(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best books about creativity

Good questions. Let me take them one by one.

I'll first say that the portfolio is the only truly important thing. When I first came out to NYC to work, I interviewed at 17 different companies/startups/studios. Not a single one even looked at or asked about the school I went to. We just talked at length about my projects. That being said, I think design school is important. Design is complicated. There's a lot to learn. I know people who swear by just going it your own way and not going to school. Those people don't see what they don't do well. They struggle with the fine details. They think their work is fine, but they haven't figured out why it could be better.

Design school taught me a lot. It taught me how to think differently. How to get thick skin and take critique. How to work with grids. How to manage type. All of these skills don't come from hard and fast rules. They come from ethereal concepts that you have to learn. They're much easily learned through someone who can mentor you. You can figure it out on your own, but it will take longer. The cap on your ability to grow in the industry will fall short. I've even interviewed people who had some nice work, but when I discussed with them their process or their theory, they didn't know what they were talking about. They learned how to copy good work, but not how to generate their own creative output.

If you want practice here's what I would do.

1. Sketch. Even if you aren't good at it. I'm still not. Lot's of designers aren't. Sketching is about a quick method of generating ideas.
   
   
2. Read and write. Design is about communication, not visuals. Visuals are important, but if they don't say anything, no one cares. Great designers often tend to be great writers/readers. Don't just read about design. Read about architecture. Read about theater. Read Science Fiction. Just read.
   
   
3. Take pictures. Learn to frame a shot. learn how to compose something beautiful.
   
   
4. Fill your well. Your greatest resource in design will be culture. Learn about things. Experience a full life. If your creative inspiration comes from a design website, you're doing it partially wrong (those things have their value, but they are a simple tool, not a means to good solutions). Dig deep into different things and become broadly experienced.
   
   
5. Play with the software. If you're sketching, try the software too. Learn Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. This leads to my next thing.
   
   
6. Find good work and copy it. Literally. Don't copy to give to a client. Just copy in the privacy of your own studio space. You learn to play the guitar by first playing songs by bands you love. Do the same with design. Copy their work and try to learn their techniques.
   
   Regarding whether I practice, I do. Side projects are a big part of what we do. Client work is always constrained by their needs. Side projects are a good way to push your creativity. Working with constraints is good and important, but balance it with side projects. Design an app. Make a children's book. Do whatever it is that seems interesting to you.
   
   I still struggle with whether my work is good or not. You'll never get over expecting more than you can deliver. If you like the challenge of that and can live with yourself, you'll be a good designer. A good part of knowing what's good is learning to see. Study masters. Find out what makes good work tick. This is a hard question for sure. This is part of why I tell people to go do design school.
   
   Design books I recommend... this is hard. A few to get started...
   
   Steal Like an Artist is good for a newly creative
   
   The Creative Habit is amazing for people who think creativity is magic... it demystifies that notion and explains how Creativity is about practice and routine. Very smart book.
   
   DeBono's Thinking Course is heavy reading but very good in learning how to think creatively. It's a must, in my opinion.
   
   Grid Systems is bland but essential. Learn it. By one of the great masters.
   
   Art & Visual Perception is also mega heavy, but will teach you how to understand how good creative work is composed and why it works. Very interesting if you can take it.
   
   A Smile in the Mind is a great book that shows how wit and messaging in design makes for powerful and memorable work. It's a good primer on how designers work concept into their visuals. It's about discovery and the bliss that comes from that (that's why our honey bottles were so successful... discovery is everything).
   
   Also check out www.designersandbooks.com. It's a long running list of great books that are recommended by designers much more skilled than I am. These are the greats.
   
   Hope this all helps.

What other tasks do you have to do?
I keep the website updated (calendar, new sermons, etc), fix bugs, add features, update plugins/WordPress, manage hosting, create websites as needed. I schedule, train, lead and direct video volunteers on the weekends and schedule and conduct photoshoots as promotional assets for new events like our women's conference.


What is your current objective for your own website?
Our target demographic is 25-35 year old unchurched/dechurched males - though that gets forgotten until stratop roles around once a year. Ideally we'd be focusing on bringing new attenders into the church by promoting the current/next sermon series and giving some kind of CTA like signing up for a "New to Church Class" (which we have.)

Practically speaking however, our leadership is focused primarily on look-and-feel - they don't really think about conversions so improvements are hard to argue for.

