Creativity comes in many forms and offers a myriad of solutions to
the practical, mundane problems we’re faced with daily. However, we’re
not always equipped with a constant flow of new and exciting ideas.
Often times, we don’t even feel like we have the time to engage in
artistic activities. Many people are too busy commuting to their jobs or
simply don’t know how to tap into their own potential. Luckily, there
are a number of literary resources to guide, engage, and ignite our
creativity. It’s especially useful, in this digital age, to have a
selection of reading materials conveniently in our e-readers. So, while
you’re traveling or simply taking a break from your busy schedule, we’ve
got a list of some great e-books worth reading to unearth the secrets
behind creativity and jolt some innovation out of you.
1. Steal Like an Artist
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative is an immersive New York Times bestseller by artist and author Austin Kleon
that exposes the truth about creativity: it’s everywhere and just about
anyone is capable of attaining it. As the title suggests, Kleon
recommends “stealing” ideas and not simply recreating them. Nothing is
original. Everything has been done before. Now, it’s time to creatively
reintroduce art to the rest of the world. Without giving its readers
step-by-step actions to strictly follow, it lays out a list of ten
simple rules to trigger, guide, and focus a person’s artistic nature. Steal Like an Artist offers a positive outlook on successfully awakening one’s artistic side with the aid of first-hand examples.
Price: $8.05 – $10.95
2. Imagine
Imagine: How Creativity Works by New York Times best-selling author Jonah Lehrer
gives insight into the ways that creativity is derived. By providing
strong arguments, both scientific and sociological, Lehrer seeks to end
the myth that the creative mind miraculously conjures up new, unheard of
ideas. According to the author, people are simply creating new
connections between old ideas, thus continuing the history of
innovation. The Economist cites Imagine as “an
inspiring and engaging book that reveals creativity as less a sign of
rare genius than a natural human potential.” Essentially, we are all
blessed with the gift of creativity and it’s just a matter of tapping
into that state of artistic inspiration. Lehrer expands on his theories
about how creativity works with insightful examples.
Price: $7.99 – $26.00
3. Ignore Everybody
Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by copywriter-turned-cartoonist Hugh MacLeod
offers a humorous outlook on honing in one’s own creativity in this mad
world we live in. MacLeod tackles a creative’s worst mind-blocking
obstacles like the pressures of coming up with new ideas, finding
inspiration, and the stress associated with trying to stand out in a
crowd. He uses his own experiences as a former struggling copywriter who
began doodling on the back of business cards as a guide for readers
looking to apply his forty keys to creativity. Using his practical
advice, sprinkled with his clever wit, MacLeod provides a useful set of
tips to allow one’s personal creativity to bloom.
Price: $18.99
4. inGenius
Like Imagine, inGenius: A Crash Course in Creativity
strives to prove that everyone has innate creative potential. Author
Dr. Tina Seelig, who is the executive director for the Stanford
Technology Ventures Program (STVP) at Stanford University’s School of
Engineering, suggests that creativity is fundamental in leading a
successful and fulfilling life. Luckily, she also believes that everyone
is capable of innovative thinking and anyone can unleash their inner
creativity. Seelig delves into how this spark of artistic thinking
develops from within and how to access it in our lives. In the book, she
discusses the inner thought processes and outer world influences that
affect one’s creative abilities, both as positive and negative
stimulants.
Price: $12.99
5. 344 Questions
344 Questions: The Creative Person’s Do-It-Yourself Guide to Insight, Survival, and Artistic Fulfillment by writer and graphic designer Stefan G. Bucher
takes a different approach to helping you unlock your creative
potential. Rather than simply giving you a set of rules or a list of
steps to follow, Bucher proposes a series of questions to consider. The
whole idea behind 344 Questions is that creativity is achieved
not by knowing the right answers, but by knowing the right questions to
ask yourself. Similar to the flow chart quizzes you may be familiar with
in magazines, this book offers a series of questions to help readers
figure out where they are in their lives and where they would like to
go. Ultimately, these questions could be just the thing to break through
your creative block and spark some artistic innovation. MacLeod
discusses how he incorporated creativity into his daily life and allowed
his artistic side to free himself.
Price: $9.89 – $11.99
6. Freedom is Blogging in Your Underwear
Freedom is Blogging in Your Underwear is another wittily insightful book by Hugh MacLeod
that has the ability to transform a person’s creative outlook on life.
Working a desk job can be stifling, but the former advertising
copywriter says, “Having a blog, a voice, having my own media, utterly
changed my life.” Not everyone is a writer, but most everyone can be a
blogger. Blogging can, if nothing else, open one’s mind to new ideas. In
this book, MacLeod addresses the numerous merits of blogging that have
personally given him the freedom to share his art, build a community,
and become self-sufficient without having to appease a higher authority
on a daily basis.
Price: $10.99
Which creativity-enhancing ebook is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
[Top photo credit: Adam Spizak]
