Sell Back Your Copy
For a $3.39 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits [Paperback]

Michele Cassou (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Paperback --  

Book Description

March 15, 2001
A guide to breaking through creative blocks to discover the emotional and spiritual rewards of spontaneous art.

In Life, Paint and Passion, creativity expert Michele Cassou showed readers how to discover the magic of intuitive expression. For many of us it is difficult just to let go and create something. Cassou shows us that once we engage in the artistic process it is quite possible to gain access to a powerful spiritual reserve within us. In Point Zero, Cassou takes the process further by providing an original method of inquiry that can be utilized in the face of doubt, conflict, and lack of inspiration. Through stories of her work with dozens of students, she shows the reader how to overcome creative difficulties of all kinds.

In the creative quest, Cassou teaches us, we must slay three dragons: The Dragon of Product fights the artist's spontaneity; the Dragon of Control bars the door to the unknown and the truly mysterious; and the Dragon of Meaning fights intuition and creativity by demanding interpretation and resolution with every move. Cassou arms us with a clear method for creating specific questions relevant to the situation of the moment, questions which are designed to dissolve barriers to creativity. She shows us how we can come face-to-face with the energy that creates our blocks, and then to use this encounter to return to Point Zero, the ground from which pure creation springs. In this place of infinite possibility, art becomes not a means to an end but a place which we may inhabit and in which we can explore our true selves and the mysteries of our lives.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At first glance, Cassou's approach to overcoming creative blocks seems simple--she counsels students to ask themselves key questions to land them at what she terms "Point Zero," or the seat of creativity. But in all her real-life examples, none of the students know what to ask. One student in her painting workshop painted a spaceship, but didn't know what to do next. According to Cassou's diagnosis, his self-judgment and desire for control had closed the door to inspiration. After some prodding, he finally asked: "What would I paint if it was really okay for me to not be in control?" Like magic, he was "instantly energized" to paint large dark insects crawling around the ship. Cassou documents similar breakthroughs in almost every chapter, as she outlines the "Creative Quest" and the "dragons" that block the way: the Dragon of Product emphasizes the outcome, but not the process of creation; the Dragon of Control avoids risk, fearing the unknown; the Dragon of Meaning wants to analyze every step of the process, preferring reason to feeling. Cassou distrusts thinking, proposing that if one decides what to paint, one is "artificially simulating emotions." Only intuition unleashes creativity, she says. But Cassou doesn't offer specific guidance (e.g., exercises) for formulating the questions that lead to Point Zero. And while she asserts that the Point Zero method is applicable to any activity, here she focuses solely on painting. Her New Age prose will further limit this book's readership to the converted. 16 pages of color illus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Tarcher; Michele Cassou is a catalic visionary: a fuse lighter who sends people rocketing into their creativity" Julia Cameron edition (March 15, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1585420859
  • ISBN-13: 978-1585420858
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #561,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Point Zero changed my life, April 2, 2001
By 
Lynn "litaandlynn" (Santa Fe, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits (Paperback)
I love this book!!! It seemed exactly what was needed to help me open up myself and create. I've always wanted to paint or simply put color on paper but something always stopped me. This book carefully outlined and explained the demons that were in my way, and after some practice, I could find myself safely stepping into the unknown and expressing myself. "Point Zero" also made me feel safer to understand myself and face some challenging issues inside. Mostly, this book - with its interesting writing and short chapters that held my attention - gave me permission to go to places I have not before. I am very grateful to Michelle Cassou for sharing her teaching and experience with me.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Point Zero:Creativity without Limits, May 9, 2001
By 
Deborah Purdy (Darien, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits (Paperback)
Point Zero is a wonderfully clear and insightful explanation of the creative process and how to tap into it. Creative blocks are defined and undone with a simple questioning process which applieas to the joy of painting and living. Cassou's stories from her own experiences of paintting for process for hours on end and her spiritual unfoldment from that process are inspiring. Highly recommended for artist and non-artist alke, those who are seeking an opening in their creative process.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Creativity Without Limits, April 1, 2001
By 
This review is from: Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits (Paperback)
Impassioned by her own life-long painting journey, Michele Cassou invites us to use our creativity to connect with our deepest selves. In her most recent book, Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits, she implores, inspires, provokes, and cajoles us to look directly at our creative blocks and to use the blocks themselves as catalysts to break their hold on us. As always, Cassou turns away from "end product", focusing instead on the mysterious act of creating itself. "In creativity, only the process matters - not as a trophy to add to your mantelpiece, but as an exercise of strength and clarity, as an opening to insights and revelations." The charming drawings, diverse quotations, and glorious color pages of paintings add dimension to her written voice. Ultimately, it is Cassou's enthusiasm and passion that delight me again and again. Dynamic reading for anyone who feels the call to create! (Workshops with Michele offer a direct, fascinating experience of her written words -- contact pointzeropainting.com.)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews



Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
As a child, I loved the dizziness that came when I asked myself, What is at the edge of the universe? Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
intuitive painting, spontaneous images, creative blocks, creative passion
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Point Zero, Creative Quest, Dragon of Control, Dragon of Product, Dragon of Meaning, Point of No Return, New York
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

Citations (learn more)
This book cites 1 book:
 
1 book cites this book:


Books on Related Topics (learn more)

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...

Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject