Reviews (9)

Believe in yourself
This is my second book by the author. For years I have grappled with the reality that we only use 10 percent of our brain, wanting to improve on that my interest has piqued with the how to. I have learned several techniques within these pages and the writings have set my mind to working toward improvement. He strongly believes we all hold genius within ourselves. I also believe that as a fact. A very interesting book I would recommend to all.

Arrogant, pedantic, and disappointly trite
I got this book after seeing what great reviews it got, as something 1) to help me jump-start writing ideas and 2) to use in teaching college students to "think outside the box."
Eh...has some nice exercises
Some of this is self explanatory."Keep an Open Mind".Read more

Subjects:  1. Creative Ability    2. Creative thinking    3. Creativity    4. Psychology    5. Self-Help    6. Advice on careers & achieving success    7. Popular psychology   

Reviews (4)

Delightful and Practical
I found this book a delightful read.It's filled with practical ideas and reflections about creativity, collaboration, and leadership. It's also an eminently browsable book - one can focus on a given chapter and come away with insights that speak directly to a current project.I think one of the book's strengths is McNiff's way of allowing many of the people in it, including himself, to speak directly to the reader.Another distinctive aspect is McNiff's creative sensibility - he sees creativity as the substance of everyday living rather than an "add-on" or enhancement to our lives.Hence the importance of collaboration, which enables us to generate creative energy in a number of personal contexts.Eventually, these contexts feed one another and produce a gestalt effect in which the individual becomes a powerful creative engine in his or her own right rather than simply a creative practitioner in a specific field.This is an eminently practical book for business people, artists, therapists, and just about anyone who recognizes the universal benefits of committing themselves to creative work and who might be looking for practical advice on working creatively with others.

Creativity as a transformative agent
The author breaks new ground in his exploration of creativity as a transformative agent. In this book creativity becomes a transformative agent in the workplace, the office, and the studio and the author skillfully demonstrates how this transformative agent is the result of "creating with others." In contrast to the notion that imagination and creativity occur in isolation, McNiff brings to light the concept that through creating together, we naturally gain energies and inspiration from those with whom we collaborate and commune. Rediscovering Creativity Through Connection With Others
Shaun McNiff has given his readers another pearl in what is becoming a long strand of outstanding contributions to the world.This new book is an intriguing and thoughful and application of his ideas that have evolved in over 30 years of work with groups struggling to ignite their creativity.This book explores new territory as he applies his experience and unique perspectives to creative life in the workplace.His passion for unleashing the power of creative thinking and authentic being in the workplace, and in all of life, is potentially a significant contribution to organizations in need of revitalization and individuals in search of meaning in their lives. In many ways I find McNiff's creative practices, as presented in this book, to be alligned with David Whyte's poetic call for rediscovery of soul in the work place in The Heart Aroused. Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied Psychology    2. Business & Economics    3. Business/Economics    4. Cognitive Psychology    5. Creation (Literary, artistic,    6. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)    7. Creative Ability    8. Creativity    9. General    10. Imagination    11. Motivational    12. Psychology    13. Social groups    14. Teams in the workplace    15. Organizational theory & behaviour    16. Popular psychology    17. Self-Help / Creativity    18. Social groups & communities    19. Social theory   

Reviews (24)

Fantastic Intellectual Masterpiece
The Bell Curve was a book that was well written and researched.Much of the theory was based on the work of Arthur Jenson.Arthur Jenson has longed argued and backed up with research that IQ is something real that can be measured and is important to human success.It is also largely inherited.Most of our IQ is measured by the 'g' factor, which put (very) simply is a measure for intellectual horsepower.
Best book in differential psychology in the 1990s
Currently, it stands as the most comprehensive tome on g ever written. More than that though, it is a masterwork in the field of intelligence and individual differences. If Jensen's place as one of the premier scientists in the field of psychology wasn't already firmly entrenched, this work definitely put him there.

