4 Books to Help You Become a Better Creative

While many believe being creative is an innate talent, creativity is a skill that is built through inspiration, practice, and learning. Many musicians draw inspiration from many places: movies, paintings, books, other music, and even a walk in the park. Like them, you can consult different resources to build your creative career. While there are plenty of resources you can consult, books still remain a great way to boost your knowledge. If you’re interested in tips on becoming a better creative, listed below are four books that can help you.

The War of Art

At times, it’s our self-limiting beliefs that keep us from reaching our full creative potential. Steven Pressfield examines these negative forces within The War of Art, helping readers understand what keeps them from long-term growth. This “Resistance” often manifests in the form of fear, procrastination, or self-doubt. To overcome these limitations, Pressfield suggests ways you can use Resistance to your advantage or work around it, such as having a small set amount of time daily to work on your dream or creative projects—building the discipline needed to maintain a commitment to your craft.

Steal Like An Artist

To help you overcome your creativity block, Steal Like an Artist by New York Times bestselling author Austin Kleon shares how you can take inspiration from others to spur your own creative direction. In the modern age, it’s very easy to discover and understand what kind of pieces you like—which is why Kleon recommends “writing the book you want to read.” Kleon also highlights the importance of engaging with the creative community as it teaches you different processes and enables you to receive criticism. Through these practices, you can expand your worldview and drive yourself toward success.

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be

Creative director Paul Arden’s It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be provides a fantastic visual self-help guide to redirect readers away from their self-doubts and dream of higher goals. At the same time, the book reminds you to remain accountable for your work and move away from your desire to be always right, especially if you’re a professional creative. To drive your creative process, Arden recommends that you can first pitch potential layouts and ad campaigns, allowing you and your client to work together toward a shared creative vision.

The Creative Habit

Much like building a good habit, Twyla Tharp notes how creativity is built through a repeatable workflow. The Creative Habit describes creativity as an act of defiance. Rather than strictly following traditional means, being creative requires you to experiment with your craft by starting with the current skills you have. From there, Tharp recommends that you face a whole new set of skills, helping you better deal with failure and set higher expectations for yourself in the process. Through constant practice, you can build better confidence to continue your creative journey.

Where to Find More Creative Resources

With the development of technology, creative resources have become accessible almost anywhere. Case in point, the leading e-book and subscription platform Scribd provides plenty of resources all under one subscription. They provide books, audiobooks, documents, and sheet music that contain relevant information to help you drive your creative process. If you’re interested in more visual content, you can consult creative channels on Youtube, Instagram and TikTok for both informative and heartening videos. Also check out other dedicated art platforms such as WePresent, My Modern Met, Booooooom and It’s Nice That for more inspiration.

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