the process 3; The Creative Act: My Review

I have trouble with this book every time I open it.

I am most affected and pleased by how wonderfully it was designed, presented, and marketed.

It is a lesson to me in regards to business, selling, and knowing the target market.

It is a lesson to me in knowing what works for me and what does not.

I sensed that perhaps there was a ghostwriter writing this as he spoke on his understandings of creativity in the most general of senses.

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I have argued with people who are Rick fanatics that I do not consider him to be an artist, but instead a very creative person who is incredibly apt at maneuvering in his field of choice. I consider him very successful (it is apparent).

But for me to hear what someone says ('innerstanding' vs 'understanding'), they must speak from the heart. I am seeking to be moved.

To me, part of being an artist is the necessity to reveal oneself, however it appears. This book, to me, could have been an incredible opportunity to insert his own experiences and thoughts about what each element of being a creative was for him. It would have taken bravery to do so. More importantly, it would have taken someone who was actually able to do so. And someone with the drive to share it. That is an entirely separate practice.

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My experience reading The Creative Act:

My stomach tenses up and I sense such a big wall of inauthenticity that I cannot digest.

I experience this book in my head.

It is intellectual regarding something spiritual and it does not feel appropriately effective to me.

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My experience reading How to Write One Song:

My mind expands beyond itself, my body is relaxed.

I become curious about his curiosity and playfulness because of his personal anecdotes, and I am thrown into my own flow as a result.

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These are some of the messages I received from a variety of creatives after sharing a teaser of my review on my instagram:

I'll have to read that one!

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I would like to recommend a few other books that approach life lessons and creativity that include a heart-centered respect to the reader:

The Four Agreements (also, The Fifth Agreement) by Don Miguel Ruiz

Someone is borrowing my full-size version, but this book actually changed my life. Getting clarity around how I exist for myself within the world helped prepare me for a life of creative pursuits and how to witness other's dreams and projections without getting swooped into mine.

Devotion by Patti Smith

This book spends half the time talking about what it takes to write the book, and the second half is the story she wrote. This book offers a very cool artistic expression and self-observation in one, and I felt new pathways in my mind being created having read.

Making Movies by Sidney Lumet

Talk about heart centered creatives! After I read this book, my heart swelled so huge that I looked up Sidney's current location and was devastated to realize he had died only a couple years before. You can tell his passion by the way he perceives his crews and his mission. A creative IN PROCESS sharing his process. Highly valuable.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracián

From Wikipedia: It is a collection of 300 maxims, each with a commentary, on various topics giving advice and guidance on how to live fully, advance socially, and be a better person. This book was given to me when I was 21, just starting out in my creative field. It was instrumental in helping me align myself with my Self, so I could create fully, openly, without shame.

How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy

A literal guide to being creative in songwriting. The goal being to just write ONE song. A simple task, broken down by his authentic wins and losses as a songwriter and performer, through band dynamics and business challenges. It inspired me to dive into my own creative flow, much like I mentioned watching my friend's video did.

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These creations, creations from the heart, from personal truths, from the revealing of self, are the things that stick in my mind and soul. They inspire me and affect my art positively.

I hope you find those sparks in the books you choose to invest time, money and energy into!

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Let me know if you've read any of these, or if you have any other books you'd recommend!