It will make a man out of you
George Bernard Shaw said that reading Das Capital by Karl Marx, "would make a man out of you." Actually, Marx's pie-in-the-sky egalitarianism is more the stuff of teenagers than of men. Jensen's G Factor, on the other hand, is about as sophisticated as social science gets, and he pulls no punches. So be ready to venture out from PC's reassuring bosom into the cold world of reality...and bring your statistics textbook with you for help. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Creative Ability    2. Developmental Psychology    3. Education    4. Educational Psychology    5. General factor (Psychology)    6. Intellect    7. Intelligence    8. Nature and nurture    9. Neuropsychology    10. Psychology    11. Education / Educational Psychology    12. Philosophy & theory of psychology   

Reviews (4)

Best of the Best
I have been painting in watercolor & teaching watercolor for over 15 years and find this to be the most inspiring, motivational, & instructional book on the market.

A journey through knowledge, experience and spirit
Nita Leland's book not only gives ideas to develop your understanding and appreciation of art, but quotes artists' thoughts about their art and even their difficulties in achieving what they were looking for. She gives"tips" to release the creator in you, encourages hard and constant work as a way to loosen up and discover your skills beyond shape andcolor. She explains how after an accidental stain or assemblage of papers, fabrics and objects, you can get to artistic creation by emphasizing and developing the "accident" by means of color knowledge, tehnique and sensitive approach.

Highly recommend this book!
I haven't been able to put this one down.This book has given me the courage to begin making my art again.Every time I pick it up, I get ideas for paintings, drawings.I like how it is written like an art class, andhas activities to get you unstuck.The activities are just vague enough toget you thinking of possibilities.This is far and away the best book toget you going! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art Media (General)    3. Creative Ability    4. Creativity    5. Techniques - General    6. Art techniques & materials    7. Painting & paintings   

Subjects:  1. Cognitive Psychology    2. Composition (Music)    3. Creative Ability    4. Developmental - General    5. Improvisation (Music)    6. Instruction & Study - Techniques    7. Music    8. Music/Songbooks    9. Musicology    10. Performance    11. Psychological aspects    12. Psychology    13. Child & developmental psychology    14. Cognition & cognitive psychology    15. Developmental psychology    16. Music-Instruction & Study - Techniques    17. Psychology & Psychiatry / Cognitive Psychology    18. Psychology | Cognitive    19. Psychology-Creative Ability    20. Theory of music & musicology   

Reviews (1)

Short , inspiring, reading flight
This would make an excellent coffee table book for the waiting room or office of a consultant, or teacher, or artist, or anyone who likes to think about thinking.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied Psychology    2. Creative Ability    3. Creative thinking    4. Creativity    5. Divergent thinking    6. General    7. Personal Growth - Success    8. Psychology    9. Self-Help    10. Self-Help / General   

Reviews (3)

Strong Imagination, Madness, and Creativity.
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet
Bring your brain
I'm a writer with manic depression who is bothered by the way mental illness is romanticized within the writing community. So many people I know believe that writers with manic depression should not take medication because it will "kill" their creativity. I find this attitude really offensive -- not just because it is false -- but also because it puts manic-depressive writers and artists in danger. I have found very fewresources that adequately address this issue, very few books that explain why allowing full blown psychosis to developed is a bad idea, not just for the health of the person in question, but for his or her creativity as well. Daniel Nettle really hit this one it on the head as far as I'm concerned.
grasping at non-existent justifications...
I respect the author's intentions to provide a form of consolation for troubled individuals like myself. However, the attempt falls short in the too-real context of inevitable aging and death. Assuming that personal efficacy in ordinary matters is self-evidently a cure simply loses sight of the fact that concentrating on mundane matters must be conducted without any form of external justification.Read more

Subjects:  1. Art and mental illness    2. Creation (Literary, artistic,    3. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)    4. Creative Ability    5. Genius and mental illness    6. Insanity    7. Life Sciences - Evolution    8. Mental Illness    9. Physiological Psychology    10. Psychology    11. Cognition & cognitive psychology    12. Popular psychology    13. Popular science    14. Psychiatry    15. Psychology & Psychiatry / Mental Illness    16. Psychology | Cognitive   

