Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process [Kindle Edition]

Blaine Hogan (Author)

Book Description

The blank page.

It has so much power.

Some days it's terrifying, sometimes thrilling, but mostly it's just plain old scary.

It is the reason many people never finish that novel, or complete that project, or follow through with that one thing they used to dream about.

Sadly, it is the reason many people never even begin.

Blaine Hogan's manifesto, UNTITLED: Thoughts on the Creative Process is here to change all that.

As an artist who has designed t-shirts, made light fixtures, created performance art in alleyways, performed on big and small stages all across the country, acted on network television, and is now a creative director at one of the largest churches in North America, Blaine walks you through the creative process of attacking the blank page, executing vision, finding the importance of contemplation, fighting the battle with resistance, and learning from your failures.

Blank pages be gone!

Read UNTITLED and get ready to fill those suckers with good and meaningful work.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Blaine says it like it is and delivers the push we all need to do our greatest work."

- Scott Belsky, Founder and CEO of Behance

"I have had the pleasure of working closely with artists for almost four decades. Blaine Hogan is one of the most thoughtful, spiritual and hard working creatives I have had the privilege of teaming up with. This short primer is bulging with values and ideas that will make every serious minded artist better."
- Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church

"UNTITLED is a full body workout. By the last page my neck was sore from repeated nods of agreement and my hand was cramped from furious note taking. Hogan speaks with unflinching honesty about the harsh demands of the creative process. His brilliance lies not only in his practical inventory of the daily disciplines required to hone your craft, but in his courage to speak to the daunting inner journey the creative must make en route to artistic excellence as well. Highly recommended!"
- Ian Morgan Cron, speaker and author of Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A Memoir of Sorts and Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale. iancron.com

"Blaine Hogan layers depth and pointedness, observation and aspiration into each essay. His practical contemplation of the creative process provides an effective mirror for anyone wanting to do brilliant work."
- Todd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative

"If you read this book, be warned. The genius and art locked inside you will be shipped. Blaine has an innate, uncanny understanding of the creative process and his manifesto UNTITLED outlines it perfectly."
- Clay Herbert, Chief Engagement Officer of Tribes Win

Product Details

• File Size: 211 KB
• Print Length: 94 pages
• Publisher: Creative Collective (July 20, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005DTW35S
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,948 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughts on the Creative Process....from a non-Creative July 26, 2011

By Kevin Deshazo

Format:Kindle Edition

I'm not a creative person. I don't make videos, design websites, bust out hip-hop routines on street corners. I can, if all goes well, draw a stick figure. That's about it.

So why in the world would I want to read a book about the creative process?

Because I needed to be stretched. I'm a business guy, not an artist. You don't learn and grow if you don't read things that are uncomfortable. So when I got the chance to review Blaine's book, I looked him up to see who he was/what he was about. I saw a video that he created and said "ok, I'm in."

And this book was ideal. Art is anything. It can be a painting, a video, a website, a song. Or it can be a new business. The success of your art is based on where you create from. Do you know? Are you, as Blaine puts it, centered? Are you creating a sales-pitch or a story? Do you want something sexy, or do you want something valuable and real?

The common theme throughout this book is that creating is hard work. And it is just that, work. You have to wake up every day and work. Work just as hard in the middle of the process, where you are stuck and bored, as you do in the beginning, where everything is exciting and new. Nothing about creating is easy.

This isn't an instructional manual. Sure, Blaine gives advice and insight, but he acknowledges that the actual processes are going to be different for everybody. This is a book that pushes you move your ideas into execution. As he says early on, "we aren't being paid to come up with ideas, we're being paid to execute."

Regardless of the space you work in, this is a book you need to read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Encouragement and Inspiration for ANYONE Who Creates July 22, 2011

By bryan r allain

Format:Kindle Edition

If you've never been intimidated by the blank page, never been afraid to see your idea through to completion, or don't get discouraged when your project doesn't live up to expectations, then this book isn't for you. (Also whatever planet you came from, feel free to go back to it).

For the rest of us, this book is refreshing both in its grounded encouragement and in its brutal honesty. Hogan reminds us again and again that creating is hard work, but it's worth it not only for the moments of brilliance when we nail it, but also for the way the process of creating art changes us as well.

The passion he has for the topic jumps off every page and his resume qualifies him to be speaking these things into our lives. I read through it in a few days, and I'll definitely be going back to it when I need a kick in the pants.

Whether you've been creating for a while or are just thinking about putting yourself out there for the first time, get this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cattle Prod for Creativity February 7, 2012

By Suzanne

Format:Kindle Edition

Right-brained people need occasional nudges (and sometimes cattle prods) to get started...and then to finish what they started! This book was full of insight that bypasses logic and speaks to the spark of genius inside. I found myself creating little mini-posters of Hogan's pithy brilliance and tacking it to my corkboard for daily inspiration. I'll finish my book yet!

More About the Author

Blaine Hogan (born January 29, 1980) is an actor, writer, and creative director from Minnesota, United States. He graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana and has performed on stage all over the country including Chicago and New York City. He appeared in the Fox television drama Prison Break as a young prisoner, Seth Hoffner. He is now the creative director at Willow Creek Community Church and lives with his wife, Margaret, and their daughter, Ruby just outside of Chicago. Recently he directed a project with Google and the USOC following Olympians Tony Azevedo and Maya Moore.