WHAT?….

This is the title of a book I have recently fallen in love with. For me it is a true gem.

It was a recommendation by our coach Andreas during the Creative Composition workshop.

The book contains lots of useful information for the creative mind.  The author is Austin Kleon. The couple of buck/euros are worth investing, already send out 3 copies to friends and the feedback so far was excellent 😉

Why is it different? The approach is a fresh one. For me quite often art/creative books try to be very serious/stiff: “Son, these are the fundamental rules you need to follow, so now get out and be creative and original…”

The author starts with a different angle on all creative works. There is no such thing as being original, everything builds upon each other.  It is ok to first copy (this does not mean imitation!) your heroes, school yourself and by working hard (yes this is always required…) you will slowly develop your own style and voice.  I found it to be a very encouraging book, opening several new windows. Spring is almost here, so let’s renovate the flat and put some new windows in 😉

Some ideas/quotes that stuck with me:

• “Ask anybody doing truly creative work, and they’ll tell you the truth: They don’t know where the good stuff comes from. They just show up to do their thing. Every day”
• Keep a praise file – even in a non artistic environment I found this not only motivating, when feeling down, but I use those in my last CV, so far my employers liked that very much
• Take time to mess around. Get lost. Wander…  For me this is a great method to recharge one’s batteries
• If possible get an analog workspace (no computer/electronics there). On a piece of paper you scribble, remove, change words or draw something quickly, way more creativity is going on here. When sitting in from of the PC it too easily forces you to become an “uptight perfectionist… we start editing ideas before we have them” I certainly can subscribe to this…
• Start a blog: DONE