Creativity is a skill we all need to hone, be it as designers at our workplaces or as chefs in our kitchens. One way to do it is by reading books and understanding how different creators motivated themselves to do great work.
One search on Amazon and you’ll find thousands of books that cater to creativity. Worry not! We have made your job easy by narrowing your search down to 5 must-read books to unlock your creativity.
1. The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda
One of the world’s top graphic designers and a professor at MIT, John Maeda talks about 10 laws of design that can be followed by designers, artists, and businesses. He talks about the simplicity paradox: how we want innovations that are simple and easy to use, and at the same time, innovations that do all the complex things we want them to do. He goes on to encourage creators to find a balance between simplicity and complexity in their creations.
2. You Are an Artist: Assignments to Spark Creation By Sarah Green
Sarah Green, a curator at an art museum for years, collects 50 assignments in this book to take you on a creative journey where you can sort books, discover imaginary friends, make brilliant designs, craft a landscape, or just doodle. She came up with these assignments by traveling around the country and meeting various innovators, asking them for prompts related to their work. You can filter these assignments to suit your needs and start discovering your inner creator.
3. Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic By Lisa Congdon
Lisa Congdon, a bestselling author, artist, and illustrator narrates her experience and shares advice to bring together various interviews with different illustrators, creatives, and artists to help you develop your own unique artistic voice. Find Your Artistic Voice takes you on a journey to develop your own visual identity through inspirational stories, practical strategies and hacks, and advices to overcome your insecurities and fears when it comes to creativity.
4. Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelly
This book puts forth an important message — all of us possess a limitless potential for creativity. But putting that creativity to work requires a great deal of effort. Creative Confidence puts forth a framework of innovation that encourages creators and innovators to look at the world in a way they have not before. Add to that various experiences and stories given by both of the authors and from different creators, this book should be a must-read for creators everywhere.
5. Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are by Danny Gregory
Do you ever feel like you just don’t have enough time on your hands to build some creative habits? How do you think out of the box when you have a hundred spreadsheets to organize and thousands of unread emails lying in your inbox? Art Before Breakfast is perfect for all aspiring artists that just cant’ seem to find time in their day. It’s filled with many exercises along with practical instruction on techniques and materials that can make your work creative and exciting.
Now that you have 5 books on your TBR list, which one will you pick first?
