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Top positive review
7 people found this helpful
I love Tharp's intensity!
on August 17, 2015
"I will keep stressing the point about creativity being augmented by routine and habit. Get used to it. In these pages a philosophical tug of war will periodically rear its head. It is the perennial debate, born in the Romantic era, between the beliefs that all creative acts are born of (a) some transcendent, inexplicable Dionysian act of inspiration, a kiss from God on your brow that allows you to give the world The Magic Flute, or (b) hard work.If it isn't obvious already, I come down on the side of hard work. That's why this book is call The Creative Habit. Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits. That's it in a nutshell."
~ Twyla Tharp from The Creative Habit
Twyla Tharp is awesome.
One of the greatest choreographers in the world, she'd created more than 130 (!!!) dances for her company as well as for everyone from the Joffrey Ballet to London's Royal Ballet.
In this great book, Twyla shares some uber-Big Ideas on how we can develop our Creative Habit to more consistently rock it.
Hope you enjoy a few of my favorites:
1. Rituals of Preparation - They're a must.
2. Mozart's Genius = Discipline + work ethic.
3. Give Me 1 Week Without - Silly distractions.
4. Busy Copying - If you want to be great.
5. Reading - It does a mind good.
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on October 3, 2013
It's helpful. In a nutshell, it tells the reader to make a habit out of the work it takes to be creative. It has exercises to help keep one's focus. But some of the exercises are more based on trying to answer existential questions about yourself. The author uses herself as a test subject for these exercises and she naturally comes back to her beginnings and the innate reasons for being as a resource to gather creative ideas. But I couldn't finish the book because the author kept talking about herself the entire time outside of said exercieses and then uses famous figures in history to support her choices in life. Despite her intentions, her need to validate her career choices show up whenever she talks about her unique name, her upbringing, her earlist memory, etc. I appreciate that her book's main message is that ingenuity, creativity, and talent all result from unglamourous, habitual, consistent, hard work. But that message is overrun by the author's introspection of herself.
on March 29, 2016
This book gave me the missing piece for my own creative practice. For many, many years I have struggled with the whole "how do I work as an artist" knowing there is more to it than just the art pieces I produce. It all seems so simple now but idea generation and keeping a daily practice has been elusive for me. I admit that I own the hard copy book but it is lost in the shuffle of my many bookcases. I have a very long (1-hour plus each way) commute and have an Audible.com subscription. When I saw the book available there I immediately added it to my audio book collection. The Kindle purchase is the result of not being able to locate the hardcover book and wanting to revisit the exercises. I recommend this book to anyone trying to be creative in a world that doesn't always appreciate. let alone make it easy, to be creative.
on January 16, 2016
I enjoyed this book, but I didn't find a lot of flexibility in the methods it presents. Tharp's message, the way I understood it, was that creativity feeds off of habit. That might be true, but the message clashes with the free spirited, spontaneity of artistic personalities. Personally, creativity feeds off of freedom for me. He message doesn't seem to leave room for "play" and "improvisation" unless "play time" and "improvisation time" are penned in your day planner. She leave no room for flowing with the mood of the moment, which sometimes means staying up later and waking up late. I can see how this would be effective for dancers (which she is) but less regimented creative art forms may not benefit from regimentation. Otherwise, it was a pretty enjoyable read
on July 10, 2014
"Creativity is not a gift from the gods," says Twyla Tharp, "bestowed by some divine and mystical spark."
It is the product of preparation and effort, and it's within reach of everyone who wants to achieve it. All it takes is the willingness to make creativity a habit, an integral part of your life: In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative. In The Creative Habit, Tharp takes the lessons she has learned in her remarkable thirty-five-year career and shares them with you, whatever creative impulses you follow--whether you are a painter, composer, writer, director, choreographer, or, for that matter, a businessperson working on a deal, a chef developing a new dish, a mother wanting her child to see the world anew.
When Tharp is at a creative dead end, she relies on a lifetime of exercises to help her get out of the rut, and The Creative Habit contains more than thirty of them to ease the fears of anyone facing a blank beginning and to open the mind to new possibilities.
Tharp's exercises are practical and immediately doable--for the novice or expert. In "Where's Your Pencil?" she reminds us to observe the world--and get it down on paper. Amen! In "Coins and Chaos," she provides the simplest of mental games to restore order and peace. In "Do a Verb," she turns your mind and body into coworkers. In "Build a Bridge to the Next Day," she shows how to clean your cluttered mind overnight.
