Comments on: Creativity Book Search Update

By: Alternatives

Alternatives — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:56:32 +0000

Hello,
Having browsed your lovely blog and seen your nice words about The Artist’s Way, we thought you’d like to know that Julia Cameron is giving her first ever UK workshop in London this autumn.
Julia will be coaching people for two days – Saturday November 7 and Sunday November 8 2009 – on unblocking creativity, rediscovering your creative self and sharing your unique creative gifts with the world.
Details and bookings are at http://www.alternatives.org.uk
Best wishes,
Alternatives
St James’s Church
197 Piccadilly
London
W1J 9LL
Tel: 020 7287 6711
http://www.alternatives.org.uk
Company Registration: 3978199

By: Barbara Martin

Barbara Martin — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:29:24 +0000

@Eileen Thank you for the suggestion to look further than “creativity books” per se — Martha Beck is certainly a great resource! (so many books, so little time LOL)

@Matt Thank you for the broader suggestions — I am planning on doing the Maisel book next, as it happens, even though it doesn’t lend itself to a class/workshop/program all that well. The Twyla Tharp book as well, despite not really being the format I’m looking for, in part because it is NOT from a writer’s perspective and she an awesome work ethic going on besides an interesting creative mind…

By: Matt Blair

Matt Blair — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:47:30 +0000

I haven’t read all of these cover-to-cover, so I can’t vouch for the 100% start-to-finish brilliance of them, but I have read enough of each to know they are worth a peek:

“On Becoming An Artist” Ellen J. Langer (no exercises, but great examples)
“Coaching the Artists Within” Eric Maisel
“Creating a Life Worth Living” Carol Lloyd (questions, exercises and interviews, mostly career-oriented)
“The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life” Twyla Tharp and Mark Reiter
“A Whole New Mind” Dan Pink (Not about creativity in the AW-sense…the first half is about the the shift to ‘the Conceptual Age’ and the second explores what Dan calls the ‘six senses’ it will be important to develop to thrive in this age: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning.)

I think there are a lot of good writing books that be interpreted or translated as general creativity books, but that sort of treats non-writers as second-class citizens. They deserve better!!

Good luck in your search,

Matt

By: Eileen

Eileen — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:30:51 +0000

Hmm, interesting question. Like Leah I can’t think of any books in a similar format to AW, but one slightly-related that jumped to mind is Steering by Starlight by Martha Beck. It’s not about the creative process per se, but how to tap in to your higher self (beyond ego) for guidance. Very powerful!

By: Barbara Martin

Barbara Martin — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:43:02 +0000

Hi Leah! Thank you for your quick recommended list! Interesting to notice nothing really in that course format popped into your mind. The McMeekin book is sort of a sequential one… I have not read the Nina Wise book yet, will have a look for it.

By: leah

leah — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:20:36 +0000

I can’t think of any books in the same format as the Artist’s Way that I’ve loved, but some creativity favorites are: “a big new free happy unusual life” by nina wise, “marry your muse” by jan phillips, “the 12 secrets of highly creative women” by gail mcmeekin, “trust the process” by shaun mcniff and many others that aren’t occuring to me at the moment. hope that helps!