Aha! 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas [Paperback]

Jordan Ayan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 1996

"Aha! is a joyful, upbeat survey of ideas for enhancing creativity. Jordan Ayan's enthusiasm is hard to resist, and every reader will find personally suitable strategies. Aha! is an inspiring yet practical guidebook for freeing the creative spirit."
--Betty Edwards, author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

"A delightful romp through the rich and complicated field of creativity. Ayan's Aha! is bound to make the reader's thinking more interesting and original."
--Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, ph.d., author of Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience

"The future belongs to those who create it. Jordan Ayan's exceptional book will show you how to create yours by providing the keys to unlock your great ideas."
--Daniel Burrus, author of Technotrends and a leading technology forecaster

Behind every successful venture, there's a great idea. If you haven't found your great idea yet, or if you've always thought you "just weren't the creative type,"  Jordan Ayan's accessible and entertaining book will give you the confidence to listen to your own creative spirit and to find the breakthrough you've been waiting for. Based on the notion that creativity is a life skill that must be continually cultivated, Ayan offers ten strategies for finding and harnessing inspiration--wherever and whenever it occurs. His mini workshops will show you how travel, reading, the arts, new technology, journaling, and more can form the basic building blocks of a more creative and rewarding life.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In a competitive society, where cost control is a primary factor in the corporate environment, workers need more and more creative strategies to survive. Ayan, the founder and president of his own company and a frequent motivational speaker, points out that creativity is a learned, not an inborn, trait and that the majority of us have the potential to be creative, though we lose it as we enter elementary school. Further thwarting our creativity in adulthood is stress. Ayan embraces here both traditional techniques and new ways to fuel creativity, for example, using new technology (he adds his web site with links to related topics). This "how-to" book with miniworkshops and exercises to spark the imagination includes reading lists after each chapter. Ayan gives credit to some of his favorite works, including Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi's Creativity (LJ 6/15/96) and John Kao's Jamming (LJ 7/96). A valuable source; recommended for public libraries.?Bellinda Wise, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...a joyful, upbeat survey of ideas for enhancing creativity...an inspiring yet practical guidebook for freeing the creative spirit." -- Betty Edwards, Author

"...this book is a valuable tool for helping you to tap into your creativity to turn challenges into opportunities." -- Paul & Sarah Edwards, Authors of

"Most creativity books over-promise and under-deliver. There are, I've learned, exceptions. At the top of my list is Aha!" -- Tom Peters, Author and Management Guru

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 edition (December 24, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517884003
• ISBN-13: 978-0517884003
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #365,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Broader Applications, February 8, 2000

By 

Joan Leotta (Fairfax County, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aha! 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas (Paperback)

I discovered this book while researching the topic of parents helping nurture creativity in their children. Since my first premise is that we are all creative and that parents need to conncet with their own creativity, the book gave direct help on understanding how to spark adult creativity. Also --enormously helpful was its simple, logical organization--that guided me as I organized my own thoughts for my speech. Super bibliography. Good reference book to have around--not just for the topic, but also for its direct and utilitarian style.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivating and Inspirational, December 21, 1999

By 

Dr John Kapeleris (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aha! 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas (Paperback)

If you're looking for a book covering all aspects of Creativity then I think Aha! is fantastic. The book is well structured to allow for unstructured reading.

I have read many books on the subject of Creativity and Innovation, however this book gives me the best 'warm and fuzzy' feeling (ie. intuitive synergy).

As soon as I started reading the book I could not put it down.

I strongly recommend it.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aha! is an excellent book that unlocks your own Great Ideas!, January 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Aha! 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas (Paperback)

Aha! is a fast read that uses 10 clear ways to unlock your creative mind. It is fun and usable. And the techniques work. Readers are often lucky to find books with just three or four good ideas, but Aha! has multiplied dozens. I marked over 40 indivisual pages and am using the information to create ideas for Warner Brothers. I bought a copy of the book for myself and after reading and marking it up I bought three more for friends. If you want to get more good and great ideas and make them into reality -- in business and your personal life - get a copy of Aha! by Jordan Ayan