I love both of these books.
In the inspiring guide to creativity, “Steal Like An Artist”, author Austin Kleon expands on “10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative”:
1. Steal like an artist
2. Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started
3. Write the book you want to read
4. Use your hands
5. Side projects and hobbies are important
6. The secret: do good work and share it with people
7. Geography is no longer our master
8. Be nice (the world is a small town)
9. Be boring (it’s the only way to get work done)
10. Creativity is subtraction
I was motivated and inspired by this book, which is perfect for teens and retirees alike. (Perhaps a gift for a new grad?)
Next, “The Scribble Diary” by Lisa Currie.
“Welcome to your own playful, personal doodling space. Release your thoughts. Make a memory collage. Draw your dreams. Reflect on your day. What’s in your brain right now?”
Exactly as the title suggests, this book is a diary, but not one that requires words. There are tons of prompts (“surprise of the day”, “the moral of the story”, “new rule for myself”) and frames for the reader to use to reflect in pictures and sketches. For me, it would be work, because as my loyal readers might be able to guess, I like to spill things out in words. But what a brilliant idea for all of the people out there who are less linguistic and more visual.
What I really wish is that there were a children’s version of this book. We expect so much from kids in terms of producing writing, but this would be such an effective method of having them share in pictures instead. I would totally use it with my students. If you can get on that, Lisa Currie, it would be greatly appreciated. Or wait a minute…if I “steal like an artist”, perhaps I could come up with a children’s version of this myself?
Disclosure: I was provided with the above books for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.