What framework do you use?
So, I'm not exactly sure what you're asking. We use WordPress, I use Sage with Wordmove. Right now we're moving from Media Temple to WPEngine (highly recommend managed wordpress). Sometimes, for quick turnarounds I'll get a theme off of ThemeForest.

And do you enjoy using it?
Actually no - I don't like WordPress. I'm looking to work with Ruby on Rails, NodeJs and React or Angular. That isn't practical for the church, or more small businesses so I'll have to change jobs eventually.

Is there anything you wish you could do in your current job?
Yeah, I wish I could spend more time focusing conversions rather than aesthetics.

Do u get any benefits?
They offer benefits for full time employees but they're not very good for the younger staff members so we receives benefits through my wife's employer.

Full remote?
Nah. In my current position, that would be impossible to argue for. But, working in the office isn't so bad. I work with a lot of great young creative people. They're making an active effort to accept and attract millennial's at our church because they're concerned the church will die with baby boomers if they don't start attracting younger people. So now we have a lot of young people on staff and it is pretty nice.

How long have you been web dev and what lang do you know?
I'm most comfortable on the front end with SASS and JavaScript. I know a bit of PHP, NodeJS and Python but that stuff doesn't really come up.

Do u use any of the Google SEO?
Yes, we pretty much dominate SEO in our area right now but that is just because we're the biggest church in our area.

One thing worth checking out if you do get the gig is Google for Nonprofits. We got like $10,000/m free from google for google ads. That'll impress your boss if they don't know about it already.


Would u have any good beginners notes or links?
It's all about high quality work with fast turn around times. High quality means whatever makes your boss happy. What'll make your boss happy - most likely - is not conversions but aesthetics. Think - nice photography, good graphic design, engaging videos, well written copy, etc. Conversions only come into play when arguing for a raise so keep track of them as best you can because nobody else will. What did conversions look like when you started? What do they look like a year later?

To achieve high quality with fast turnaround times, I recommend mastering one of those bloated generalized WordPress themes like Divi or X, purchase creative bundles on Creative Market whenever they're on sale (usually once a month.) Get good at making things that make people go "ooohhh aaahhhh" in a couple of hours.

Every church looks at other churches' work to copy. Our church likes Elevation's website. Find out who your leaders are paying attention to and then let their work influence yours. "Steal Like an Artist."

Unlike in private industry, churches are pretty good about sharing information with each other. We've talked to people from Saddleback and Elevation Church about their processes and equipment. We've also opened up to smaller churches and helped get them set up. Don't be afraid to call other churches and ask for their Web guy or whatever and see what you can get out of them.

Also, I highly recommend Donald Miller's Storybrand Roadmap if you can somehow get access to it or convince the church to let you do the online workshop.

Of places to get off and running?
I'm not sure what you're asking. My advice is to do as much work as you can on your own - do freelance work, do personal projects - and share it with people. When you do good work, people want to work with you.

Any church related things I should know... I'm athiest & last time I was in church was 1997
You'll have to assess the culture at the church you work at. Some churches will boot you out if they found out you were an atheist, others would welcome you in. You'll have to assess the culture of the church you're going to and decide for yourself how to get along.

One thing I'll say - probably drop any preconceived notions you may have. You'd be surprised at how laid back (some) church folk are. One of my friends just interviewed for a pastoral position- the senior pastor interviewing him was drinking a craft beer at like 1:00pm on a Thursday during the interview. That is just the culture of that church. Every church is different.


And of course are you hiring?
No.

It is not quite a planner but there are templates you can make a copy of in this book

Clues

Think like a designer. Produce a new expression by changing your point of view

• List down your want
  
• List down your counterpart need
  
• Combine the two by putting it together ideally in drawing form.
  
  Copy paste into your planner
  
  page 2:
  
  Take away:
  
  Deconstructing every familiar things help us break our preconceptions, so we can see the same things from a whole new perspective. As a designer of products, or of life for that matter, your role is to not take what came before you for granted. Why be limited by someone else's idea of doing things when you can come up with a much better solution?
  
  page 4:
  
  Take away:
  
  Turning a constraint into an opportunity can help us think outside the box, no pun intended. Think now of a constraint you have in your own life. Can you see it as an advantage? This shift in our point of view will be at the center of our creative process.
  
  The Soup Method
  
  Imagine for a second that your life is a soup.
  
