How to Avoid Making Art (or Anything Else You Enjoy)
Julia Cameron
Tarcher/Penguin
Nonfiction, Creativity
*****
DESCRIPTION: You want to write that novel... but first, you have to confide in your most negative and jealous friends so they can tell you how you're sure to fail. You want to paint that masterpiece... but you're sure someone's already done it better than you ever could. You want to follow your dream... but only after you've helped everyone else follow theirs, and finished all the overtime at work that you volunteered to do. This book, illustrated by Elizabeth Cameron, shows the would-be artist of all media how best to avoid creating anything.
REVIEW: I'm sure most anyone with any remotely creative urges has done more than one of these. I'm sure guilty of several art-postponing habits mentioned here... A fun read, and all too true.
You might also enjoy:
No Plot? No Problem! (Chris Baty, Writing - A no-excuses guide to writing a novel in 30 days or fewer)
The Art of War for Writers (James Scott Bell, Writing - A no-nonsense look at how to be a writer by actually writing)
Things To Do While Avoiding Things To Do: And 56 More Fun Lists for Procrastinators (Mark J. Asher, Nonfiction - Lists to prolong any procrastination project)
Hocus Pocus, You're Focused! (Arthur Laud, Nonfiction - How to rein in and redirect the chronically wandering mind)
A Whack on the Side of the Head (Roger Van Oech, Nonfiction - How to generate creative ideas)
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Supplies: A Troubleshooting Guide for Creative Difficulties
Julia Cameron
Tarcher/Penguin
Nonfiction, Creativity
****
DESCRIPTION: You have a great idea... so why are you having so much trouble getting it off the ground? Be it an artistic endeavor, a business, or anything else you want to do with your life, the obstacles to following your dreams are often the same. This book offers tips for identifying those obstacles and removing them, or at least minimizing their impact.
REVIEW: I purchased this because I'd enjoyed another book by the author and there was a dragon on the cover. (I never said I was a particularly intelligent book buyer...) This is actually a very good guide, showing the many ways people manage to screw up their own dreams, or let other people screw up for them. If I didn't give it top marks, it's because I haven't personally launched any creative endeavors of the kind this book is aimed at, and thus didn't find myself significantly helped by several of the exercises; if/when I do start anything, I might kick it up a half-notch.
You might also enjoy:
Ask and it is Given (Esther and Jerry Hicks, Nonfiction - Methods to create a more fulfilling life)
Hocus Pocus, You're Focused! (Arthur Laud, Nonfiction - How to rein in and redirect the chronically wandering mind)
The Laws of Money, the Lessons of Life (Suze Orman, Nonfiction - Creating wealth and a stable, honest life go hand-in-hand)
A Whack on the Side of the Head (Roger Van Oech, Nonfiction - How to generate creative ideas)
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