I’m a big fan of self-improvement (not necessarily self-improvement literature, but I like to hack life to get the most out of it) – and the99percent.com has been praising Imagine: How Creativity Works for a couple of months now. I figured I would check it out.

Once I picked the book up, I could hardly put it down. I think I read it in under a week – that’s pretty good for me. Being busy doesn’t give me much time to read, but I made the time for Imagine.

Not self-help

I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised – Jonah Lehrer set out to compile an analysis of creativity through the study of neuroscience and real-life examples. He succeeded with flying colors.

The beauty of this book is that it isn’t a self-help book. It’s more of an inspirational research paper. Lehrer begins each section of this volume with a story followed up by science. After the science there’s also a suggestion. It’s a great framework.

Lehrer has taken what could have been a boring book and added a very personal touch to the text. Since Lehrer was able to personally visit many of the “subjects” that he researched, he is able to tell you very descriptive stories about their behaviors and personalities – even the environments in which they work.

From interacting with a champion Hawaiian surfer that benefits from Asperger’s to sitting down with legendary designer Milton Glaser, Lehrer tells you everything he can remember from his encounters. He did his homework, and he did it well.

Possibly opening doors for education reform.

Homework seems to remind me of schools, something else covered in Imagine. Lehrer took a few visits to various vocational schools with great reputations for producing highly creative people. Most notably (for me) is his visit to NOCCA ([intlink id="1659" type="post" target="_blank"]read more here[/intlink]).

Through the study of individuals, institutions, and digging into the processes of the human brain, Lehrer has taken a huge step for creative people everywhere.

And by analyzing the habits of highly creative people and breaking down the methods to the madness, Lehrer has unlocked an entirely new field of psychological science.

I’m looking forward to the future study of creativity, and plan on using some of the material in Imagine to further my own artistic goals (but I don’t plan on using amphetamines or THC to help the process along).

Should it be on your shelf?

All things said, I would highly recommend having this book on your shelf, whether you’re a creative professional or simply interested in how true creativity happens.

Honestly, these are ideas that could change the world – we need this material to be implemented in the 21st century. Click here to buy Imagine.

P.S.

Sorry about taking so long off. It’s been a while, and I know we said we were going to take 1 week off, but we took a few more. It’s been busy around the home and the studio – balancing clients and family comes before the blog, unfortunately.

We’ve also been working on another project – DrawCore.com is getting ready to launch at the end of the month! So head on over and check it out. It’s going to be exciting.

P.P.S.

We’re also updating our post schedule. With things the way they are around the studio at the moment, we’ll probably only be able to manage once a week posting. Sorry!

On the other hand, if you’d like to guest post on our blog to help fill up our calendar, go ahead and[intlink id="27" type="page"] send us a message[/intlink] with an idea pitch.