  Deconstruct the ingredients of the soup.
  
  Can be a mindmap on one page and an outline of your thoughts on the right page
  
  Forming your thoughts = forming a POV
  
  Next page - Reconstruct your life choices
  
  > Step 3 is making choices. Like deciding to try a new recipe but improving on it based on what you have in the pantry. Putting it together in your own new way is Reconstruction.
  
  Next section
  
  Put these words on top of the page per sheet of paper
  
  Strength
  
  alternative book Strengthsfinder
  
  Interests
  
  Risks
  
  Values
  
  To Avoid
  
  Joys
  
  Next page
  
  Create 4 sections
  
  Write down on each section
  
  
• Emotions of the Life I Love
  
• Physical of the Life I Love
  
• Intellect of the Life I Love
  
• Spiritual of the Life I Love
  
  Next page
  
  Insights from Deconstructing your Life
  
  Next page
  
  Things you have too much of
  
  Next page
  
  Things you have too little of
  
  Next page
  
  Things holding you back
  
  Next page
  
  Opportunities that would lead you forward
  
  Next page
  
  Things you want to get rid of
  
  Next page
  
  Things you want to keep
  
  Next page
  
  Things you want to transform
  
  Next page
  
  Who are your heroes?
  
  list the qualities that endear you to your hero
  
  Next page
  
  List down the first things you would do in your life tomorrow
  
  For each item lists down the key ingredients you love about doing that task
  
  FutureMe.org
  
  Vision Letter:
  
  Dear (person you are addressing this letter)
  
  I deconstructed my life recently and realized (your insights, constraints, opportunities here). My heroes are () and they remind me of my own values () Actually my life today is a () and I am redesigning it to be () in the future. (add a metaphor)
  
  This led me to reconstruct my life to include what really matters to me. This is the life I love and I wanted to share it with you. (Conclusion: Why this was important to you here.)
  
  Next page
  
  Your Life's Manifesto

Reading material:

• https://www.amazon.com/Ignore-Everybody-Other-Keys-Creativity/dp/159184259X
  
• https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626
  
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome
  
  What you're experiencing is normal very normal for all artists!
  
  
  > I’ve been feeling really down about my art lately. It just doesn’t feel all that good and I honestly feel like I’m fighting my hand to do what I’m imagining I want.
  
  With time experience will take care of this. Produce more and more work, keep on making art. You want to get to a point when, after you've finished a piece, you know whether it's something you are proud to put your name on it, or needs to be thrown away. You'll like/love some pieces more than other, but there's a treshold that some pieces won't make. And . . it's just your own feeling and visceral judgment.
  
  
  > And I know you aren’t supposed to compare yourself to other artists,
  
  Of course. And it's easier said than done.
  
  > or measure your art by how much attention it gets,
  
  Well, you can go on Instagram or other Social Media and follow established and famous artists and art institutions . . . well, they don't get much attention. Well Banksy does, but very few are loved by Social Media. Social Media attention is not an indication of anything.
  
  > but its really difficult to see how amazing some artists are,
  
  Oh yes! There are a lot of very talented artists out there. It's humbling.
  
  > and how some of them haven’t even been drawing as long.
  
  OK. So?
  
  > Or can make quick “doodles” that would take me hours and hour to even get close to.
  
  OK. So?
  
  > And then when I do spend a lot of time on something and post it everywhere, it just… get close to no attention.
  
  Read all of the above.
  
  > I know part of art is practicing and getting better,
  
  Yup
  
  > but it’s hard to do that when you have done that in the past and don’t seem to be getting anywhere.
  
  If you look back at your pieces I am sure you can see signs of improvement.
  
  > And I want to go back to school for art,
  
  That's an option. But before you do that, read this https://noahbradley.com/blogs/blog/dont-go-to-art-school
  
  > probably graphic design.
  
  OK
  
  > But I feel like it would be a mistake,
  
  Maybe.
  
  > that I wouldn’t be good enough to make a career out of art.
  
  Making a career out of art is a great endeavor. If successful the rewards, tangible and intangible are great. Unfortunately it's very hard to make a living out of one's art. What most people do is to have a job/career that is somewhat art-related, something that pays the bills and also finances the art endeavors, and then, also make art. It's like having 2 jobs. With time the art efforts will start producing some cash flow and, with more time, one transition the art efforts to be the main source of income.
  
