Why Are You Creative? [Paperback]

Hermann Vaske (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2002

This book offers a unique approach to the study of creativity by posing the title question to dozens of various creative professionals--actors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers and politicians--and then analyzing their ultimately revealing answers. Readers will discover fascinating insights into the nature of creativity and their favorite celebrities, including: Mel Gibson

Johnny Depp Stephen Spielberg

George Bush David Bowie

Salman Rushdie Juliette Binoche

and more Author Hermann Vaske has packed this extraordinary pop culture treasure with original sketches, scribblings and responses from and photos of each interviewee. Throughout, the hidden meanings and motivations of each subject reveal the wonder of individual creativity, and provide a foundation for the beginning of a fascinating dialogue about this aspect of being human.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hermann Vaske has been a successful advertiser, winning numerous awards and his work as a film maker has been seen in almost every country of the world. Currently he is the mastermind behind Hermann Vaske's Emotional Network, bringing together the creative talents of original thinkers from all over the world. He lives in Frankfurt, Germany.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: fivedegreesbelowzero press (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970877927
• ISBN-13: 978-0970877925
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,902,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pure drivel., April 28, 2006

By 

James M. Elkus (Moscow, Russia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Are You Creative? (Paperback)

This book is pure drivel, don't be fooled. If it's possible to put together a volume that has more self-aggrandizing and outright preposterous chapters I can't imagine who could pull it off. Take the chapter on Stephen Hawking as an example. Hawking states, "You have to be creative to do science. Otherwise you're just repeating tired formulas. You aren't doing anything new." Fair enough. The book's pseudo-analisys of this statement is the following,"Hawking deconstructs the universe. It is not his job to be creative, nor does he mean to be creative. He wants to understand creation." Give me a break. The only use for this book, outside of an expensive and ugly drink coaster, is as an exercise in self-parody.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The spark of genius, May 13, 2004

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Why Are You Creative? (Paperback)

This interesting work investigates the creative genius of some of the world's most prominent creatives in various fields. They are each asked the question Why Are You Creative; the answers are in some cases both verbal and graphic in the form of drawings. The answers are then analysed by a panel of psychologists. A photograph of the person concerned plus a short biography accompany each entry.

These creative people come from a vast spectrum of disciplines like art, design, architecture, advertising, photography, fashion, music, film, science and literature. The following are some of them: Laurie Anderson, Bono, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Johnny Depp, Peter Gabriel, Mel Gibson, Stephen Hawking, Damien Hirst, Quincy Jones, Milla Jovovich, Jeff Koons, Nelson Mandela, Yoko Ono, Leni Riefenstahl, Steven Spielberg, Oliviero Toscani, Wim Wenders and Vivienne Westwood.

The introductory section includes a foreword by the Dalai Lama, a chapter by Wim Wenders and an exploration of the categories of creative stimuli by Vaske. This fascinating study concludes with a bibliography and filmography.