The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, Denmark
Creative Riff
For most of my life, I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by musicians. I found it thrilling, getting to watch them unleash their inner artistry in all sorts of ways with whichever instrument they chose.
But more than anything, I deeply enjoyed watching people perform as a group because things just seemed to move to a whole other level when multiple players were involved. I loved getting to see how they would start off in unison based on the material they practiced before eventually switching things up to a completely different dimension.
Maybe this happens in most of the arts, in movies, theater, dance, and more; just as in music, something magical occurs in which the moment is all you really have, where improvisation can take place. It’s the same reason why I appreciate any time I get to witness jazz performers with their skillful prowess, entering this flow state together.
Perhaps this is a result of thousands of hours put in, an experience resulting from internalizing so much already that they no longer rely on the mechanics but pure hunch—riffing off each other with so many layers enough to leave you spellbound. I wonder if it’s not unlike the idea creatives say about doing the work and preparation beforehand, so that when the time comes, you can finally let it all go and play.
This makes me think about the way ideas work in general and how they don’t belong to any one person. Across numerous domains, we have a right to try them out for ourselves, to test their validity before choosing to create something that matters.
That said, in the spirit of the creative riff, I put together a short list that could hopefully inspire you in the same vein. Here are five books I recommend to hone your artistic creativity.
1. The Creative Act By Rick Rubin
This was such an enjoyable read from beginning to end, and what stood out for me was his reframing of creators as channels or conduits from a universal source. It’s definitely not the first time I’ve come across this insight, and something about it rings true.
Another concept he highlights is how the process should be approached as a daily, intuitive practice rather than a high-pressure task. This resonates with me because it encourages everyone to lower the stakes, which helps reduce the common pitfalls of perfectionism, including the frustration and impatience that come with it.
Using his four-part framework that includes seed, experimentation, crafting, and completion, he emphasizes the value of playing over working while finding joy in the experimentation phase. This is such a philosophically insightful book that offers a deep exploration of creativity as a fundamental part of our lives.
“All art is a work in progress. It’s helpful to see the piece we’re working on as an experiment. One in which we can’t predict the outcome. Whatever the result, we will receive useful information that will benefit the next experiment. If you start from the position that there is no right or wrong, no good or bad, and creativity is just free play with no rules, it’s easier to submerge yourself joyfully in the process of making things. We’re not playing to win, we’re playing to play. And ultimately, playing is fun. Perfectionism gets in the way of fun. A more skillful goal might be to find comfort in the process. To make and put out successive works with ease.”
2. The Artist’s Way By Julia Cameron
This is a popular one that I constantly notice gets talked about in lots of artist groups, and I can honestly say that I understand its allure after delving into it myself. Through a structured 12-week program, Cameron takes you on a journey to unlock your artistic creativity in a transformative way.
Each week, she helps you go inward to dismantle any self-criticism, fear, and blocks that keep you from experiencing your creative passion. With activities like morning pages and artist dates, she incrementally helps you foster the courage to elevate your process with daily discipline and self-care.
Just from hearing others’ stories, I’ve seen people share how this book helped them clear out toxic mental clutter and self-judgment within mere weeks of doing the work every week. So if you’re looking for some inspiration on how to rediscover your intuition, this is definitely worth checking out.
“People frequently believe the creative life is grounded in fantasy. The more difficult truth is that creativity is grounded in reality, in the particular, the focused, the well observed or specifically imagined. As we lose our vagueness about our self, our values, our life situation, we become available to the moment. It is there, in the particular, that we contact the creative self. Until we experience the freedom of solitude, we cannot connect authentically. We may be enmeshed, but we are not encountered. Art lies in the moment of encounter: we meet our truth and we meet ourselves; we meet ourselves and we meet our self-expression. We become original because we become something specific: an origin from which work flows.”
3. Flow By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
There’s just no talking about improving your craft without covering the state of flow, the feeling of complete absorption of an activity, so much so that you can go through a “loss of self.” Popularized by the famous Hungarian-American psychologist and pioneering co-founder of positive psychology, his book offers a deep dive into the phenomenon and how to cultivate it every day.
One way Mihaly suggests for harnessing flow is by finding the proper challenge of any art form that matches your skill level. That way, you are working at the exact zone you need to be, in the middle of boredom and frustration, where it’s not too easy, not too hard, and just right.
Other techniques he argues for reinforcing the experience are minimizing distractions from the present moment, setting clear goals, and focusing on the process over the outcome. For those in search of science-based methods to put this into regular practice, this might be the book you’ve been looking for.
“To overcome the anxieties and depressions of contemporary life, individuals must become independent of the social environment to the degree that they no longer respond exclusively in terms of its rewards and punishments. To achieve such autonomy, a person has to learn to provide rewards to herself. She has to develop the ability to find enjoyment and purpose regardless of external circumstances.”
4. Story By Robert McKee
If you’re looking to hone your artistic creativity in the realm of story building, this book is definitely worth adding to the list. In it, McKee delves into the foundations of crafting a compelling story that will resonate with your audience in an impactful way.
Using a comprehensive framework centered on narrative, he helps you understand the main components writers could use to elevate their skills in a “show, not tell” manner. A key takeaway for me was his advice to writers on the importance of focusing on substance, design, and style rather than a specific formula.
With chapters covering characterization, structure, action, conflict, and more, this is hands down a useful read for getting to the heart of powerful storytelling. Personally, I think this is an invaluable skill that you can use across all disciplines.
“We go to the movies to enter a new, fascinating world, to inhabit vicariously another human being who at first seems so unlike us and yet at heart is like us, to live in a fictional reality that illuminates our daily reality. We do not wish to escape life but to find life, to use our minds in fresh, experimental ways, to flex our emotions, to enjoy, to learn, to add depth to our days.”
5. Deep Work By Cal Newport
For those interested in expert advice on elevating the creative process with heightened concentration and depth, this one will leave you with plenty of hacks and ideas to use. With so many elements competing for our attention, Newport speaks to this issue by promoting intense, distraction-free work along with the benefits that come with it.
In reading it, what stood out to me was his Deep Work Hypothesis, highlighting that the ability to focus without disruption on cognitively demanding tasks is a rare skill leading to reduced “attention residue” and accelerated skills acquisition. He argues that in prioritizing deep work, you will learn much faster and significantly enhance the quality of your creative output.
With his four rules, he encourages artists to break free from repetitive, superficial tasks by designing dedicated sessions, embracing boredom, reducing shallow forms of entertainment, and being more intentional. This is so essential and relevant for professionals in any field who want to maximize their time and experience greater meaning in their work.
“The Deep Work Hypothesis: The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.”
Back On Track
In anything you start off with, it’s not so easy to access that immersive state some people describe as the feeling of transcending time and space. That might not be encouraging to hear, especially in the beginning, when you might find yourself impatiently staring at a blank page, blank canvas, or blank songbook, wondering when the magic happens.
Thankfully, we are not alone in the pursuit of purpose and meaning, surrounded in a world of creativity that can help us tap into our inner voice, no matter how difficult the struggle may be at first. Sometimes, it might be helpful to step away from whatever it is we’re working on, to give it a moment before that one idea finds you, so much so that before you know it, you’re ready to go, and you’re back on track.
