Saturday Lazy Creativity Issue #04: One, One, One Recommendation
Saturday Lazy Creativity Issue #04 Hi there, good morning! Here is one short tip to developing a creativity habit. This post takes under 5 minutes to read. The greatest gift you could give me would be to send this to one person you think might benefit from it. If they subscribe, they get a free book and you look like a hero. Don’t we all want to be heroes?
One, one, one recommendation
I’ve been doing a number of Lazy Creativity workshops for different teams (I called it my Lazy Roadshow – let me know if you’d be interested in joining for a session!) – I had one such workshop yesterday. We talked at length about Original versus Shared creativity. Here is a quick snapshot of those concepts:
It turns out there was a misconception that if you didn’t have the original, or novel idea that you weren’t being creative. I went on to reframe the borrowing of ideas as sharing. We all do it. The great artist, Michelangelo, who we often associate as being someone full of first-time (aka Original) ideas borrowed from the work of artists and creators who came before him. It’s been done throughout all of history. All creators and makers borrow from those who came before us, and you should too.
You don’t have to have a proverbial lightbulb moment where you invent something completely new and exciting. You can simply soak up the ideas around you and make your own mark on them. In fact, it’s incredibly important for your creative growth that you do soak up the work and ideas around you. In the spirit of that I’m going to suggest one book, one website, and one podcast to get you started.
One Book: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
Steal Like An Artist, a book by Austin Kleon - Austin Kleon
The author makes the case that nothing is original anymore and that we shouldn’t focus on trying to develop that novel idea that will change the world. Instead, you should focus on creating the type of work you’d be interested in. Write the book you want to read, paint the painting you’d want to hang up in your house, or cook the meal you’d actually eat. Kleon goes on to provide resources for unlocking your creativity in a very approachable way – his message is in tune with the whole concept of Lazy Creativity. At 140ish pages, this is a quick but potent read.
The book covers 10 succinct topics. From Kleon’s website:
Steal like an artist.
Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.
Write the book you want to read.
Use your hands.
Side projects and hobbies are important.
The secret: do good work and share it with people.
Geography is no longer our master.
Be nice. (The world is a small town.)
Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)
Creativity is subtraction.
One Website: The Stanford Design School’s Library of Ambiguity
Library of Ambiguity (stanford.edu)
As a web design nerd, this website makes me geek out. Okay, I digress. The website provides resources and tips for tackling an ever-changing landscape. There are resources here to help people learn the important skill of navigating that ambiguity and coming out the stronger despite it.
This website is full of different creativity resources, including exercises, journey maps, cards, experiments, and articles.
From their website: "At the d.school we endeavor to enable our students in eight core design abilities so that they might develop their own creative confidence and also inspire others, take risks, and persevere through tough projects throughout their lives."
One Podcast: The Accidental Creative with Todd Henry
Accidental Creative: Creativity workshops, podcasts, and training for teams - Accidental Creative
Henry offers weekly tips for being balanced in life while building a creative practice. He talks about motivation, sustainability, burnout, and ideas for building a resilient creative process. Most of his episodes are 15-30 minutes long so it is approachable. Henry also has a book of the same title which kicked off before the podcast, so if reading is more your speed, you can check that out too. From Henry’s website: The Accidental Creative teaches effective practices that support your creative process. You’ll discover how to:
Focus in on your most critical work and reclaim your attention.
Develop stimulating relationships that will lead to creative insights.
Effectively manage your energy so that you are always ready to engage.
Curate stimuli that help you stay mentally focused.
Leverage your hours wisely and effectively to eliminate creativity drains.
The Accidental Creative is your guide to staying fresh and doing your best work each day.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back next Saturday with the next Lazy Creativity Issue. If this was helpful, please consider passing it along to someone else or sharing it on social media.
Find me on LinkedIn: Kyle Bernier, MAATC | LinkedIn or on Instagram: @Kyle_Bernier and @Lazy.Creativity. I sometimes make pretty things.
Cheers,
Kyle