My project was to build a website devoted to highlighting creative resources for people who are looking to explore creativity for the first time. Or if they were a mature artist, these books would be a review of the skills they may have already mastered. Like anyone who might leave a family bible for their decedents, I want to leave a creativity bible for my granddaughter, feature the creative texts that are important for preparing live a creative life. I want to have a place that dispel the myths about creativity, that one must have the creative gene or to have talent. No, everyone has the creative genes … creativity take a practice, a willingness to explore materials, resources, develop new skills… play and be curious to what shows up without holding any judgment to whether what was produced as good or bad. Creativity is a master problem solving skill which has not been encouraged to progress. These authors have shared the basics of what I consider the beginning — from Julia Cameron’s book, "The Artist Way" to Twyla Tharp’s, "The Creativity Habit" - all of the books I reviewed have prescribed skills to practice. Overall, this project has increased my dedication to sharing these summaries to help others begin their own creative discovery.
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When a person wants something to change, one has to be willing to take some action for change to take place. Otherwise, they stay stuck in doing the same thing over and over, expecting something different to happen. It won’t. Why I like this book is as a call to building the creative habits to sustain one’s personal growth. We all need creativity. For some this is a struggle as they may have never been exposed to any creative methods. Twyla Tharp reinforces throughout her book her belief to have this change happen, one must build the skills to support these changes. Having a supportive community of friends, mentors, and other creatives are also just as important as building the skills. The author provided some daily exercises for reflection to broaden their understanding of where one might be holding onto old beliefs about creativity. Using the analogy of religions, most religious rituals are built around habits; rituals to open one’s connection to a higher consciousness. These habits are not skills, but more of a connectedness to a higher meaning. To build a creative practice through these exercises, doing the work takes time, energy. It also takes a purpose. What’s your purpose and are you willing to build a creative habit to help achieve those goals? I encourage you to buy a copy of The Creativity Habit for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Some creatives find their curiosity diminishing as they age, either they have made enough money with their art, or they not longer having the energy to keep creating. As one ages they learn more about their art and master their craft. Those that continue to find the wisdom in their ideas, continue to create. Tharp shares the example of The Beatles in how they have the "clearest developmental form” within their work, and how their work foreshadows their future work. Everything in their life fed into their work. The author reminds the reader that we all have resources, yet at times our obligations to family, school or work may impede one’s desires to create. She encourages the reader, that even distracted, to continue to work on the habit of building a creative life through learning how to "manage one’s time, resources, expectations and the demands from others.” More than anything, she reiterates, to stay optimistic about doing one’s own work.
I encourage you to buy a copy of The Creativity Habit for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
This short chapter is a reminder for the reader to review failure as a part of the creative process. Each perceived failure allows one to know what works and what does not. And not all failures are the same. The author offers a way to see failures. Failures most often are due to:
Tharp strongly suggests one to “build your own validation squad,” of people who support one's creative process. These may be friends or family, or a mentor. These are people who care about the person, and the best are those who are willing to suspend their own agendas to support another person's growth. Above all, failures are another form of tool for a creative, to see what works and what does not. Failures are not to be used to critique a person’s worth, but only their work. I encourage you to buy a copy of The Creativity Habit for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Tharp’s next two chapters focus on building one’s skills and recognizing the ruts/grooves as part of the creative process. For some, building skill may begin earlier than for some. Others may require a stronger, more structured foundation of building skills. No matter the way, the skills are necessary to sustain a creative endeavor. With that, skill requires practice and a can-do attitude. All of any practice requires hard work, but also for it to become sustaining, it requires a purpose. The author offers a self-assessment of one’s skills to review how these may assist with building a creative practice. Her next exercise is 20 questions to assist with being in the present moment for any topic. Her last two exercises review how time has contributed to one building skills, to be aware of the time absorbers or distractions. She poses the question if there was one skill one would not have at their disposal, would they still be able to create, to review how these have an impact on one’s ability to do their work. The author defines a rut as the inability to begin, and a groove as one is moving forward without effort. One cannot make any transitions until they know what is needed, and being able to identify they are in a rut. She gives a working method of helping the reader identify what is not working, and being able to write or make a list of the assumptions they might have about what is not working. With each assumption she suggests to challenge them, and then act up on the challenge. In other words, do the verb. Take some action. Each day is a new day to practice reviewing what worked and what did not. She ends the chapter with an exercises devoted to “know when to stop tinkering” and turning the ruts into productive action.
