4 Inspiring Books About Creativity and a Silver Bookmark
Books about creativity
I love reading books about creativity, it’s so interesting to get a peek into other artist’s creative process, thoughts around creativity, techniques, workspace and inspiration. Here’s what’s on my bedside table just now.
4 Inspiring Books About Creativity
- Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings by Kelly Rae Roberts. Beautiful mixed-media techniques and projects as well as thought-provoking prompts and quotes to give your creative spirit wings.
- Living the Creative Life: Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists by Ricë Freeman-Zachery. A true gem of a book based on interviews with 15 very interesting and different artists on topics like the muse, creative blocks, keeping a sketchbook and prioritising your art. The first two books on the list are recommendations from artist Dana Barbieri, whose blog Create Share Inspire is full of inspiration.
- Creative Time and Space: Making Room for Making Art by Ricë Freeman-Zachery. A priceless book that puts the idea of making time and space at the core of creativity. It’s not just about managing your time or setting up a studio space in a way that suits you, it’s about your mindset, mental space and soul space, and about making room in your life for your art. Illuminating!
- The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor by Gail McMeekin. An empowering guide to maximizing your creative energy.
And a Silver Bookmark
Sterling silver bookmarks by Amy Ambroult of Elemental
These books about doing what I love mean so much to me that I think they deserve a very special bookmark and I’ve settled for a bookmark made by talented metalsmith Amy Ambroult of Elemental, who makes beautiful jewelry and three sterling silver bookmarks that adorn your books like a jewel. Isn’t her work simply amazing!?
I think I’ll pick the heart! And to thank my readers for all your support, I’ll buy one bookmark for one of you. All you need to do is comment on this post and tell me which your favourite book is (it can be on any topic), and which of Amy’s bookmarks you’d like!
The last day to participate will be the same day that the icon contest closes, on Friday 19th of March.
Tags: books, contest, creative process, creativity, giveaway, Inspiration
Hello Kate
I have Kelly Rae’s book and on my bedside table at the moment is “Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain”, “The Artists Way” and “Design: a lively guide for artists and craftspeople”. All four are jostling for my attention – you have now added to my list!!! Hope your leg is all better x
Hi Kate. I am glad you are enjoying the books. I also have had 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women for years. It is great. I might have to break it out for a re-read. I have on my wish list Creative Time and Space, along with many more. I have a pile of books by the side of my bed that is a mile high. That is so generous of you to offer a book mark. Amy is so sweet and has beautiful metal pieces. I have to agree with you. Hearts are my favorite!
xo,
dana
My current favorite book is Little Dorrit. I would like the baubles bookmark, please.
This is from afield a bit but, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig. It is the one book I have read that has had the greatest bearing on my life/creative life. It touches upon Quality, Problem Solving, Creativity, Intuition, non-Intellectualizing, non-Conceptualizing. It took a few starts to really wrap my head around the book, but when I did I devoured it.
“If your mind is truly, profoundly stuck, then it might be much better off than when it was loaded with ideas”
Hi, Kate! That is a lovely collection of inspiring reading–love your photo! I’ve no read any of these titles yet, will add them to my reading list. One of my favorite creative books is “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron as well as “Poetry in Stitches” by Norwegian knitwear designer Solveig Hisdal. :o) Those silver bookmarks are beautiful–they have a wonderful rustic quality. How sweet of you to give one away to us–thank you! Must say I rather fancy the one with the heart. ;o) Wishing you a great weekend ahead, my friend! ((HUGS))
I love all books – every single one – I always have at least 3-4 books on the go at any one time in subjects as diverse as psychology, craft, cooking, history and vampires (don’t ask!) so I always find this question so so hard. If pressed I would probably go for Ameliaranne and the green umberella a childrens book from 1920 that used to belong to my grandmother. It is old and stained but full of beautiful pictures and brings back happy memories – I hope that will do! I’d have a heart please (check out todays post and you will see why!) :D
Hi Kate,
These are great books. I love Kelli Rae’s book ,it’s fantastic. My favorite book …oh my….that’s a hard one because I love books. One book that I have read over and over throughout my life is Little House on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The adult favorite book is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.
