The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life

Really enjoyed this, plenty of ideas and to things to think about and an interesting look at a very professional persons creative process.

I love this book and Twyla Tharp, she is really inspiring and old school, face forward in the direction you want to go and keep going. She used to say, her workout or exercise as a ballerina didn't begin when she got into class it began from the moment she left the house. She's very focused, read her book it's great to help you realine your thoughts and work ethic. I'm going to read it again soon

I found this book very interesting, as it gave me a new look on things. The general outlook of Ms Tharp is very different from mine, but actually her view of creativity and the techniques she describes made me rethink a couple of my presumptions. I will probably not go over to her camp 100%, but she makes many compelling points which will stay with me - comparing her results and mine really made me wonder ....

I started life as a fine artist, making work, exhibiting, etc. For a long time I had a very consistent and active creative habit. But over the years, family life and work life have taken over more of my time and attention, and my artistic practice has taken a back seat. In an effort to rekindle the creative habit in my life, I turned to this book to see if it had anything to offer. I've found it very helpful. The suggestions are effectively a strategy for any creative work. It is a practical guide underpinned by real-world experience. Although she comes from the dance world, many of the things Twyla Tharp outlines in this book resonate with me as a visual artist, but seeing them laid out clearly has helped me reconnect to habits and ideas I once knew, but didn't know I knew because they were so intrinsic to my work.

I read this book in one go, on the plane from Amsterdam to New York, and time flew by! This book is very well written, and an absolute must-read for any artist struggling to find a way to work on their art every day. What makes this book different from others on the subject is that it was written by some one who has been successful for a long time herself. I'm implementing many small ideas from this book and it has improved my working habits immensely. This book is a must must must read for any artist who wants to find out how to easily turn the art creation process into a habit, a daily routine. And it is a fun read, it feels as if a successful choreographer is talking to you personally.

Twyla Tharp is awesome in discipline, but way too tough for me. She's militant, but this is perhaps necessary for a dancer. I prefer a softer flowing approach to creativity. See Laurence Shorter's 'Lazy Guru' or check out his blog - beautiful and inspiring.

Don't let the fact that this is written from experience in the world of dance put you off at all. It is a fascinating read, with real, practical tools for developing the creative habit that keeps you going through tough times as well as good, no matter whether you write, paint, sculpt or do any other art form. The discipline involved is the same, and as far as this book goes, it really "does what it says on the tin" i.e. help you learn it and use it for life. Highly recommended.

Enjoyable and inspirational read giving insights into the creative process from a leading choreographer. I keep returning to the book and often refer to it in classroom sessions/discussions etc. A little wordy in parts, but definitely a favourite on my bookshelf.

C'est un livre particulièrement agréable à lire de part son format tout d'abord. Et pour tous ceux qui créent et aiment à comprendre le processus créatif, Twyla met à plat tout ce qui déclenche la créativité et l'idée d'excellence. Etayé par de nombreux exemples dans différents secteurs créatifs, pas seulement la danse, elle nous donne une colonne vertébrale à laquelle se référer. Très inspirant !

"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. Amen! 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! Twyla Tharp's rich and remarkable The Creative Habit is a book I will keep close at hand for re-reading and re-inspiring ...f-f-f-frequently. It is one of the most highlighted, underlined, marginal thoughts notes books I have in a library chock full of creativity books. This one is one of the top five on my list.

Ballo come un tronco, sono leggiadro come un sasso: cosa c’entro io, umile e pigro lettore, con Twyla Tharp, ballerina e coerografa statunitense? Più di quanto si possa credere, più di una curiosità superficiale; tutù e scarpette rimangono fuori dal colpo di fulmine. Mi è stato sufficiente leggere poche righe per rintracciare una affinità profonda con questo saggio: dove si insiste sulla creatività come un lavoro, una abitudine, un esercizio senza tregua. Il problema è che (in qualsiasi campo si operi) bisogna trasporre un mondo in un altro, cambiargli segnali, linguaggio, vestiti, struttura, valori, per poter essere innovativi ed efficaci: non si può improvvisare, non ci si affida all’estro momentaneo. L’estro stesso risulta presto una tecnica che si deve coltivare quotidianamente, e i frutti si colgono anche (e) quando l’applichiamo inconsciamente, quasi da automi. Tutto ciò che suggerisce l’autrice non è nuovo, neanche una virgola, ma è affilato e diretto il modo in cui lo propone, la banale ed immediata messa a punto di un sistema elementare: non sei un artista, uno scrittore, un ballerino, un pittore? Certo magari sei un ingegnere, un cuoco, un imprenditore, un insegnante, un genitore... “learn it and use it for life”, recita il sottotilo. Non esiste un solo aspetto della vita che non necessiti di creatività, che non ne chieda un baule, un sacco, un silos, una sporta. Proprio perché si tratta di un esercizio, di una abitudine, il libro suggerisce una serie di esercizi pratici che servono a fare il punto, a ricoverare qualcosa di ovvio (probabilmente) di sé stessi, a darsi limiti certi o attaccarsi ad un filo, ad un inizio. Non sono obbligatori, e questo non è un libro che mira ad una psicologia debole, ad un lavaggio del cervello. Vale solo il lavoro sofferto su sé stessi, e non esistono scorciatoie (qualcosa che un italiano medio farà molta difficoltà a capire). Il libro è stato pubblicato per la prima volta nel 2006, ma io l’ho scoperto insieme a quello di Austin Kleon, “Steal Like an Artist”, tradotto e pubblicato anche in italiano (2013); li consiglierei entrambi a chiunque desideri anche solo spargere un pochino di sale nella propria vita, privata o professionale che sia. Per godere di questa lettura è sufficiente un inglese elementare ed un piccolo dizionario, non lasciatevi scoraggiare, ne vale veramente la pena!

Maravilloso e libro y el servicio de entrega eficiente

Es un libro muy sencillo de leer pese que esté sólo en inglés. Además conecta contigo de forma muy sincera y honesta, por lo que motiva de una manera màs asertiva en mi caso. Se ve real, no como otros libros que exponen métodos como única verdad. En este libro, la autora explica cómo es un manera de trabajar, sin pretensiones. Muy contento con la compra!