I encourage you to buy a copy of The Creativity Habit for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Tharp starts off chapter seven with a reminder about planning these creative tasks. But not too much planning as then the plan becomes the focus and not the verb, the creating. Having a plan becomes an assurance that one has structure when often chaos may enter in the preparations. She warns her reader to be alert to deterrents such as other people’s agendas, perfectionism, or having the wrong structure or materials to proceed. Each of these delay the process. Her exercises are designed to review the old patterns and old beliefs, especially around perfectionism. Above all, she encourages her reader to be generous with time and their exploration. Chapter Eight focuses on the Spine, the strong idea one may have. The spine is the underlying theme of what is being created. Or the motive that launched someone into action to take these creative steps. For the author, the spine keeps the meaning or purpose in the creative process as well as a focus on the task to be completed when off course. One of her exercises directs the reader to begin with a picture and look for the words that tells the story.
I encourage you to buy a copy of The Creativity Habit for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Tharp discussing her process of how she researches ideas through her method called “scratching.” Scratching is the collection of the ideas all around one, the ideas one might find walking into a rock quarry. Ideas are everywhere. It is the focus of one’s attention to looking for them. Ideas take on many forms. There are good and bad ideas, as well as ideas that are large and small. And the growth of the idea depends upon the person who propagates. Big ideas seems to be self-contained and self-defining adventures, taking the reader hopefully toward something sustaining and enduring. Scratching is improvising with the data one is given, and can sometime expand into knowing the direction of the idea is taking. She shares the story of Robert Pirsig with his student’s frustration of writing a 500 word essay on the United States. Unable to find a start she returned several times with nothing to turn in. He gave her a small suggestion of “narrow it down,” to the brick on a building in the town she was from. Easily she returned with her assignment complete. Through improvising, one may not know the direction, yet to follow the flow of where the idea may lead one. Tharp shares other ideas for scratching, such as reading, having conversations with others, review other people’s work, or reflection on one’s mentor or hero for some ideas. Mostly, nature is a good start. Just as Pirsig did with sitting across from the building she described, scratching allows the identification to become clearer. Scratching is not a linear process. And it may take more time than one believed it would. Stay alert to new places to look for ideas, and as the author shares, “never scratch the same place twice,” as one may end up with the same ideas as the first time. Above all, keep going to be available to ideas that bouncy into one’s path. She has several exercises that support and develop her method of scratching. One is to take a field trip to some place you might not ever go. Maybe on a walk in nature, or to a museum. Observe the people, the architecture, look for information you may need. Have a clear purpose in mind.
I encourage you to buy a copy of The Creativity Habit for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
As the author begins a project she starts with a box, a container to hold the documents of her research. Tharp states that a box helps her feel organize. She begins a simple commitment, starting with a visual way to begin a project. She knows where things go, and when she wants to find something about her project, she knows that she will find it in her box. Metaphorically, these support her beginning way to develop her ideas organized. She suggests that it does not have to be a physical box, it could be a computer, or a notebook. Some place to store one’s ideas so they do not lose them. No matter when the ideas show up, she suggests - BEGIN.
I encourage you to buy a copy of The Creativity Habit for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Tharp shares with her reader her belief that everyone has creativity built within them. This chapter focuses on discovering how one’s "creative DNA” works for each individual. She begins with an exercise on developing one’s creative autobiography, with a process of prompting questions about how creativity shows up within one’s life. Other exercises include observing others, making lists of these observed details. Through the use of these details, one could use imagination to develop the characters. She suggests repeating this exercise to further develop awareness of the patterns of life that shows up. Often one filters out the details of life. Here she’s encouraging one to pay attention to these details, building a self awareness of how one becomes selective in what is noticed. Another exercise is picking a new name for one’s self. With this exercise, the author shows the reader how one begins an identity with a name. Each life contains a story. She shares about how Mozart, as the time of his marriage, changed his birth name Joannes Chrystostomus Wolfgangus Theophillus Mozart, to Wolfgang Adam Mozart in an attempt to simplify his name. Other examples such as Muhammad Ali changing his name from Cassius Clay, changed the projection he was born with to the freedom he sought to become the champion of the world. Some changes of names can become a “self-fulfilling prophecy,” as with other famous writers did, as these allow them to shuck off old expectations and open the world with new directions.