  > I don’t know how to get better when I’m not getting any feedback- positive or otherwise- on anything I do.
  
  That is a very serious issue: there is no good way to obtain good feedback. If you want to know more about this, PM me.
  
  > I just make art and it… sits there. Which art of my OCs is mostly for my own enjoyment I suppose.
  
  Nothing wrong with that.
  
  > But then even when I make fanart, nothing.
  
  Ok, same as above.
  
  > I don’t see the point to spending so much time and attention to detail for something that’s basically just for me to look at when it’s done.
  
  Ok, same as above.
  
  > Anyone have any suggestions to kind of help me get past this feeling? I'd imagine just lots of practice but that just almost feels worthless to me now, too.
  
  See the reading material at the beginning of this post, espedially the 2nd resource.

• Writing the Romantic Comedy
  by Billy Mernit
  
  
• Not on Kindle, which is my main gripe. Very useful structure.
  
• Supposedly the ebook is a coming. I'm ready.
  
  
• Writing the Comedy Blockbuster: The Inappropriate Goal
  by Keith Giglio
  
  
• Save the Cat but focused specifically on writing comedies. Really focuses on making sure you derive maximum conflict from your protagonist meeting your premise.
  
  
• Elephant Bucks: An Insider's Guide to Writing for TV Sitcoms
  by Sheldon Bull
  
  
• A decades long professional writer and showrunner tells you how to write a sitcom. You're dumb if you wanna write sitcoms and haven't cracked this open yet.
  
  
• How to Write Funny: Your Serious, Step-By-Step Blueprint For Creating Incredibly, Irresistibly, Successfully Hilarious Writing
  by Scott Dikkers
  
  
• Again, a professional explains how he works. Dikkers was head writer on The Onion for years and years.
  
  
  
• Writing the Pilot
  by William Rabkin
  
• Again, a veteran showrunner explains what he knows.
  
  
• Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision 1st Edition
  by Jack Epps Jr
  
• Fucking gold. I'd read it even before you start a first draft.
  
  
• William Martell Blue Books
  
• Three Hundred Pages on Act Two and how to craft it. Three Hundred and Ten pages on the first ten pages of your screenplay! Three hundred and ninety! Pages! On! Action lines!
  
• Essential if you want to really dig deep on a specific skill of screenwriting.
  
  
  
• Writing for emotional impact : advanced dramatic techniques to attract, engage, and fascinate the reader from beginning to end by Karl Iglesias
  
• A very useful lens to think about screenwriting through. I'd consider this the intro to the kind of specificity that the Blue Books will break down into.
  
  
• Writing Movies for Fun and Profit by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon
  
• Four quadrant movies are probably the hardest movies to do well. And these guys did them, very well. Plus the book will make you laugh as you read it.
  
  
• Writing the Other by by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward
  
  • Which is a practical guide to writing about experiences that are not your own, with a focus on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
    
• It'll definitely inform my take the next time reddit implodes on who can write what character.
  
  
  ----------
  
  The only non Screenwriter on the list are Scott Dikkers, Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward.
  
  -----
  
  
  I'm Currently going through:
  
  
• Wit's End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It by James Geary
  
  • I am always trying to be smarter and funnier. And funny smart people get hired.
    
    
    
• Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron
  
• The science behind why we enjoy narrative and how that can guide writers to write well.
  
  And want to read:
  
  
• The Hero Succeeds: The Character-Driven Guide to Writing Your TV Pilot by Kam Miller
  
• Working Writer. 500 pages on characters in a pilot. Real world examples. Of course I want to read this.
  
• I think I heard about it from Paperteam, or a blog post on the WGA Foundation page.

Part of the computer screen issue is computer screens are bad for your eyes; minor discomfort builds over time and you develop fatigue and eye strain.

I bet it was easier flow on the typewriter. But that had it's drawbacks; however, the tick tick tick was a mantra unto itself. But the quick fixes were not available on the fly.

Then again, the scribble of a quill against harsher paper of the old days was even better, but redrafting was time consuming.

On a side note, I'm a drummer too! As well as a student of habits, psychology, physiology; everything that make us who we are. One of the best books I've ever read is Sparks of Genius ( http://www.amazon.com/Sparks-Genius-Thirteen-Thinking-Creative/dp/0618127453/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1SRE0HA0NJF635XSZN79 )

Great book with academic sources, but accessible and applicable to everyday life. It's great--and jam-packed about the cryptic creative process while inspecting famous painters, physicists, musicians, etc.

