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The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life
by: Twyla Tharp

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.35
EAN: 9780743235266
ISBN: 0743235266
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: October 01, 2003
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Sales Rank: 79699
Studio: Simon & Schuster

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:

Creativity is not a gift from the gods, says Twyla Tharp, bestowed by some divine and mystical spark. It is the product of preparation and effort, and it's within reach of everyone who wants to achieve it. All it takes is the willingness to make creativity a habit, an integral part of your life: In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative. In The Creative Habit, Tharp takes the lessons she has learned in her remarkable thirty-five-year career and shares them with you, whatever creative impulses you follow -- whether you are a painter, composer, writer, director, choreographer, or, for that matter, a businessperson working on a deal, a chef developing a new dish, a mother wanting her child to see the world anew.

When Tharp is at a creative dead end, she relies on a lifetime of exercises to help her get out of the rut, and The Creative Habit contains more than thirty of them to ease the fears of anyone facing a blank beginning and to open the mind to new possibilities.

Tharp's exercises are practical and immediately doable -- for the novice or expert. In 'Where's Your Pencil?' she reminds us to observe the world -- and get it down on paper. In 'Coins and Chaos,' she provides the simplest of mental games to restore order and peace. In 'Do a Verb,' she turns your mind and body into coworkers. In 'Build a Bridge to the Next Day,' she shows how to clean your cluttered mind overnight.

To Tharp, sustained creativity begins with rituals, self-knowledge, harnessing your memories, and organizing your materials (so no insight is ever lost). Along the way she leads you by the hand through the painful first steps of scratching for ideas, finding the spine of your work, and getting out of ruts into productive grooves. In her creative realm, optimism rules. An empty room, a bare desk, a blank canvas can be energizing, not demoralizing. And in this inventive, encouraging book, Twyla Tharp shows us how to take a deep breath and begin!

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Enjoyable & Helpful Read
This book is so much better than I expected. Often "self-help" books have very few real points to make, so the book is mostly repetitive, trite filler. Ms. Tharp however speaks from a lifetime of experience. She not only helps the reader by objectively understanding the problems and fears that are inherent in the creative process, her rendition of her own particular experiences are entertaining and add immeasurably to the book. Not just for dancers - there are plenty of applications for other sorts of artists as well.

Rating:

- An Excellent Resource for Creative Guidance and Inspiration
Although Tharp is a dancer and draws a lot of her examples from her craft there is a lot here for aspiring artists of all varieties. Most of her exercises relate to growing in understanding of yourself and how you work, whatever genre you happen to be working in. There are many inspiring examples of different ways of working and looking at life, and she affirms people who work differently, but underlying the text is the importance of putting in the effort of mastering one's craft and creating an environment that supports one's efforts.

It is a good combination of practical tips and ideas to explore, and inspiring stories to illustrate her meaning.

Rating:

- Tharp speaks to the creative process in all artists and writers
I use this text for an English composition, level two, class, to inform discussion and trigger freewriting that informs more formal assignments. It works especially well for my students and me, as we are members of an art, design and film school community. For instance, what Tharp has to say about fear speaks to a universal character snafu/struggle in the writing and artistic process. Her use of personal and historical vignettes to hammer her points engages the reader/artist/writer in effective ways. Nevertheless, whether or not you are an "out" or "closeted" writer, artist, dancer, musician--or anything of the sort--this volume will speak volumes to your venture--and I would have to say, to everyone's venture. Additionally, its fresh and intriguing layout/design invite the reader to stay for more--just as Tharp's raw, honest assessments compel the reader/artist to self-motivation.

Rating:

- A very interesting and insightful book!
I love women (and men) who are very interesting. Twyla is VERY interesting--you can tell by her writing. And she is very knowledgeable about all aspects of creativity. It is simply a great book! I am so glad she decided to share her thoughts and experiences with us.

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