The Life of the Creative Spirit [Paperback]

H Charles Romesburg (Author), H. Charles Romesburg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2002

Drawing upon the ideas of more than three hundred notable painters, scientists, mathematicians, entrepreneurs, writers, poets, naturalists, actors, rock climbers and more, this book explains putting spirituality into one?s life by creating great goodness for the world

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In a review of The Life of the Creative Spirit, September 2002, in the Natioanl Review Network, the reviewer Thomas Peter von Bahr said this about the book:

"This plain-covered, inconspicuous book is more than 350 pages long. The first 165 pages are Dr. H. Charles Romesburg’s own, and the rest of the book is a collection of wonderful excerpts from the writings of many artists and 'creators,' ranging from Georgia O’Keeffe to Bertrand Russell to Rainer Maria Rilke to Maria Callas. So readers are treated not only to the rich fabric of thought of humanist and professor of forestry Romesburg as he examines what cultivates a creative life but also to inspiring musings about creativity by noted artists, writers, and thinkers.

"Customers looking for insights and the thoughtful application of philosophy to the arts and humanities will find in Romesburg a man of uncommon creativity in the spirit of Barry Lopez and Edward Abbey. Romesburg describes the underpinnings of creators in terms of qualities, motivation, education, and how creative projects are launched, illustrates his points using the stories of well-known and scant-known notables, and writes of creators’ responsibilities. In chapter 19, he carries on a fanciful dialogue between creativity and sensuality in order to make clear that self-discipline is an anchor for those who wish to live authentically. Romesburg also argues for animal rights as a way for human beings to cultivate compassion and reverence. When we show disrespect for nature, he says, we learn disrespect for one another and we injure or cripple our creative potential. By learning and working to expect excellence in ourselves and others, he concludes, we can life the full life! of the creative spirit.

"Romesburg’s teachings are augmented by the diverse and spirited voices he quotes in the book’s second half. The Life of the Creative Spirit has a powerful message and deserves wide distribution." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Charles Romesburg has interests in business and ecology. He holds a Ph. D. in management science, and has worked in industry. Currently he is a professor of forestry, and has received his college's award for excellence in teaching, and The Wildlife Society's publication award for excellence in research. With this book he expands the geographic reach of a college seminar he teaches on creative work. Among the topics covered are these: What the creative spirit is, and what its purpose is. How a life of creative work leads to what the writer Jack London called ultimate happiness. How workers in most every vocation and avocation can work as artists do, creating use, beauty, or both, of rare note. How regularly experiencing wild nature makes us better creators. How it is that the more all forms of life come to be revered, the more creative society will be.

Product Details

• Paperback: 355 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris, Corp.; 1 edition (April 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401002587
• ISBN-13: 978-1401002589
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,670,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review -- The Life of the Creative Spirit, July 23, 2002

By 

Paul A. Doorley (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Life of the Creative Spirit (Paperback)

I have a number of inspirational books in my library and I have found them helpful in maintaining a positive attitude toward life.

But, to me, THE LIFE OF THE CREATIVE SPIRIT is much more inspiring since it conveys a deeper and challenging message. While the author gives us guidelines to attain material success by using our powers of creativity, he also urges us to develop and use these powers to do more for others.

He charges that, for our ultimate satisfaction, true success and happiness, we should work to attain "goodness" which he maintains comes from doing our creative part toward making this a better world for everyone.

And Part Four of the book, 187 pages of quotes of many of the most successful people over the centuries, is a treasure in itself which reinforces the claims of the author.

I feel that the theme of the book is best expressed in that section by ALBERT EINSTEIN: "The life of the individual has meaning only insofar as it aids in making the life of every living thing nobler and more beautiful." And by JOHN-PAUL SARTE: "It would be my own fault if I squandered my life."

This book opened my mind to possibilities for growth I had not even dreamed of before. I believe I am a better person for having read it and I will keep it on my desk for ready reference in the future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Creative Book About Creativity, Quality, and Excellence, April 30, 2002

By 

Michael A. Jablonski "nrsys" (Logan, Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Life of the Creative Spirit (Paperback)

This book is about creative work. The highest compliment
that I can give to The Life of the Creative Spirit is that when I
finished reading it, I turned back to page one and read it again.

This book describes projects and creative work, from the
construction of a path through your garden, to making a better
garden trowel, to Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel. It defines quality and excellence. The theme of
the book is that creative work, be it the work of an artist, a
scientist, a mathematician, a mechanic, an entrepreneur, a rock
climber (taking a creative route to the top), a collector (think
of collecting and displaying a collection of fine paintings), or
work in almost any vocation or avocation can put goodness into
the world, and makes for a life in which "... most every day is
the time of one's life."

This book describes the importance of quality and excellence
to everyday life. What person has never been moved by a great
painting or by music or by reading a book or by simply using a
well designed tool? "Consider a certain garden trowel," the
author says. "Relative to alternative designs, its creators
intended it to serve suitably well across a range of features--
retaining its sharpness, resisting bending at the handle,
inhibiting rust, neither fatiguing nor raising blisters, while
costing less than other trowels." When we encounter quality, the
author tells us, "our spirits leap." How true.

This book takes the reader "behind the ranges" to some
interesting places. The book makes a convincing argument that
kindness toward animals and the preservation of nature are
essential to creativity. "More than ever before, causing pain or
terror to people and animals, or enslaving them, or taking their
lives impedes the creation and consumption of artistic excellence
in society."

The author concludes the book with a reasoned argument that
knowing and preserving nature are essential to creativity.
Nature, the author says, "is necessary for our spiritual well-
being." "... Had our ancestors roamed an alabaster-smooth planet,
Pythagoras wouldn't have been Pythagoras, nor Einstein been
Einstein, nor Maxfield Parrish, James Russell Lowell, Joseph
Haydn, E.E. Barnard, Wassily Kandinsky, Rachel Carson, and M.C.
Escher been as creative as they were."

The last section of the book has 187 pages of Credos of
Creative Writers, quoting the thoughts and ideas of notable
creators like Ansel Adams, Louis Armstrong, Rachel Carson,
Abraham Maslow, John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, and many, many
others. This section alone is worth the purchase price of the
book.

I have been thinking about this book each day since I first
read it three months ago. Its discussion about quality and
excellence, goodness, beauty, and wilderness preservation has
made my work as a computer programmer all the more enjoyable.
After reading this book, I plan to fight even harder for the
protection of the natural world and for the preservation of all
species. The author is right. I would be a lesser computer
programmer without having a National Forest nearby in which to
hike and enjoy the natural world.

This book is also helping me plan for the decades ahead in
my life. Like Ansel Adams saving thousands of photographic
negatives from his days in the field, for subsequent development
in his old age, I too plan to have creative work for the years
ahead.

I also purchased several copies of this book for friends. I
gave a copy of it to a college student who is a writer. It will
show her that she is making hidden progress on her writing even
when she discards her work and starts over. I gave a copy to a
psychology professor at a liberal arts college, because it is an
excellent book for a seminar on creativity. I gave a copy to my
stock broker because she knows that companies that abuse the
natural world are not worth investing in.

Finally, I keep my copy of this book nearby because I never
tire of reading and rereading the quotations in the last part of
the book.