One of the tools mentioned is body learning. The fact that our bodies gather information in a distinct way through our bodies physical motions is amazing. Thought it is not mentioned in the book specifically, I've read other places that our nervous system is at work here making our synapses stronger and faster because it is in a sense, overloading, rather than static, sitting in a chair, attempting to get all theory out of a book with mere abstract

(deciphering symbols aka words, about intangible things aka not physically represented before you.)


If I understand right, it's also part of the reason males do terrible in US schools; since they are more keen on physical activities and get antsy sitting still. I think that needs more research (not much available on it), and it doesn't explain why it's only American schools while Europeans seem to thrive (or do they?) on similar models. Truly, That's an education issue and I don't have enough info to make a complete statement on it.

Back to the point, physical access creates better learning. I think that's the true point of brainstorming--scribbling, note jotting, quick doodling--or for drums: simple rhythms, warm up exercises, "messing around," etc. It applies to anything, really.

This may also be part of why successful people are always "experimenting." It's a huge part of the mystical "creative process." You do what you can, you approach from all sides, and trust your brain to come through. I always think of Dr. House from the show House. He has a white board, writes every symptom, stares at it for hours--and most important--always fidgeting with something as he thinks: a dry-erase marker, his walking cane, an over-sized tennis ball, a yo-yo. And, as he is based on the famous Sherlock Holmes--I read a different book Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. ( http://www.amazon.com/Mastermind-Think-Like-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/0670026573 )

Another amazing resource. A big sticking point was that Sherlock would take all the info he had, go over it intensely, then he would light a pipe. The pipe was his physical object, and he might sit smoking for hours just pondering; in one particular case he sat for about three days if I remember right--and out of seemingly "nowhere" his mind would have a thought--and it would be the perfect thought that would break his trance and lead to the solution of his problem.

[I suggest the British series Sherlock--it does amazing justice to how Sherlock processes things; much unlike Elementary and other shoes which make Sherlock some kind of godly creature that just gets answers from nowhere.]

And while that may seem far-fetched to some, he is a fictional character after all--more amazing is the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who, according to the book, helped solved certain cases using the deductive methods of Holmes (The Scientific Process as we know it today). Here's a quick one:

"One of particular interest to him was The Curious Case of Oscar Slater - for the murder of Marion Gilchrist, a wealthy 82-year-old woman from Glasgow. Doyle applied the “Holmes method”, in which he uncovered new evidence, recalled witnesses and questioned the prosecution's evidence. His findings were published as a plea for Slater's pardon. It caused a sensation and there were calls for a retrial, but all this was promptly ignored by the Scottish authorities. The desperate and incarcerated Slater later smuggled messages out of prison and Doyle's interest in the case was reignited. He wrote to politicians and used his own money to fund Slater's legal fees. One politician, Ramsay McDonald - Britain's first Labour prime minister - informed the Scottish Secretary that the police and the legal authorities had colluded to withhold evidence and influence witnesses. Slater was subsequently released from prison with £6,000 compensation but never shared it with Doyle." -Taken from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10561577/Arthur-Conan-Doyle-19-things-you-didnt-know.html

Also, may I have a look at your work? It sounds interesting and would be great to read.

I would like to encourage you a little and liberate you from the thought that a good designers must "be creative" (i.e., good at making things look pretty).

Form and function. Web design is primarily about function (i.e., problem solving). Form plays a lesser role and can be highly subjective. As a general principles, so long as form does not hinder function and is not needed to communicate a particular message (e.g., elegance, happiness, anger, etc.), then good-enough form is good enough.

Consider Craigslist. It's an ugly website. It's not going to win any good-looks awards. Yet, people are not leaving in droves because it solves a problem (i.e., post, search, and review classifieds) and does so well.

On the flip side, there are many beautiful websites that are functionally defective.

Good designers solve problems. If you want to learn good design, I'd recommend a few courses:

• Graphic Design Specialization [Coursera]
  
• Interaction Design Specialization [Coursera]
  
• Game Design Specialization [Coursera]
  
• User Experience Research and Design MicroMasters [edX]
  
• Intro to the Design of Everyday Things [Udacity]
  
  You can take all of these courses and specializations for free. (Make sure you select the free option if that's your preference.) They will help you learn "design thinking" from three different perspectives.
  
