Eight Books To Heal Your Creative Spark
The round-up of undercover books you haven't read before (promise!)
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First off: don’t let those eyes glaze over.
If you think you’re going to get the same ol’ list of greatest hits “books on creative inspiration” here, think again:
These are not creativity books at all. And I’ll tell you why.
Often, we seek answers in places that are shaped by the problem we have. So, if you’re feeling a creative burnout of sorts, you may instinctively look for books about creative inspiration. Corresponding solution to the corresponding problem, right?
I can’t overstate how much this has never worked for me.
Einstein’s “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it,” comes to mind here, and looking for creative answers in “creative books” doesn’t exactly get you outside of the box you’re stuck in.
Also? When I feel down is when I’m most likely to engage in creative comparison, and reading about how fortune, chance, and luck have all played varying roles of my favourite successful creatives can be more frustrating than helpful. (Because sometimes “keep showing up!” or “don’t quit!” may be good advice at the time, but it may also may not be.)
I’ve written here before about the more personal side of healing from burnout, and I know that when I’m experiencing it, I don’t need to soak up more about the ups and downs of creative living — because I’m, um… actively living them.
So, I stay clear of ‘creative inspiration’ books entirely when I feel like this.
Instead, I take a different tact:
I lean into the feeling of smallness that I have, and get out of my own head.
Why? Because when we’re feeling small and powerless, it can help to remind yourself that it’s okay to be small, and that the bigger picture — though daunting at times — is also inexplicably beautiful. And you get to be a part of that.
That’s where you can find your power again.
You won’t find the usual suspects of creative inspirers on this list, but you will find eight books that harness the power of science & nature to forever change how you see yourself and the world around you.
With that fresh perspective, creative inspiration is a heartbeat away.
Let’s get into it.
1. Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder & How It Can Transform Your Life - by Dacher Kelter
If you’re looking to regain your creative inspiration and heal burnout, one of the best things you can do is forget looking for inspiration and instead seek out awe.
Awe is a tough thing to define, but like most ineffable sensations, you know it when you feel it. (It quite literally has markers in your body when you experience it.) And because awe relates to the overall biggest picture possible that we can fathom, it’s transformative.
I believe that the purpose of awe is to reveal the big systems of life: the ecosystems, social systems, cultural meaning systems, moral systems, biological systems, solar systems. Feeling awe reveals the deep structure of the world, and then we start to transform. We transform in our sense of self and our understanding of the world. We transform in our sense of mystery about life. We become, as Jane Goodall said, amazed at things outside of ourselves. — Dacher Kelter
Those systems and processes that he’s talking about? They are creativity in action.
By tracking awe and wonder, you’ll learn more about the subtle balance of being in the world, but also of the world, and take things less personally — which is a trait that creative people are wise to cultivate. Highly recommend this one for anybody feeling the strain of everyday creative living during an ebb, burnout, or downturn.
Notable tidbits: Moral beauty, music, Berlin street art, and “cashmere blankets of sound” that surround us.
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