Six Books On Creativity That Will Change The Way You Work
Whatever your life or business story, creativity and innovation play a significant role in it. From collaboration to communication, each step forward is usually a result of doing the same thing differently. These six books on creativity will give you new perspective and insight into how creation and innovation can be used to shape a richer life.
How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery
Kevin Ashton
As a technology pioneer and the leader of three successful start-ups, Kevin Ashton knows one thing for sure – creativity lives in everyone. In his mission to unveil the ‘mystery’ of invention, Ashton dissects the journeys of creative geniuses in the worlds of art, science, business and culture.
His behind-the-scenes explorations unmask creativity not so much as a burst of brilliant ideas than it is a commitment to ordinary thinking, openness to failure and patience to go through the process. If you are picking up this book, be prepared to live a bigger life and make your creative mark in the world.
Yes And
Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton
Here is your backstage pass into The Second City, a comedy theatre in Chicago that has shaped some of the world’s best comic minds through the improvisational process. From this fertile training ground, its two executives have compiled practical tips for living and thriving in a new world of work where the old rules of leadership and teamwork no longer apply.
Creativity, collaboration and communication. These same three pillars upon which the likes of Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey built their sterling careers could now be the foundation of yours too.
The XYZ Factor
Nancy Lublin and Alyssa Ruberman
Based on the inner workings of DoSomething.org, this book has been touted as a blueprint for corporations striving to appeal to a millennial workforce. Its key point? Create an organisation that isn’t just fun but which also has a strong impact on the rest of the world. That, in essence, is the XYZ factor.
Each chapter is written by a staff of DoSomething.org thus offering a unique perspective on driving social change through a corporate culture of innovation, accessibility and transparency. These first person voices lend credibility and solidness to new world of business concepts that would otherwise come across as idealistic or worse, pretentious.
A Curious Mind: The Secret To A Bigger Life
Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman
Curiosity is the precursor to inspiration. So says Academy Award-winning producer, Brian Grazer, who has spent years in conversation with scientists, spies, adventurers and business leaders.
What he learnt has confirmed his own belief that inquisitiveness has the power to push against the walls of one’s life. This book will show you how to harness your natural curiosity to make a change in whatever part of your life that needs an overhaul.
Release date: April 14
The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight and the Brain
John Kounois and Mark Beeman
What else is to be expected from neuroscientists than a fascinating voyage into the brain’s creative space? In displaying their collection of research into “Aha! moments”, Kounios and Beeman shine a light on the essential bridge between confusion and insight.
By combining cutting-edge science and compelling real life examples, the duo explains the sudden presence of that delicious spark of creativity and discovery and how to experience it more often.
Release date: April 14
The Misfit Economy
Alexa Cray and Kyra Maya Philips
An economic historian and a political economist on a quest for entrepreneurial insights take the path less travelled into the minds of pirates, computer hackers and gangsters. There they gain access to a treasure trove of the creative and innovate methodologies that rule informal economies.
Branding them the “genius of underground innovation” Cray and Phillips pose questions over their work practices, organisation skills and approach to innovation. Their conclusion is that these “misfits’” pioneer mentality and ingenuity are invaluable to business in the formal marketplace.
Release date: June 16
Image Credit: Anne Marthe Widvey
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