Creative Confidence: Unleashing The Creative Potential Within Us All (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I guess if you need a kick in the pants to get creative in your professional life this book would be a good place to start. For me it was assigned reading for a community board that I serve on and if I hadn't been assigned to read the thing I'm not sure I'd have gone further than the first chapter or two. It wasn't a particularly long read and there wasn't anything offensive in it. It's just that I'm not sure I needed the boost to think of myself as creative. Nor did I really want a primer on design thinking - something I've had a primer on before. There are a couple exercises in the back I'm almost certain to adapt and use with groups I work with. But other than that I'm not sure it was worth it for me. Of course every reader is in a different set of circumstances and if you are looking for a solid introduction to design thinking you could certainly do worse than this book. But I do have one snarky little comment question: what's with the high gloss paper for every page? I thought at some point the authors would explain the design purpose in that. But as a user who finds print books often unnecessarily heavy this choice seemed out of keeping with what I would have wanted from the experience of reading. Maybe the idea was to have all the pages feel the same and with so many color illustrations it was better to just make them all high gloss. But I found it off-putting knowing how much cost and heft went into that choice. I loved this book. Although, in full disclosure, perhaps it was the context in which I read it. First, I am embarking on a year of self-discovery/action (i.e. rather than always thinking "I wish I could ..." or "I would like to ...," I'm acting on those things). Second, I'm currently engrossed in a year-long leadership development program for work in which innovation is at the core. Nonetheless, this is a fantastic primer on the concept of design thinking and nurturing your creative self. Everyone is creative ... or, perhaps I should say, everyone is still creative since, as the authors note, most children are considered inherently creative. It is only as we go through life and gain a few battle scars (read: judgment/criticism/etc.) that suddenly the concept of creativity becomes something that we begin to believe is inherent / genetic rather than something we all possess and can harness. This book outlines the concepts of design thinking and provides exercises to practice your creative thinking - all of which can be easily applied to life in general not just the work world. It is a quick easy read; however, I will warn you that it is definitely not devoid of the current corporate lexicon - the 3 i's - i.e. (intentional use of i.e. here) ideate, innovate, and iterate.
What do You think about Creative Confidence: Unleashing The Creative Potential Within Us All (2013)?
This book gave an excellent overview of the creative process behind IDEO as a way to incorporate strategies for having the grit and confidence to make change in your life (and hopefully the lives of others) through design. The book is filled with fantastic real world case studies as well as practical techniques - that explore the world far beyond design firms. I particularly enjoyed the exercises at the end of the book that give you concrete ways to move forward and live a life filled with and informed by creative confidence.
—lizoo
I wanted to love this book. Even when I first picked it up I noted the glossy feel of the cover and nice paper inside. I view myself as a very creative professional. Maybe that's where I went wrong. Maybe it wasn't for me, but for the doubtful. But the first 90% of the book read like a pamphlet for IDEO and while it picked up at the last moment it was like a decent finish to a flat lecture delivered in a monotone voice. I get why this book appeals to some, but for me it was a let down.
—taytay209005