Oh and who couldn’t love Amy and her work? She is such a talent. Such a great give away. Have a great weekend Kate.
Dearest Kate, i am a huge fan of creative books too! Thanks for sharing this list with us! I am really interested in Kelly Rae Roberts’s book. Will need to check it out at the local bookstore. Those bookmarks are gorgeous. I adore amy’s work. :) Have a lovely merry happy weekend and love to you!
Great giveaway!
My book favourites are waaaay too many to list here so I’ll go with the one that pops to mind first…it’s a children’s book called ‘The Sea-Child Thing’ and is just the most beautiful, beautiful book. I can’t tell you how much I love it.
Like you, I really like the heart bookmark, but to be honest….if I’m lucky enough to get my name drawn, I’ll be happy with any of them.
Can’t wait to read Creative Time and Space. It looks as though it was written for me :)
And many many thanks for this feature! It’s is interesting to see which bookmarks people prefer.
Oh, it’s so dangerous to ask book lovers what their favorite book is. But also so fun to see the responses. I think my favorite novels are probably The Museum of Unconditional Surrender and Middlemarch. Memoir is probably my favorite genre, and even though I don’t have an absolute favorite in the category, I was very, very moved by The Glass Castle.
So nice to see Amy’s work showcased. I love it all! But I think the heart and baubles bookmarks are my favorite. The guitar is so sweet too.
Michele
P.S. Sorry for the long silence! It’s nice to read your words again and slowly get back into the world of blogs. :)
Thanks for linking these books! I’ve been eyeing “12 Secrets” for a while, and it’s great to hear another endorsement.
I think my two favorite books are Dinotopia: A Land Lost in Time by James Gurney, and White Oleander by Janet Fitch. Though neither book is a “lofty” read, whenever I open either of those my creative juices surge, and something resonates inside.
My favorite bookmark is probably the baubbles, though all are beautiful.
Dearest Kate, hope you had a good weekend and wishing you a lovely merry happy week. Love to you!
I am a bookworm, and I may have to get a few if not all of these books into my queue! “Creative Time & Space” is the one calling my name most loudly at the moment. Thanks for sharing the books!
This picture made me smile, as some of this books have been on my (very very long) wish-list for quite a while ! It is hard to give one favorite book, but as I already told you, Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice are very, very high on the list…
What a fabulous list of inspirational reads. And I was so sorry to hear your hurt your ankle but if you’re going to do it, at least you did it doing something kind of beautiful and romantic (ie fleeing icicles in a medieval street)! I hope it’s getting much better.
xx
Hi Kate! Lovely collection! Its quite interesting! … phew… well, i love graphic design books … but my favorite book is “Point and Line to Plane” (Vasili Kandinsky 1926) > lines, colours ,music, inspiration, plastic ideas, communication… and more lines!! Absolutely fantastic! See ya!
Hi Kate, thank you, so much for your kind words on my blog.
Your post here is so appreciated. You’ve introduced me to some titles that sound appealing. I think I’ll be looking into ‘Creative Time and Space’ first.
Amy really has some unique and beautiful jewelry. I like her heart bookmark the best…hearts always make me smile. Which leads me to one of my favorite books—‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. I fell head over heels when I first read it to my son and daughter almost 20 years ago. I still pick it up, often, while passing the bookshelf, read a random page, and carry a clever and amusing quote with me throughout the day. Carroll’s imagination and creativity amazes me.
I’ll see you in Craft Blog Tune-Up.
Thank you for participating in the contest for Amy’s beautiful bookmarks and for all the kind comments about her work! I loved reading about your favourite books, lots of inspiration for reading here!
If I had to pick one of the books I listed it would be Creative Time and Space, so to those of you who are thinking of reading it I can definitely say that you’re in for a treat that isn’t just inspiring in general, but really helpful for making space for your art.
Again, many thanks for participating in this event! I’ll let you know when I’ve selected the winner!
I just found your blog and I love it! I was just looking for a reading list today when I stumbled upon yours, so I just had to link to your page. :)