I encourage you to buy a copy of The Creativity Habit for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
In Chapter 1, Twyla Tharp starts with her review of a collaborative process as some other depend upon us holding our integrity to the product as their livelihood depends on it, as with the author’s dance group. For some beginning a creative process, there is so much anxiety before the creativity even begins that they would rather walk away from even starting. Procrastinate is an extreme form of putting off the beginning of a creative process. Some of the reasons one might not even begin, is as a creative process puts out their “identity” for everyone to become witness to -- the flaws & the imperfections. They would rather not expose themselves to the criticism. Creativity has its own daily patterns that when established assists with writers setting up a specific time to write. A painter a space in which to paint. These daily routines become habits over a period of time allowing the creative process to emerge. Creativity is not only for artists -- it’s for everyone, opening a perspective to see the world in many different ways. She discusses that creativity is a habit. Habits are routines which are practiced, daily. The author dispels the myth of genius as “there are no natural geniuses,” only ones who have practiced -- a lot. She prepares her readers, “In order to be creative you have to know how to prepare to be creative.” The book provides exercises to prep for the necessary skills to ensure daily habits of creativity. Her first point is toward “everything is usable,” within your day. In Chapter 2, she prepares her readers for the skills to assist with daily habits of creativity
Kleon opens his last chapter with “creativity has seasons.” Just as one can see the seasons of life with a tree, our lives also go through seasons. He suggests to become aware of the season one is experiencing as it is not the same for others, nor is one’s season recognizable by others. In other words, knowing where one is on their path of life, giving attention to how these influence one’s direction. Every day is a seed for new potential. The author shares to do the best to keep going...
For me, why I like this book is Kleon’s reminder of keeping life simple as it’s a method for reducing stress in one’s life. He offers these 10 simple things to remember about one’s creative path. Every day is a repeat, some days one gets to contribute some direction and others maybe not. Adjusting one’s attitude to be okay with what ever shows up contributes to one’s peace of mind. Taking action of creating, the doing of playing no matter whether one determines the output good or bad, contributes to one’s growth. There will be those in the world who in making their art believe they are the gift in the world. Kleon calls these art monsters. No matter when they show up in one’s life, know they are the teacher for some to return attention to the practice of art for life, and not the other way around. And while we might become distracted by the multitudes of news, politics, or just life, to keep doing our work, what every this may be. I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Corporations and politicians want people to be distracted with their phones & tv as they can sell their version of the world. Kleon suggest that one keep attuned to their world via nature - take walks to work through ideas with full senses, “to find possibility in your life when there doesn’t seem to be any left.” Explore the world, talk to people, take a notebook, capture images with one’s pen or camera. This, the author believes, is the job of the artist - to become fully aware of their world to ward of the spiritual numbing.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Kleon offers in this chapter some suggestions to keep one’s creative mind alert. While one’s studio may be messy and attract all sorts of clutter, it’s best as he suggests to do a bit of “tidying up.” When things are out of their place, one may not be able to find what they need to use, and delay any art making. He is not equating order with efficiency. He’s order as a place of readiness, as there is a balance between chaos and order. If one finds themselves procrastinating about doing any artwork, he suggests a quick tidy of one’s studio. And in doing so, opens one’s mind for exploring the materials one might have to use. Tidying is not about having perfect order, but a form of play.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
We can change our minds about what we believe. Yet sometimes our culture promotes one to stick to old beliefs without questioning them. “uncertainty is the very thing that art thrives on.” It is our natural state of being to not know, and it is through exploration do we make decisions. Often we avoid these as we have a held belief that others will find us as weak, or we have a belief that changing our minds is a form of defeat. As one moves forward through uncertainty, clarity of direction presents itself only through navigating through bad ideas. Giving one’s self time to think, to allow incubation for an idea to flourish into possibility, may be assisted by interacting in a community of like-minded individuals. Other methods Kleon suggests are reviewing the past ideas especially an opposite one everyone’s forgotten, or reading old books to find new ideas.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Short chapter on Slay the Art Monster. Kleon suggests that some people who make art, while they might find what they need from making art, art is not about the artist. He begins the chapter with a quote from Andy Rooney’s quip remark about Kurt Corbain’s suicide, that “no one’s art was better than the person who created it.” Kleon reminds the reader there are creepy people who make art. There are worse people who make art. And art monsters live within all of us. He brings attention back to a focus on what great artists assist with the person who witness their art, in making people’s lives better. I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