Editorial Review

Although opinion polls indicate that most Americans believe in the power of intuition, dreams, and precognition to offer valid guidance and information, "we have not yet developed an educational context for developing these abilities," according to author and editor Helen Palmer. By assembling this stunning collection of essays from leading authorities on perception, creativity, and intuition, Palmer hoped to offer a classic resource for anyone who wants to commit to developing his or her mental and spiritual powers. Contributors include Bruno Bettelheim, who speaks about fairytales and their ability to enhance the link between imagination and inner knowing; Carl Jung, who writes of the Read more

Reviews (1)

Can't Bring Enough Light to Express the Wonderfulness!
This is by far one of my favorite books.Its condition certainly shows it!Read more

Subjects:  1. Consciousness    2. Creative Ability    3. Creativity    4. Insight    5. Intuition    6. Personality    7. Psychology    8. Popular psychology    9. Self-Help / Spiritual   

Subjects:  1. Artistic collaboration    2. Creative Ability    3. Group Psychology    4. Psychology    5. Social Science    6. Social groups    7. Sociology    8. Sociology - General    9. Social Science / Sociology / General    10. Social groups & communities    11. Social, group or collective psychology   

Reviews (25)

Scribbles and platitudes
There really isn't much to say about this book.It's cute and makes for nice eye candy.But it has more platitudes than suggestions and I wouldn't recommend it as a stand-alone.If you want a book that delves into creativity, check out Julia Cameron before she went completely commercial.This book might be a supplement to The Artist's Way, but otherwise it doesn't prove much except that you make gobs of money as a self-help guru without having to do much but scribble and spout trite phrases.

A ponderous book
I love SARK and have seen her speak but this was the first book of hers that I actually purchased.I loved it.I look forward to completely the exercises and places of examination that she creates in the book.When I read her work, I am brought to a place of self-reflection and learn so much more about myself.

A tad disappointing
I now own all of Sarks books.And this is the first one I haven't been all that happy with. In some respects I think it was a slap together job, since it lacks the vivid colour and awesome dialogue that has always lit a fire under me. 90% of the book is nothing but black and white.Which considering the subtitle "How to free your creative spirit"made me wonder where the push or inspiration for doing this, with this book was coming from.Read more

Subjects:  1. Arts In General (Multi-Subject)    2. Conduct of life    3. Creative Ability    4. Creativity    5. Psychology    6. Self-actualization (Psychology    7. Self-actualization (Psychology)    8. Cognition & cognitive psychology    9. Miscellaneous Items   

Reviews (1)

Glory in His name
A beautifully written book about the healing power of that nice bearded young man. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Christian Life - Physical Health    2. Creative Ability    3. Diet / Health / Fitness    4. Healing    5. Personal Growth - Memory Improvement    6. Psychology   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Ability, Influence of age on    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Arts, Modern    6. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)    7. Creative Ability    8. Criticism    9. General    10. History - General    11. Art / History / General    12. Art and Architecture    13. Economics    14. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    15. Psychology    16. Theory of art   

Reviews (2)

Pure drivel.
This book is pure drivel, don't be fooled. If it's possible to put together a volume that has more self-aggrandizing and outright preposterous chapters I can't imagine who could pull it off.Take the chapter on Stephen Hawking as an example.Hawking states, "You have to be creative to do science.Otherwise you're just repeating tired formulas.You aren't doing anything new."Fair enough.The book's pseudo-analisys of this statement is the following,"Hawking deconstructs the universe.It is not his job to be creative, nor does he mean to be creative.He wants to understand creation."Give me a break. The only use for this book, outside of an expensive and ugly drink coaster, is as an exercise in self-parody.

The spark of genius
This interesting work investigates the creative genius of some of the world's most prominent creatives in various fields. They are each asked the question Why Are You Creative; the answers are in some cases both verbal and graphic in the form of drawings. The answers are then analysed by a panel of psychologists. A photograph of the person concerned plus a short biography accompany each entry.Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Creative Ability    3. Creativity    4. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    5. Popular Culture - General    6. Theory of art   

Reviews (5)

The Nature of Creative Development as seen by an 'Avid Reader'
This book features richly detailed information on contemporary and historical creative figures. The book is surely one of a kind.

