for those who seek their inner gold, to not only find it, but to claim it as theirs alone.
   
   The Buddha once said that there are three things never hidden for long: the sun, the moon, and the truth. Finding gold in the hills of our inner life is only possible through the truth. Cameron's Vein of Gold is a literary prospector's guide to seeing our truth underneath all the beliefs, emotions, and patterns we have long hidden under.



2. Julia Cameron has done it again. I read her first book The Artist's Way and this book is just as great. I've experienced an increase in creativity that I never thought possible. It truly is a journey inward. I'm 35 yrs. old and a mother of two. I had no idea that there was still so much to discover about myself. As mentioned in the book, a great symptom of increased creativity, is greater spirituality. This book has truly changed my life!



3. Vein of Gold has met my expectations and beyond. As someone who has never felt "creative" it has helped me to broaden my defintion of what that means.It has practical exercises that are reasonable and useful as I continue my self-discovery of what being creative means. I highly recommend it.



4. I have made a permanent connection. With who you ask? Me. What made me think I was disconnected? I just knew like you know. Traumatic life experiences during childhood, tragic episodes, etc. It doesn't really matter how you got disconnected with your inner artist child only that it's possible to reconnect right now if you pick up Julia Cameron's book: The Artist Way and work through the exercises. Your life will change for real. The Vein of Gold (the sequel to the Artist's Way) focuses on finding your specific source of treasure/talent. Both books ensure that you will stay well-connected to your inner artist child and not lose him/her ever again.
   
   There are no short cuts, but Julia Cameron's program works. I don't know why it works, but it does. Before you do one more thing to improve or change your life buy both books and do the exercises faithfully. I still journal, take artist dates and buy little gifts for my inner artist child. Why? It works, but I would have never made the connection without these two wonderful books. The books are like treasure maps to find the treasure (the gold) in you. You and you alone are your own gold-digger.



5. Plumbing the depths to find the creative you is done as ever it can be done with this book. Julia Cameron takes the reader on a series of journies to find the nature of relationships, spirituality, the senses of sight and sound,the nature of one's attitudes all leading to the discovery that all things are possible. When those possibilites are realized they are expored and it is that exploration that opens up the creative soul.
   A great book.

5 comments about Creating Mandalas.

1. A lot of great information! If you want to know about mandalas, get this book. No art. No actual mandalas. Still, the best info I've found.



2. This book is an amazing way to find out more about yourself and where you are at any particular moment. I teach in a school for massage therapy and this is one of the things I do with my students. We spend a few hours discussing Mandalas and what their significance is and then they create one. It always gives them such great information and it's a great way to chart progress as well. Some of them do mandalas on their own throughout their time in school and we can watch them morph and change. This book gives detailed information, instructions and assements of what your mandala means. I highly recommend it.



3. This book offers a very in depth study of mandalas. I was skeptical since mandalas are such a personal process that this book would be as comprehensive as it is.
   Excellent job and if you get the other two spiral bound mandala books that go along with this - you can get over the intimidation of an empty circle quite quickly. I now have SO MANY ideas for painting mandalas of my own that I only use the mandala "coloring book" (templates) for relaxation exercises in the evening.
   These books have truly been a godsend! Relaxation is the key and these mandala exercises are a great way to get there.
   Enjoy!



4. This book contains simple tips for using simple drawing techniques to work on personal issues.
   
   I wish I had read more about this book before I bought it. I was looking for something like an illustrated how-to guide to the art of drawing complex Tibetan-like mandalas, that woud explain and elucidate the geometry and the symbology used in traditional renderings, so that I could create such wonderful masterpieces. Not at all what this is.



5. Great accompaniment to the sacred feminine coloring book of mandalas. As I learn more, I will surely use this more: AND likely order more of her other books. A fine tool for creative writing and personal reflection.

5 comments about At a Journal Workshop: Writing to Access the Power of the Unconscious and Evoke Creative Ability.

1. I cannot speak to the method itself, as I haven't been using it long enough. However, the book should have had the services of a good editor. Just b/c good journaling requires one to turn off one's inner editor doesn't mean a book about it should be written the same way! Needed someone to tighten up the structure and put signposts in the texts to help the reader follow the structure better.



2. As a reader with a degree in English and a master's degree too, it dismayed me to have such a hard time comprehending At a Journal Workshop. Maybe I was looking more for quick exercises that I could use with my journal and that made me impatient with the heavy language and obscure concepts of this book.
   Perhaps the concepts of Twilight Imagery, Steppingstone Periods and Inner Wisdom Dialogue are easier to grasp in an actual workshop.
   More in depth than I wanted to deal with. I recommend The Creative Journal by L. Capacchione which I found sparked some valuable insights for me in my journal writing.



3. I am a fan of Progoff's Intensive Journal and have been doing the journal method for over 20 years. This book is a valuable tool for learning this technique, but it is not well-organized.
   
