Do you long to be more creative in your work? Wish you had more creative approaches to your everyday routine? Try out these resources and see if they add that little thrill of discovery to your life. Take Twyla Tharp’s quizzes, see gorgeous artwork that inspires, let Lynda Barry teach you, and listen to Sir Ken Robinson this week.
The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp
This is one of my favorite books. Filled with examples of how Tharp, a gifted dancer and choreographer, developed her talents and anecdotes from other writers, artists, and creative people, this book will inspire you to be more innovative in everything you do. In particular, Tharp’s “creative autobiography” quiz is useful for identifying specific activities that you’ll find rewarding in your day-to-day life.
If you love to find inspiration in the work of other people, try Intent, a website developed by Deepak Chopra and others that focuses on learning, spirituality, and success. This week, it helped me discover Iris Scott, an amazing artist who creates beautiful impressionistic landscapes. The intriguing thing? Scott paints entirely with her fingers. What’s more inspiring than grown-up finger-painting?
“Bring on the Revolution,” by Sir Ken Robinson
I adore Ken Robinson. The British educational writer and former teacher’s current work revolves around increasing creativity in education and helping others find meaningful careers. This widely-watched TED talk examines the roots of our present education system and proposes changes that will give our children the resources to succeed. For parents of young children or those seeking new career avenues, Robinson’s books are also must-reads.
What It Is, by Lynda Barry
I stumbled across artist and writer Lynda Barry’s syllabus for a course on the mind recently and was fascinated by her unique style. Immediately, I wished I could take one of her courses! But if you’re not quite ready to pay tuition, read one of her books—like What It Is, a combination memoir and how-to manual that will inspire you to think about how to create new things. Transforming standard mediums of communication into visual representations, Barry’s drawing reflects the complexities of being a thoughtful, creative individual. Barry also makes many of her course assignments and class projects available on Tumblr.
Hope Bordeaux is a librarian and writer who blogs about yoga, books, and creativity at hopebordeaux.com. She is also a Book Guru for Where is My Guru and her writing has appeared online in Treehouse, AdiosBarbie, and It's All Yoga, Baby.
@hopebordeaux @dailymuse i used the Creative Habit in a seminar on the creative process. Eager to check out the others! Thank you!
@rosiemolinary Her "creative autobiography" exercise is fab, right? I think you'll love Lynda Barry & Ken Robinson.
@hopebordeaux It is! In fact, the idea inspired the body image autobiography that I have my students do now!
“@OPL_Friends: Do you long to be more creative? Check out these picks for what to read on your commute this week: http://t.co/iRpU34fgYV”