The author titled this chapter, the Ordinary + the extra attention = extraordinary. He shares a story about Sister Mary Corita Kent taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. For example, the G from the General Mills logo, became the G for Goodness, or God. She would take ordinary logos and transform them into religious memes as great artist are able to find the “magic in the mundane.” For some artists, they believe they need to find the extraordinary. Kleon suggests taking the ordinary adding more attention to find the extraordinary much in the same way Kent did with her artwork. Slowing down one’s life to pay attention to the ordinary, would be one way to make these creative discoveries. Drawing everything one sees, paying attention to the details, connects one with the moment. Taking the time, daily, to be creative, whether it is drawing or other forms of creative work, helps reduce stress in one’s life. He offers the reader to “pay attention to what you pay attention to,” to widen one’s perspective to those things they find valuable. Setting up designated times to do reflective work, reviewing what you’ve paid attention to, gives insight to one’s life. He states we have everything we need…we need to pay attention to what we do have.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Kleon calls attention to how our culture sees any of one’s creating as money making. While a friend might intend their comment about the gift one made as a compliment suggesting the artist could sell it, not every creation needs to find a path to be sold. He cautions the reader about these changes in our social structure of turning a hobby into an additional job. The task of creating becomes used as another form of praise heaped on to people. The message becomes - free time (hobbies) must be used to gain additional income. He suggests to find one’s passion, and not monetize it, as this is what sustains one's spiritual nurturance. Creating is not to be used to measure one’s worthiness.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. this 
Kleon begins chapter 3 with a focus to create requires action; the doing takes one farther along in the exploration. Creating is play and he encourages his reader to play daily. He strongly suggests to forget the “nouns, and do the verbs.” As any child learns about their world through play, their focus is most often detached from the results. Their energy is spent in the doing of their play work, learning about their world of what works and what does not. He quotes Kurt Vonnegut about the purpose of art is to practice “an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow.” And just as a child might engage more with play when new toys emerge, if you need to, find something new to explore with. If it feels like work, stop.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
In this chapter, Kleon reminds his reader that creativity is about connection, especially with oneself before others. To find this connection, he suggests a possible "disconnect from the world” first before a connection to self. His concentration for this chapter is building within one’s life a space to find the joy of life. Becoming aware of the influences of one’s day - that is to turn off news, making "airplane mode” more intentional. He suggests reviewing what one pays attention to and not allowing the day to be interrupted by the trivial. Be intentional about protecting one's time, learning to say no to the interruptions or the invasions to one’s day. Often one is concerned they may miss out on opportunities. Yet it is this opportunity, the present moment, to say yes to one’s sanity.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Austin Kleon’s 2019 book “Keep Going,” is a quick read. Ten short chapters keeps one focused on what the author considers the "10 ways to stay creative in good times and bad.” His first chapter is a reminder to take one day at a time. He uses an analogy to the movie “Ground Hog Day,” where the character repeats the same day over and over. Kleon suggests for artists to do the same. Make art daily as every day there is something waiting to be created. While one does not have much control over what their day may bring, what control they do have is what they spend it on. Keep doing the art work. Kleon urges the reader to establish a daily routine. Routines defend one from chaos, as it sets a schedule of what to do next, especially when there is a limited amount of time available. And there is no perfect routine. To establish a routine, the author suggests to review daily habits. Determine the free time, the time wasters, as well as be aware of the rituals that may influence one’s mood. While one might equate having a routine to being imprisoned, he suggests to view routines as a method to protect one from life’s ups and downs. Routines helps one “take advantage of your limited time, energy and talent.” Kleon encourages the reader to review their routines and when necessary…modify.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Art is a Spiritual Path is a book about the celebration of artwork, the honoring of the maker/creator, as well as the image. What I appreciate about this book is Allen’s call for attention of the witnessing of one’s work, without judgment, holding compassion for the self, as well as the other. I also appreciate her use of dialog, allowing the image coming forth to speak, giving it voice changes the image to a relationship, rather than just a task one is completing. Also appreciate awareness to building a safe community in which to nurture one’s growth among those who are willing to not offer help.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Art is a Spiritual Path for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
