This article should really be called 5 Books To Inspire Productivity For Multi-Hyphenates and not 5 Books to Inspire Productivity For Creatives. Why? Because I am a multi-hyphenate and not all of the books are about creativity, but, all have inspired me into productivity.
I come from a long line of productive people, and therefore and have been obsessed with productivity for most of my life because of it.
“One cannot be so blessed as to only do one thing at a time. Life only gets more complicated, and so, you have to learn to all of them,” my dad often said to me. I often came home crying from school and battled to balance my 10, 000 extra-curricular activities plus being a good student.
I cried still more after hearing those words, but ended up kissing them as if they were my rosary through many tough ‘balancing’ situations — and I have come out with a capacity to hold more than most people my age.
Oftentimes both productivity and creativity have the tendency to come to a standstill — and we find ourselves back at the drawing board, dreading the work we’ve been procrastinating, causing it to pile up even more.
If this is you then be encouraged by a list of 5 books that have given me clarity in times of dire need as a multi-hyphenate, and I hope that you might gain from them too…
BOOK ONE THE WAR OF ART (STEVEN PRESSFIELD)
Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s good. The more scared we are of a work or calling, the surer we are that we have to do it. The degree of fear equated to the strength of resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there would be no resistance.
— Steven Pressfield, The War Of Art
A historian and best-selling author, Steven Pressfield popularized the idea ‘resistance’ in his book The War Of Art where he explores the ‘work’ that individuals need to complete in their life and the things that stand to war against the completion of that work. In short, it is a manual for self-mastery at the highest degree and changed the way I even think of my own thoughts. Pressfield also has a book called, Do The Work, but, read this one!
The truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self- mastery, while those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them – Socrates
BOOK TWO WHEN TALENT ISN’T ENOUGH (KRISTEN FISCHER)
Kristen Fischer goes for the jugular in When Talent Isn’t Enough, a book for the creative freelancer — which, I became after reading her book, strangely enough (didn’t plan it that way). She tackles all of the necessary issues and mostly just wants the creative to get some good business sense… This is rare amongst creatives as one has to learn to strike a good balance between client expectations and ones’ ego and ones’ vision/personal brand. Fischer is practical, gives examples and lists, and is helpful in this unassuming handbook of hers, and writing this made me consider reading it again for a basic refresh.
The tendency is to underestimate the value you are bringing to the process… It’s reasonable that you want to do what excites you; few people are brave enough to even entertain the idea of trying to make a business based on their talent.
— Kristen Fischer, When Talent Isn’t Enough
BOOK THREE STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST (AUSTIN KLEIN)
I’ve often found that I’ve been presented with books at just the time that I needed them. Steal Like An Artist by Austin Klein was one of those. Drawn to the almost, simplistic nature in his writing, I bought this while combing through books at the well-known bookstore in Fishhoek. Klein drops simple truths (sometimes so simple they seem to be cliches) and unpacks them for us one by one as he explores the real nature of creativity, and how things like ‘stealing’ and procrastination might just help you find yourself.
Ask anybody doing truly creative work, and they’ll tell you the truth: They don’t know where the good stuff comes from. They just show up to do their thing. Every day.
— Austin Klein, Steal Like An Artist
BOOK FOUR ART OF CREATIVE THINKING (ROD JENKINS)
Everyone has their theories about creativity — just like everyone has an opinion or a nose, and the list goes on… — however, I have used a lot of what Rod Jenkins has written about in his book, the Art of Creative Thinking in my daily work as a Brand Strategist and Trend Analyst when actively seeking new ways for clients to engage with their audience, etc. His writings on the ‘prepared mind,’ curiosity, and the testing of assumptions have made an indelible mark on both my creative and critical thinking.
We have all had the experience of taking something for granted as the basis for opinion or action, and then subsequently finding that we had made an assumption – probably an unconscious one – that was unwarranted. Watch out for these preconceptions! They are like hidden sandbanks outside the harbor mouth. Preconceived ideas are the ones you entertain before actual knowledge. The really dangerous ones are those below your level of awareness.
— Rod Jenkins, Art of Creative Thinking
BOOK FIVE CAREER ADVICE FOR AMBITIOUS WOMEN (MRS. MONEYPENNY)
This book has got nothing to do with being creative. However, there’s nothing better for a creative than to read a book on business! More especially a book on business written by a woman. I found it milling at a discount stand, couldn’t put it down, and was quoting it for weeks. It so resonated with me as a female in today’s world.
There are many favourite quotes from this book, but, here is one of the most poignant —
We (women) feel pathetically grateful to receive whatever we are paid, and assess the rewards of our work (flexible working, interesting occupation, sense of achievement) as a reason not to ask for more pay.
But, if you operate in a man’s world, you should ask for a man’s pay. If they offer you something else, just say no. Men don’t think twice about this.
— Mrs. Moneypenny, Career Advice For Ambitious Women
Are you a ‘creative’? Do you have books that have inspired you to be more productive? Let us know — leave a comment below and we’ll get busy reading!
P.S. These were a few pictures taken on the day that I bought Steal Like An Artist at the small book shop in Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa.
Love,
Eden
#TheGoodSis
