Book: The Accidental Creative: How To Be Brilliant At a Moments Notice by Henry Todd
Another book to gush about. I may write a lot of positive reviews, but I also pick books very carefully. It’s hard to find the motivation to write about books that were only “meh”, though I may include reviews of some of them in the future.
Initial thoughts:
This book brings a lot of clarity to the creative process, which most people are clueless about (especially small business owners).
I found the book to be an easy read, highly quotable, and filled with several good practices to improve the creative process.
What I learned:
I knew this going in, but it’s foreign to most people – creativity is not innate. It’s a talent you have to develop like anything else. People aren’t born creative. It comes from their daily habits and actions. Really creative people work at it – daily.
One of the most beneficial aspects of this book is the creative guide. Todd Henry provides a workable guide for the creative at any level. From feeding yourself helpful stimuli to managing your time and energy – Henry provides the creative path, it’s up to the reader to follow it.
Energy Management – Everyone knows the value of tracking time, so why is energy management so neglected? Find out what activities boost your energy and drain them. Work to structure your day so you aren’t running too far into the red.
Stimuli – Garbage in, garbage out. What you consume every day makes a big difference. Before reading this book I did the best I could to spend time reading a book every day, but now I block out at least 30 minutes every single day. To get good ideas, you need good stimulants.
Favorite Quotes:
“Go to the grave with your best work still inside of you. Die empty.”
“Brilliance, on the other hand, is about rising to the occasion, seeing clearly and incisively to the core of the problem, and identifying great solutions quickly.”
“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” —Orson Welles
“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” —Jack London
“One of the first signs of the decline of many great companies is when they fail to recognize the “why” behind their day-to-day activities.”
“You must get comfortable with eliminating things in your life that are getting in the way of clarity and focus.”
A lifetime of mediocrity is a high price to pay for safety. Paranoia undoes greatness.”
“People who succeed are often those who do the little, everyday things that others won’t.”
“No matter what you say about your priorities, where you spend money and your time will prove them out.”
The Verdict: 9.8/10 – Must Read.
For the “I’m just not creative” crowd, this is a must read. Being creative is a talent. It takes effort and sweat to become creative, just like anything else.
For the creative class, you’ll pick up a lot of good ideas on structure, time management, and building a system to channel your creativity.
If you enjoy this book, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield makes an excellent companion.
Find “The Accidental Creative: How To Be Brilliant at a Moments Notice” by Todd Henry on Amazon
Connect with me on Twitter: @BenNesvig
I am definitely buying this book… and your book as well! came across your story on revolution.is… Kudos to you!
🙂
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