"How to Be Creative" by Hugh Macleod

My favorite book about creativity is If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit. I recently read Hugh Macleod’s ChangeThis manifesto called “How to be Creative,” and I think it’s as empowering as If You Want to Write. Hugh is the guy behind Gapingvoid (“cartoons drawn on the back of business cards”). If you’re facing writer’s block, blogger’s block, programmer’s block, whoever’s block, I recommend that you read Hugh’s essay. It inspired me to truly begin to work on my next book...

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Comments

[Peripheral Reader]

This might not help you to be more creative, but it's sort of amusing nonetheless...

http://creativiciousness.blogspot.com/

[The Junk Market]

One need not read in order to be creative.
One need only be creative...
Listen to the inner voice.
Have the courage to follow that voice.
... And try to stay sane in the process.

From nothing comes something. It is the nature of all things. It is also the nature of nothing.

Please try to validate or scientifically document the actuality or presence of nothing. It is impossible.

Nothing, therefore, is inherantly something.

Go figure.

[Daman]

Great post, thanks for giving me a great prep for a phone interview I have later this afternoon....gives me perspective on the job vs. startup question...

[John C. Randolph]

Guy,

I don't quite follow you. The book you linked to appears to be all about dealing with uncertainty. What does that have to do with backing a business plan that makes no sense?

-jcr

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John,

Read the book. I know you haven't because it's not out yet. All will become clearer although you have already grasped the answer.

Guy

[H Taylor]

Another great book about creativity, a little on the softer side, is The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. Even my successful, male, friend found it worthwhile.
H. Taylor
www.moddivorce.com

[mario]

The "art of" series is the part of the blog I appreciate more.

I just wanted to mention "the art of simplicity" as a possible future chapter.

Or, maybe requires a lot more time, "the art of synthesis".

[Victor Agreda Jr]

Always good to find more resources on creativity. Thanks for the link! "How to Think Like DaVinci" is worth a read as well (pretty quick too).

[Alex Hammer]

Writing powerfully, and authentically, is, as is known by those in the journalism and literary fields, about "finding one's voice". Similarly, popular blogs reach through the clutter of information in the world by informing, yes, but touching others in a way that stimulates the reader's voice as well, helps to bring it out.

It's the power behind the words. The "beingness" behind the message.

Companies that find their voice create great products, like Apple, now with the iPhone. It's about being tapped into the user experience in an authentic way, but also about using creativity to bring together disparate elements such that one moves beyond the recognized into the possible.

The "aha" moment is when we realize what we knew or almost knew at some level, but didn't realize that we knew.

It's the genius of common sense elements previously unrecognized.

[MartinE]

What a perfect encapsulation of why we should do new things! I've always dug his cartoons but this really puts a shine on his POV.
Nothing like veering off to read a 49 page manifesto in the middle of a busy morning. Thanks.

[John C. Randolph]

Any comments to offer on FilmLoop, Guy?

I mean, they must have been awfully creative to come up with a pitch that got millions of dollars of VC money for such an obviously pointless idea.

-jcr

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John,

The answer is in this book:

http://snipurl.com/17k4o

Guy

[Nicolette Beard]

I discovered Hugh back in November from reading Seth Godin's blog and was inspired to challenge my readers to write their own Mid-life Man-i-festo on at my blog Man-o-pause: Providing Midlife Men a Place to Breathe. Here's the original post: http://www.man-o-pause.com/manopause/2006/11/midlife_manifes.html
if you care to chime in and give Hugh some well-deserved mileage.