   The first third of the book does a good job of explaining the method, but the rest of the book has a very meandering style. This is in keeping with the spirit of the journal, but without having done a workshop it will be difficult for people to learn what they need to know on their own with only this book as a guide.
   
   However, AT A JOURNAL WORKSHOP is invaluable commentary for those who have done the various Progoff's workshops. It is also valuable to those who haven't, but it isn't written is such a way that you can learn what you need to know without plodding through the whole book carefully.
   
   It would be great if someone could edit this text and organize it more efficiently. The metaphors and examples are excellent, but it definitely needs some updating and serious editing.
   
   I encourage anyone who has not tried this method to give it a shot. It has been invaluable to me over the years and it's great to hear Dr. Progoff's own words on how to do it.
   
   Although Progoff was a wonderful depth psychologist, he wasn't as good a writer in the conventional sense of the word. However, you need this book to truly capture the full spirit of the Intensive Journal Method. It will be a lot of work to go through it and make sense of it all in the way it's presented. However, it contains pearls of wisdom and excellent tips on how to make the most of the technique.



4. This book is VERY in depth, probably more than most people want to go. It's allot of work and time consuming although I like it. If you buy it, be prepared to work at it.



5. This book is a powerful tool for self analysis as well as for anyone that meditates.

5 comments about The Creativity Book: A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance.

1. All artists need a daily dose of positive thinking every single day, and this book provides just that. As a Creativity Coach who has studied with Eric Maisel, I can say that everything he writes is well grounded in his personal experiences and successes.



2. Eric Maisel is a prolific writer with a penchant for helping artists. And this book is no exception. For those who have read Cameron's "The Artist's Way," in the required number of weeks and wish there were other timed guides, Maisel's book is the answer. It's a year's worth of creative work, some gentle and imaginative, some kick-in-the-rear tough. I'll admit I read all the way through it, and I'll bet Maisel knew that most readers would. It's an interesting read that way, with Maisel's wry observations and self-deprecating humor serving as another level of inspiration. There is a lot hiding in this book, waiting to be discovered. The quotes in the scholar's margins create their own interesting commentary. Use this book to dip into when you are bored, stymied, frustrated, lonely or stuck. You won't come away feeling the same way. You might not want to do every exercise Maisel suggests, but imagining them might be enough to give you creative traction again.



3. I'm quite fond of Eric Maisel's books. He's a psychotherapist and "creativity consultant," and he has written a number of books on writing, art, and creativity. Several of them are among my favorite writing books: "Living the Writer's Life," "Deep Writing," and "Write Mind." Unlike those books, "The Creativity Book" is not aimed specifically at writers. It's aimed at you, me, your brother, and the guy in the cubicle down the hall. In other words, anyone who'd like to use a little more creativity in their lives, whether for painting, writing, mathematics, relationships, or business plans.

   The book is designed to be read one section at a time, to take you through a year of learning. It has 88 sections, two per week, to get you through ten months, and then the idea is that you spend the last two months of your year devoted to a particular creative project. Each base section is pretty short--generally a page or three--so you'll have no trouble reading it in a few spare minutes some evening. Then it's followed by at least one exercise, and sometimes several. Sometimes the exercises are very specific; at other times, Maisel suggests ways to apply the exercises to whatever area you're trying to become more creative in.

   Many of the ideas in the book are relatively basic, but this in no way makes them useless. After all, they're only basic for people who are already highly creative and making abundant use of that creativity. In large part this book is designed to help those who aren't sure where to start when it comes to creativity, and who haven't had much luck sitting down and getting started with their creative projects. Even highly creative people will still find things of value in this book, however. Some sections will feel like remedial schooling, but others might unlock surprising ways for you to move forward in your work. People with more experience using their creativity might prefer to skip from section to section instead of following the "plan," however, using the bits that have particular value to them.




4. Eric Maisel has given us a nice book filled with inspiration and creative guidance.

   This book is structured in 52 weekly segments starting with beginning work and ending up with a project that should be completed. Each short chapter contains a brief essay of guidance and then an inventive exercise to try on for size.

   The author of this book, Eric Maisel, Ph.D., is a psychologist who teaches that the act of creating impacts all aspects of one's life. So this book is intended for everyone, not just those struggling to survive artistic blocks. Executives can develop new business ideas, cooks can create better dishes, lawyers can find new ways to argue, politicians can consider alternative ways to create democracy, children can become better students and so on. Overall an extremely good book for those willing to put forth a bit of effort towards creating new ideas.




5. Since creativity usually reveals itself in small doses (and because most creative folks have short attention spans), I'm drawn to creativity-related books that stick to the point and offer bite-size morsels of materials. (In fact, both books I've written on this topic -- "IdeaSpotting" and "Zing!" take the approach of single-page messages.)
   
   By presenting his content in a sequential, year-long plan, Maisel gives the reader digestible, easy-to-access inspiration and exercises for higher creativity and fresh ideas. Too many books force the reader to dig for the nuggets in volumes of narrative. Maisel's Creativity Book keeps the reader doing rather than digging!