Do you ever feel stuck in the middle of a creative project or, arguably worse, even before you have started on a project? Does your creativity sometimes feel stunted or dried up? Do you struggle to get your creative juices flowing because you are afraid you aren’t talented enough? Perhaps we have a book that can help you. The library has a collection of books on the topic of creativity such as pep talk books to help give you a boost, books about being creative at work, and books to help you think differently.
There are some repeating themes in many of the creativity books. When you are a child, it is easy to be creative. You have time to play and are encouraged to use your imagination. You are less afraid of making mistakes or having everything be perfect. You rest and daydream. These are all tools for freeing up creativity.
Often, our creative endeavors are halted by worry. It may be worry about not being good enough or worry about something in our adult lives. In order to free up our minds, there are tips you can follow. Remember, for example, you probably won’t be great at anything until you have done it many times. Allow yourself to make mistakes and even to fail. That is how you will learn. I would argue that mistakes in our work make our work human. If we wanted perfection, we would allow machines to create everything for us. Along these lines, there is a book by Laurie Rosenwald entitled, “How To Make Mistakes On Purpose: Bring Chaos To Your Order.” She suggests, “Maybe try: If there’s something you really want, try a hundred times to get it. Did you write the great American novel? Superb! Now aim for a hundred rejection letters. Trust me-it can be done.”
Not surprisingly, books on creativity are often pretty creative themselves. They are written by creative people who have experience on the subject. Keri Smith has 
written several books that offer prompts and ideas to help you think outside of the box. One of her books, “How To Be An Explorer Of The World: Portable Art Life Museum,” encourages us to explore everything around us with new eyes. It is full of prompts and projects to help us see and think differently. Felicia Day’s book, “Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears And Unleash Creativity,” aims to help people identify and conquer what blocks them creatively. Common issues
such as procrastination, perfectionism and fear of failure are addressed in a humorous way, along with advice and workbook types of projects to guide you along the way.
“
Creative Quest,” by Questlove, is a smart, well-considered book in which we see into the creative process of many talented people. Questlove is a successful musician, film and music producer, DJ, designer, etc., yet he sometimes questions whether or not he is truly creative (spoiler alert: he is). Reading how universal self-doubt is is reassuring to me. Questlove also discusses curatorial thinking, stealing or mimicking ideas for inspiration, collaboration and escaping your comfort zone. I found this book easily engrossing.
Finally, I will mention a somewhat stylistically outdated book (published in 2010) from the library’s collection entitled “Creative Is A Verb,” by
Patti Digh, author of “Life Is A Verb” (it’s actually a noun, though I see what she’s doing there). This book contains stories, quotes and creative challenges, but, if I’m being honest, I just used it here for the title.
Now, go out there and get creative! Or, at least, read a book about it.
