Check It Out: Books can help dust off your creativity
Creativity is a process that involves cleaning out the corners of our minds and replacing old ideas with new and innovative ones. These ideas can come in many forms whether they are related to the arts, business, parenting, science, education or even personal relationships. If you’re looking to fuel your own inspiration and creativity, check out these books available at the Newport Beach Public Library!
“The Idea Hunter: How to Find the Best Ideas and Make Them Happen” by Andrew C. Boynton: This book is intended for any person or business wishing to learn the secrets of harnessing ideas and driving them toward success. He encourages individuals and businesses to have an open mind in our complex world in order to promote ideas. He also states that you don’t need to be a creative genius, but that we do get ideas by “cultivating a capacity for interest and the habit of intellectual curiosity.”
“Inkblot: Drip, Splat and Squish Your Way to Creativity” by Margaret Peot: Who would think that simple inkblot made of dried ink and water on paper could inspire a person’s creativity? In Peot’s book, she demonstrates how making your personal inkblots can become a tool for overcoming creative blocks, and inspire you to open up your creative expression. Beautifully illustrated, it that shows the reader the tools and techniques to create simple inkblots and stir up your imagination. The book appeals to a wide range of ages, but is targeted for upper elementary and middle school children.
“The Creative Life: True Tales of Inspiration” by Julia Cameron: Bestselling author of “The Artist’s Way,” Cameron gives us an inside look into her daily life and her creative processes. In a personalized style, she reveals stories about her inspirations and collaboration with other creative people living on New York’s Upper West Side.
“Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative” by Ken Robinson: In a world of rapid change and the increasing pace of population growth, the author points out that it has become more important than ever that creativity be promoted systematically throughout organizations. Robinson claims that as our world has become inundated with rapid change, organizations as well as people’s personal lives have to be adaptable to circumstances as new products and services emerge. He addresses how culture influences creativity and that our educational system, often based upon archaic notions, must change its structure to foster creativity.
“Spark: How Creativity Works” by Julie Burstein: This book incorporates reflections from well known people in the arts and reveals how they directed their creative processes. It is also a celebration of how they developed their careers and personal lives based upon their instincts and willingness to take risks.
Although we cannot expect creative thoughts to filter through our minds every waking moment, we can consider the rhythms of our thoughts and leave ourselves open to newly formed ideas.
As Rosabeth Moss Kanter, an American business speaker and consultant states, “Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility.”
CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.