Fanning the Creative Spirit [Paperback]

Charlie Girsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

This playful book is both inspiring and informing. It is a treasure chest of tips, tools and techniques for refreshing the creative spirit. From their unique "Stretchercises™" to their no-fail "Get-Your-Butt-Fired Technique™," this is a primer based on the experiences of two award-winning toy inventors who share their tried-and-true brand of innovative creativity. It is a simplifying of the creative process for everyone, everyday, everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A thorough, fresh and imaginative approach that helps anyone transform the commonplace into the extraordinary. -- Richard Levy, author and co-inventor of Furby

Creativity and Quality—what a wonderful partnership! These innovative thinking techniques are perfect for bringing the two together. -- Peter Scholtes, Quality Consultant and author of both The Team Handbook and The Leadership Handbook

I particularly like the Stretchercises™ when I need an energizing "creativity break." Teachers and trainers, take note! -- Roseanne Banes, author of Dancing in the Dragon's Den

I really appreciate this well written and insightful book. I love "small and concise!" -- Clem Hedeen, Inventor of Micro Machines

I was struck by the quality of the thoughts and activities in this focused and beautifully organized book. -- Sharon Votel, Professor, St.Mary's University Graduate Program in Human Development

From the Publisher

Oh, no! Not another ex-nun/ex-priest, award-winning toy inventing team writing about creativity!!! But, wait. There are no others like Charlie and Maria Girsch. Beginning with their foreword by Leonardo da Vinci, to their unusual Phn.D degrees (Doctors of Phun), to their playful graphics and unique page-numbering system, you'll love the uncommon look they give to the red-hot topic of creativity. Their user-friendly ideas work absolutely as well for work challenges as they do for personal life issues. What's not to love?!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Creativity Central; 2nd edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967650364
• ISBN-13: 978-0967650364
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,499,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simplifying creativity... for anyone, April 12, 2005

By 

H. Grove "Errant Dreams Reviews" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fanning the Creative Spirit (Paperback)

Maria and Charlie Girsch, toy-makers both, have put out a book on creativity entitled "Fanning the Creative Spirit: Two Toy Inventors Simplify Creativity." This book is for pretty much anyone who wants to fan the flames of their own creativity, whether at work or at home, with respect to any chore, job, hobby--or nothing at all.

This is a comparatively small book, with large margins, plenty of hand-drawn pictures and doodles, stand-out quotes, and so on. If you're looking for something particularly meaty this might not be your best choice, but if you want something non-threatening that won't make you feel weighed down at the thought of reading it, it could be perfect.

The book includes a wide variety of exercises and tools of all types to help you better access your creativity. Some are more generally designed to increase your creativity or help you see the world in new ways; others are specifically aimed at helping you to tackle projects or problems.

The book is a bit on the silly side. This kind of creativity book is perfect for some people because it helps them to loosen up emotionally, which in turn helps them to loosen up creatively. It puts other people off, however. So again, whether this is a pro or a con highly depends on you.

On the other hand, it also has something of the feel of a corporate training program. This is a little harder to explain, but I'll do my best. I think it's because of the acronyms and structured tools and exercises oriented toward teams of co-workers. This gives the book a feeling not unlike being at a work-sponsored seminar, which feels a bit odd to me. But again, this will work fine for some people and not for others.

Whether you'd find this particular creativity book useful and helpful is, I think, highly dependent on your personality. Some people will find the corporate seminar-like structure to be a turn-off; others will roll their eyes at the silliness. However, if those don't bother you, I think there's plenty here that will be of value to you. The exercises are handy and fun. The childlike attitude should encourage a loosening of the thought processes. The tools are simple, clear, useful, and well-defined. The quotes are well-chosen, and the tone is encouraging and helpful.