Creative Development

Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, he has learned that being an artist isn’t about your specific output, it’s about your relationship to the world.

For centuries, poets and philosophers extolled the benefits of a walk in the woods: Beethoven drew inspiration from rocks and trees; Wordsworth composed while tromping over the heath; Nikola Tesla conceived the electric motor while visiting a park. Intrigued by our storied renewal in the natural world, Florence Williams sets out to uncover the science behind nature's positive effects on the brain.

A modern classic cherished by many of the greatest artists of our time, The Gift is a brilliant, life-changing defense of the value of creative labor. Drawing on examples from folklore and literature, history and tribal customs, economics and modern copyright law, Lewis Hyde demonstrates how our society - governed by the marketplace - is poorly equipped to determine the worth of artists’ work.

In Creative Quest, Questlove synthesizes all the creative philosophies, lessons, and stories he's heard from the many creators and collaborators in his life, and reflects on his own experience, to advise listeners and fans on how to consider creativity and where to find it. He addresses many topics - what it means to be creative, how to find a mentor and serve as an apprentice, the wisdom of maintaining a creative network, coping with critics and the foibles of success, and the specific pitfalls of contemporary culture.

Anyone who has ever picked up a creativity or self-help guide has likely been advised to keep to a daily schedule, daily pages, or other everyday ritual. But "just do it" usually just doesn't work. Longtime creativity coach and therapist Eric Maisel has found an approach that does work: giving clients, and now listeners, a clear understanding of what makes them personally blocked or stuck and unable to start or finish.

Learn how to tell a good story with Your Story, Well Told! Jam-packed with some of the best storytelling strategies, this manual gives creatives the confidence bump they need to make the sale, land the client, propose a toast, or impress their date. The following is (not) a work of fiction. We've all got stories to tell - but how do you make your story the best story? In Your Story, Well Told!, The Moth veteran Corey Rosen inspires you to get on stage and tell your story.

An expanded edition of the classic on creativity by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes guides you through the dark labryinths of the psyche in search of la chispa - the ember that is the elemental source of all creative work. Dr. Estes teaches about the hidden aspects of creativity, including the negative complexes that prey upon creative energy.

There is a paradox. As children, most of us think we are highly creative; as adults many of us think we are not. What changes as children grow up? Organizations across the globe are competing in a world that is changing faster than ever. They say they need people who can think creatively, who are flexible and quick to adapt.

Use the power of your imagination to help create what you want in life! This best selling guide will teach you simple and practical techniques for changing negative habit patterns, improving your self-esteem, reaching career goals, developing your creativity, and much more. Techniques include deep relaxation, asking for guidance, and visualizing goals. Create an inner sanctuary and open up the natural centers of your body - and use your mental imagery to achieve positive changes in your life.

Learn how to use the power of your imagination to create what you want in life! Based on Shakti Gawain's best selling book, Creative Visualization, this presentation teaches you methods for using mental imagery and affirmation to produce positive change. Today, creative visualization techniques are used successfully in the fields of health, athletics, business, education, and the creative arts.

Creative visualization is a process in which a person uses positive thoughts and expectations to bring about the fulfillment of desired goals or ambition. This process uses the concept of positive thinking and involves the use of all the senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. It is a powerful tool that communicates a person's confidence and creates an impact to a person's internal and external environments.

Too often, companies and individuals assume that creativity and innovation are the domain of the "creative types." But two of the leading experts in innovation, design, and creativity on the planet show us that each and every one of us is creative. In an incredibly entertaining and inspiring narrative that draws on countless stories from their work at IDEO, the Stanford d.school, and with many of the world's top companies, David and Tom Kelley identify the principles and strategies that will allow us to tap into our creative potential.

People of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear.

All it takes to make creativity a part of your life is the willingness to make it a habit. It is the product of preparation and effort, and is within reach of everyone. Whether you are a painter, musician, businessperson, or simply an individual yearning to put your creativity to use, The Creative Habit provides you with 32 practical exercises based on the lessons Twyla Tharp has learned in her remarkable 35-year career.

This provocative book reveals why sitting in front of a light box can increase your creativity more than listening to a Bach concerto as example. The author Shelley H. Carson, a Harvard psychologist, explains that creativity isn't something only scientists, investors, artists, writers, and musicians enjoy; in fact, all of us use our creative brains every day at home and at work. Each of us has the ability to increase our mental functioning and creativity by learning to move flexibly among several brain states.

Creative flow has blessed me with 39 novels that have collectively sold over 5 million copies, in sixteen languages, in under eight years, earning me over $10 million and over fifty spots on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and foreign bestselling lists. All of my dreams came true because I learned to write amazing fiction. I wrote this book for the old me—the girl who had big dreams, but no real idea how to write the books she’d need to make those big dreams come true. I wanted to make it easier for her to get to where I am now by sharing what I learned along the way.

Handmade is a profound meditation on the eternal value of manual work, creativity, human fallibility, and the stubborn pursuit of quality work. Rogowski tells his life story of how he became a craftsman and how years of persistent work have taught him patience, resilience, tolerance for failure, and a love of pursuing beauty and mastery for its own sake.

This audiobook is for highly sensitive people who have felt out of place in the modern world. It provides a narrative that describes how they fit into a lineage of creatives throughout history. Jacob Nordby offers a bold new definition of success in the modern era. "The only success now is living and creating a work-of-art life: unique, rich with meaning, naked of anything we don't care about, and ruthless about carving out something absolutely real from a world that has gorged itself on fakeness and become critically ill from it."

The New York Times bestselling author of The Buddha and the Badass and The Code of the Extraordinary Mind shares the secret weapon of the world’s top achievers: his signature hyper-efficient meditation program that anyone can make time for.

Read by then author, this is an audio compilation of Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work and Keep Going, the bestselling and transformative series on how to unlock your creativity, find community and an audience in the digital age, and stay focused, creative and true to yourself—for life. Includes full text from Steal Like an Artist, on the ten things nobody ever told you about being creative; Show Your Work, on how to take that critical next step on a creative journey; and Keep Going, for anyone trying to sustain a productive life.