Allen focuses her last chapter of Art is a Spiritual Path on building an image community. As a founder of a community studio where she offers the members a safe place to explore, she began to understand the impact in which an image community has on discovering meaning. One of our difficulties with society is our inability to slow down, observe, listen to others by giving and receiving. Allen saw the importance of the creative process in its ability to do this with her studio participates. She also brings attention to the change that takes place when payment for artwork is exchanged. Allen shares her experience that in most cases when payment is made, the relationship becomes blunted as there is no longer a fiduciary obligation. She encourages to build commercial free communities to develop the relationship, as "we cannot purchase meaning or a sense of belonging.” As art becomes a way of knowing one’s world, Allen encourages one to find whole living.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Art is a Spiritual Path for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
The skill Allen focuses on at the beginning of Chapter 8 is noticing. Being aware of one’s mind already knows, and using solution toward keeping integrity with self. In other words, not responding with using a prescribed solution that does not meet with one’s values. This authentic means comes from within as well as outward. She suggests to practice patiences with taking any action that might have been provoked with anger or blame. The author broadens this to how this also shows within our culture. The practice of noticing not only in one’s studio, but also in one’s community and contributing to being authentic with mutual participation. One approach to build stronger communities is to review how one can offer service to a community with a broader focus of contributing to the well being of others, not only through art but also of service. Allen shares the story of Barbara and her work of Art for Peace, creating groups motivated in taking action through inquiry, engagement and celebration. Not always able to complete her goals as an art therapist within a secure adolescent treatment setting, she was able to contribute to a political awareness of the trauma her patients may have endured. Through the use of images, she demonstrated how “everyone is affected by the world’s pain."
I encourage you to buy a copy of Art is a Spiritual Path for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. 
One can celebrate the creation of art with using recycle materials, or materials in the raw. These are what some call trash. Rather than judging these materials, we can learn from them. One can also use old memories or stories to explore with curiosity how to see the abundance within one’s world. A spiritual path is built upon developing a community, letting go of the urge to instruct or help, to be open to one may learn from experiencing or being witness to another’s work or creative process, dropping any judgment about the process. Allen offers in her studio a safe community where the participates agree to the intention of doing no harm to another, and participating by listening compassionately. Witnessing also develops the skill of dropping the need to find a solution. In other words, being in the moment without judgment of the outcome. Allen asks the reader to imagine what one’s world would be like if we created a world without judgments, supporting others through the act of compassionate listening without offering a solution. She support this ideal through the use of a story of the woman in Purdah. And reminds the reader how creations come into being through the use of imagination only through one’s exposure to information for an image. Cultural information also adds influence, as well as one’s attitude. Often parents offer their children cultural influences they may have had missed opportunities to explore. Some view art, or the act of creating, as essential in ones’ development. Yet for some see art or the act of creating as a waste of time or resources. And in some cultures, art or the act of creating politically, those seeking to oppose their government. A more leftist view. And for some governments, art or creating seemed unnecessary or a luxury especially if there was a war. In today’s world, art provides a form of stress relief. A way to process unresolved issues through exploring different methods to express one’s learning and discovering personal meaning. One’s artwork can provide spiritual guidance. The author suggests be willing to stay in the discomfort of not knowing. And only work on one's own spiritual path.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Art is a Spiritual Path for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book.  One may have inherited a religious or spiritual tradition or as adults intentionally seek a spiritual guidance. “Image making is a valuable way to explore and integrate the received truths of any system …” Allen offers as she further explores in Chapter 6 ways to renew old traditions. The author again shares several stories of witnessing images through the use of dialog. In this process of no judgment one may be free to converse with images to discover and expand further meanings of their spiritual practice.
I encourage you to buy a copy of Art is a Spiritual Path for a better understanding of your own creative process. Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book. |
Kelly PenrodThese are my daily writings for the 100 day project. Archives
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