To Tharp, sustained creativity begins with rituals, self-knowledge, harnessing your memories, and organizing your materials (so no insight is ever lost). Along the way she leads you by the hand through the painful first steps of scratching for ideas, finding the spine of your work, and getting out of ruts into productive grooves. In her creative realm, optimism rules. An empty room, a bare desk, a blank canvas can be energizing, not demoralizing. And in this inventive, encouraging book, Twyla Tharp shows us how to take a deep breath and begin!
Twyla Tharp's rich and remarkable The Creative Habit is a book I will keep close at hand for re-reading and re-inspiring ...f-f-f-frequently. It is one of the most highlighted, underlined, marginal thoughts notes books I have in a library chock full of creativity books. This one is one of the top five on my list.
It is the product of preparation and effort, and it's within reach of everyone who wants to achieve it. All it takes is the willingness to make creativity a habit, an integral part of your life: In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative. In The Creative Habit, Tharp takes the lessons she has learned in her remarkable thirty-five-year career and shares them with you, whatever creative impulses you follow--whether you are a painter, composer, writer, director, choreographer, or, for that matter, a businessperson working on a deal, a chef developing a new dish, a mother wanting her child to see the world anew.
When Tharp is at a creative dead end, she relies on a lifetime of exercises to help her get out of the rut, and The Creative Habit contains more than thirty of them to ease the fears of anyone facing a blank beginning and to open the mind to new possibilities.
Tharp's exercises are practical and immediately doable--for the novice or expert. In "Where's Your Pencil?" she reminds us to observe the world--and get it down on paper. Amen! In "Coins and Chaos," she provides the simplest of mental games to restore order and peace. In "Do a Verb," she turns your mind and body into coworkers. In "Build a Bridge to the Next Day," she shows how to clean your cluttered mind overnight.
To Tharp, sustained creativity begins with rituals, self-knowledge, harnessing your memories, and organizing your materials (so no insight is ever lost). Along the way she leads you by the hand through the painful first steps of scratching for ideas, finding the spine of your work, and getting out of ruts into productive grooves. In her creative realm, optimism rules. An empty room, a bare desk, a blank canvas can be energizing, not demoralizing. And in this inventive, encouraging book, Twyla Tharp shows us how to take a deep breath and begin!
Twyla Tharp's rich and remarkable The Creative Habit is a book I will keep close at hand for re-reading and re-inspiring ...f-f-f-frequently. It is one of the most highlighted, underlined, marginal thoughts notes books I have in a library chock full of creativity books. This one is one of the top five on my list.
on January 16, 2015
Two things really bugged me about this book. First, it felt like a platform for the author to brag. Second, her emphasis on "being the most committed person in the room" and on her austerity felt unbalanced to me. I think a day off from the 5:30 AM 3 hard-boiled egg breakfast might do her creative juices some good. The feeling I got from her book was strive, force, face fears. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea, or not in my artistic DNA as Tharp might say. Also, her tone seemed judgy and unkind. I found the tone unpleasant and the content uninspiring.
on June 12, 2016
This is an excellent "work book" for exploring creativity. Twyla Tharp shares her knowledge and experiences in a very useful book. Not all sections will resonant with everyone. But for people seeking help in developing a methodology to their creative process, this book is an excellent resource.
on March 11, 2017
Twyla Tharp's book is a great resource for the "left brained" creative. Although written by a choreographer, Tharp uses her experience as a backdrop to paint solid mental models, and does not beat the reader over the head with her trade. Interspersed with useful exercises and insightful anecdotes, this is the book I recommend first and foremost to those who ask me for resources on creativity... especially my analytical colleagues in finance, accounting, and IT. Very solid depth yet very digestible for the casual reader.
on April 6, 2017
This book is breathtaking in its brilliance. The word best to describe it may surprise you (or not) for a book about creativity, but to me, that word is profound. It is simply profound: witty, clever and mind-expanding.
No mater what field you work in, it will re-energize your creativity. But if you are a writer, it will especially speak to your soul. -RG
No mater what field you work in, it will re-energize your creativity. But if you are a writer, it will especially speak to your soul. -RG
HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon January 17, 2012
As is my custom when a new year begins, I recently re-read this book and The Collaborative Habit. The insights that Twyla Tharp shares in them are, if anything, more valuable now than when the books were first published.
It would be a mistake to ignore the reference to "habit" in their titles because almost three decades of research conducted by K. Anders Ericsson and his associates at Florida State University clearly indicate that, on average, at least 10,000 hours of must be invested in "deliberate," iterative practice under strict and expert supervision to achieve peak performance, be it playing a game such as chess or playing a musical instrument such as the violin. Natural talent is important, of course, as is luck. However, with rare exception, it takes about ten years of sustained, focused, supervised, and (yes) habitual practice to master the skills that peak performance requires.