Reviews for The Nature of Creative Development
Ronald Purser, Professor at San Francisco State University, writes:"The material presented by Feinstein offers a unique and rich perspective on creative development.The Nature of Creative Development is a highly valuable contribution to the field of creativity...."
ImpressiveWorkby a onetime innovator
This book provides insights into the interests and motivations of a wide group of individuals - most historical and some based on personal interviews by the author. The diversity of subjects tackled cover art to literature to science and business. The extent of the research required to substantiate the conclusions reached by the author is truly impressive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Creative Ability    4. Economics - Theory    5. Psychology    6. Management decision making   

Subjects:  1. Creative Ability    2. Cross-cultural studies    3. Culture    4. Personality    5. Psychology    6. Cognition & cognitive psychology    7. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality   

Subjects:  1. Creative Ability    2. Personal Growth - General    3. Psychology    4. Stress Management    5. Complementary Medicine    6. Coping with stress    7. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    8. Popular psychology    9. Stress   

Reviews (8)

If machines have to write
The development of formalism to help Brutus, the story machine write a story using betrayal is interesting to read.
A few useful ideas, lots of hype
This book discusses the issue of computer programs that can generate stories, with particular emphasis on a program which the authors claim can do so.
A prelude to automated novel writing.
Machines that can summarize documents are commonplace, as well as machines that can extract words and lines from paragraphs and rearrange them to possibly form something useful or interesting. But can a machine write a short story, or even a full-fledged novel with complex characters and themes? That such ability is not only possible for machines but is actually present in some of them is the subject of this book, and if one ignores the philosophical rhetoric on the "strong AI" problem, the authors give a fine overview of their project to create a "story-telling machine", which they have designated as BRUTUS. Read more

Subjects:  1. Artificial Intelligence    2. Artificial Intelligence - General    3. Cognitive Psychology    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computers    6. Computers - General Information    7. Creation (Literary, artistic,    8. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)    9. Creative Ability    10. Creativity   

Subjects:  1. Creation (Literary, artistic,    2. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)    3. Creative Ability    4. Creativity    5. LSD (Drug)    6. Longitudinal studies    7. Neuropsychopharmacology    8. Psychiatry - Psychopharmacology    9. Psychology    10. Research & Methodology    11. Spiritual life    12. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Drug Dependence    13. Cognition & cognitive psychology    14. Medical / Research   

Reviews (1)

A must read for people interested in creativity and thinking
"What is thinking?" That is the question with which author Vera John-Steiner opens this definitely thought-provoking book. It is a tall order to fill, but she does so both with insight and eloquence by studyingexperienced, productive thinkers. I have read this book twice because it isso full of gems I could not seem to collect them all in one visit. One ofthe biggest strengths of the book is that it provides the depth needed byacademic researchers as well as the accessibility of language andexplanation most non-academic readers prefer. She examines how thinkingdevelops, the emotional and intellectual intensity of creative work, thetools creative thinkers use, and the similarities and differences among"languages of the mind" such as words, images, music and models.She bases her ideas on the reflective sources of thinkers themselves � morethan 100 interviews, plus letters, journals, works in progress, biographiesand autobiographies � sources which have been neglected by behaviorscientists in the past but have proved invaluable for illuminating thesuccinct, telegrammatic thought processes or "inner shorthands intoartistically and intellectually convincing achievements." By usingin-depth analyses of these self-reports and "working papers" ofgreat minds in the arts and sciences, John-Steiner shows that creativity(1) requires sustained effort (it is not an instantaneous "aha"as it is sometimes portrayed) and (2) is not a product of "lonegenius" but of social scaffolding, interaction and apprenticeship.Creativity, like this book, is a journey of wonder, exploration, evaluationand novel ideas that is well worth taking. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cognitive Psychology    2. Creation (Literary, artistic,    3. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)    4. Creative Ability    5. Creative thinking    6. Movements - Behaviorism    7. Psychology    8. Behavioural theory (Behaviourism)    9. Cognition & cognitive psychology    10. Philosophy of mind    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / Creative Ability    12. Psychology | Cognitive    13. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Subjects:  1. Creation (Literary, artistic,    2. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)    3. Creative Ability    4. Creativity    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Psychology    7. Cognition & cognitive psychology