Tharp characterizes this book as a ""practical guide" but she also frames much of its material within a spiritual context. The creative process can probably be traced back to the earliest humans and yet so much of it remains a mystery. When Henri Matisse was asked if he was always painting, he replied, "No but when the muse visits me, I better have a brush in my hand." Of course, he was also prepared to transform an in inspiration into a work of art...and did on countless occasions.
In the first chapter, Tharp acknowledges what she characterizes as "a philosophical tug of war...It is the perennial debate, born in the Romantic era, between the beliefs that all creative acts are born of (a) some transcendent, inexplicable Dionysian act of inspiration, a kiss from God on your brow that allows you to give the world The Magic Flute, or (b) hard work." She adds, "Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits. That's it in a nutshell."
Throughout the remainder of her book, Tharp draws heavily upon her own personal as well as professional experiences (she would probably not make that distinction) while citing countless examples of other real-world situations that indicate "There are no `natural' geniuses." However, there are immensely creative people in every domain of human initiative. Therein, I think, is her primary purpose: To convince everyone who reads this book that they can be creative if they are willing to work hard enough.
Here is a representative selection of what she affirms:
o "In order to be creative you have to know how to be creative."
o "Build up your tolerance for solitude."
o "Trust your muscle memory" when physically exercising.
o "If you're like me, reading is the first line of defense against an empty head."
o "You never want the planning to inhibit the natural evolution of your work."
o "Work with the best."
o "Never have a favorite weapon." (Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of the Five Rings, circa 1645)
o "Build a bridge to the next day."
o "Know when to stop tinkering."
o "Creating dance is the thing I know best. It is how I recognize myself."
There is so much of enduring (and endearing) value in this book. Perhaps (just perhaps) this brief commentary helps to explain why I read The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit at least once a year and consult passages in them more often. Oscar Wilde once advised, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." Those who require proof of that need look no further than Twyla Tharp whose career is her art...and whose art is her life.
It would be a mistake to ignore the reference to "habit" in their titles because almost three decades of research conducted by K. Anders Ericsson and his associates at Florida State University clearly indicate that, on average, at least 10,000 hours of must be invested in "deliberate," iterative practice under strict and expert supervision to achieve peak performance, be it playing a game such as chess or playing a musical instrument such as the violin. Natural talent is important, of course, as is luck. However, with rare exception, it takes about ten years of sustained, focused, supervised, and (yes) habitual practice to master the skills that peak performance requires.
Tharp characterizes this book as a ""practical guide" but she also frames much of its material within a spiritual context. The creative process can probably be traced back to the earliest humans and yet so much of it remains a mystery. When Henri Matisse was asked if he was always painting, he replied, "No but when the muse visits me, I better have a brush in my hand." Of course, he was also prepared to transform an in inspiration into a work of art...and did on countless occasions.
In the first chapter, Tharp acknowledges what she characterizes as "a philosophical tug of war...It is the perennial debate, born in the Romantic era, between the beliefs that all creative acts are born of (a) some transcendent, inexplicable Dionysian act of inspiration, a kiss from God on your brow that allows you to give the world The Magic Flute, or (b) hard work." She adds, "Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits. That's it in a nutshell."
Throughout the remainder of her book, Tharp draws heavily upon her own personal as well as professional experiences (she would probably not make that distinction) while citing countless examples of other real-world situations that indicate "There are no `natural' geniuses." However, there are immensely creative people in every domain of human initiative. Therein, I think, is her primary purpose: To convince everyone who reads this book that they can be creative if they are willing to work hard enough.
Here is a representative selection of what she affirms:
o "In order to be creative you have to know how to be creative."
o "Build up your tolerance for solitude."
o "Trust your muscle memory" when physically exercising.
o "If you're like me, reading is the first line of defense against an empty head."
o "You never want the planning to inhibit the natural evolution of your work."
o "Work with the best."
o "Never have a favorite weapon." (Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of the Five Rings, circa 1645)
o "Build a bridge to the next day."
o "Know when to stop tinkering."
o "Creating dance is the thing I know best. It is how I recognize myself."
There is so much of enduring (and endearing) value in this book. Perhaps (just perhaps) this brief commentary helps to explain why I read The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit at least once a year and consult passages in them more often. Oscar Wilde once advised, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." Those who require proof of that need look no further than Twyla Tharp whose career is her art...and whose art is her life.