  A really good book on usability (function) with wide applicability is Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug. A good book on graphic design basics is The Non-Designers Design Book by Robin Williams.
  
  Sadly, most web "design" books focus on teaching HTML, CSS and JavaScript rather than design, so I can't provide any good resources specifically on web design. (Maybe others can fill that void.)
  
  However, the benefit of approaching design from a variety of perspectives and in a variety of contexts is that it helps you learn how to "think design." Seeing design thinking play out across areas reinforces the basic design principles and practices and makes it easier to apply them to web design.
  
  If you are more interested in form, then I'd recommend looking into studio art classes (e.g., drawing, painting, photography, digital imaging, etc). (Alternatively, you could follow courses on YouTube for these.) While these sometimes focus more on technique, they'll help you learn how to dissect what you see. You'll learn to see objects as shapes, lines, textures, shades, hues, etc. Combine that knowledge with good technique (e.g., drawing, HTML/CSS, Photoshop, etc.), and it becomes easy to make things look nice.
  
  Also, don't neglect creativity. One of the best books on creativity that I've ever come across is Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People. While it's a long read, it provides you with some great tools to use to "spark" creative thought.
  
  Hope that helps.

You might be in love with your ideal of the benefits of being a writer, I don't know what those ideal benefits are, but could be one or more of the following:

• cool factor
  
• freedom
  
• fame
  
• glory
  
• money
  
• pride
  
  Which are all good. And these and similar benefits are common to a lot of careers (I not-so-secretly wish to be a guitar god/rock star).
  
  Here's the problem, with this and many other activities: we need to separate the work from the results. If we are in love with only the results but we are not willing to put the work (e.g.: me and playing guitar), it's not going to happen.
  
  We need to be in love with the work per se, putting long hours of really hard work, results, some results will eventually happen: we'll write something or play some music. Money, glory, fame (and groupies)... not guaranteed.
  
  Maybe I am off the mark, and that's ok too.
  
  A couple of interesting books that are very useful for anyone in the creative world:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Ignore-Everybody-Other-Keys-Creativity-ebook/dp/B0026NBZFI/

cracks knuckles

Here's my top /insert quantity here/. I read these all regularly (most once a year, some of the smaller ones, once a quarter), and listen to them during my commute more than is perhaps strictly healthy (might as well make good use of the time.)

• The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. Classon (Great book about money management, but also very useful inspiration for digging yourself out of a hole. The audiobook is particularly well read.) "Die in the desert? NOT I!"
  
• Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The title is a little bit misleading and the language, being almost 100 years old, is a little hokey. But don't let that stop you. Every self-help/success/motivational book written since this contains a small fragment of the information that's in here.
  
• As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. This is a tiny little book. But it's absolutely impeccable. It would be easier to call it a work of philosophy than anything else. But it distills everything down so very well that it can't be ignored. The unabridged audio version (from Brilliance Audio) is exceptional, and only about an hour long. I just re-listened to this on my way home today.
  
• Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude also by Napoleon Hill with W. Clement Stone I came across this before I read Think And Grow Rich, so maybe I have a soft spot for it. But it's one of the few that I read pretty frequently.
  
• Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get A Life by Larry Winget. Larry's awesome. He's written a lot of books and they all say more or less the same thing, so I couldn't really recommend more than one of them, though I think I've read 6 or 7. He doesn't pull punches and he doesn't coddle.
  
• Do The Work by Steven Pressfield. This one is relatively new to me. I just finished it yesterday. It's a great little work about Resistance; the things that get in our way when we set out on a project, big or small. He talks in a pretty practical way about the phases of bringing an idea to life and the setbacks that seem strangely common to most endeavors. His writing is a little unrefined an colloquial. But I found it refreshing. I highly recommend it.
  
• How To Read A Person Like A Book by Gerald Nierenberg Since you mentioned body language specifically, this is my favorite. It's been a long time since I've read it. But it was extremely enlightening.
  
  That ought to do it. It's really all there. Plus, if you start searching around through that kind of stuff, you'll undoubtedly find more that you're drawn to for one reason or another.
  
  There are a couple well known names that are intentionally absent. Tony Robbins, for one. Tony is keen to blow sunshine up your ass so that you buy his next book, bigger program, seminar, etc. If that's the kind of thing you need, read The Giant Within. I can't stand his stuff. I find it patronizing and egomaniacal.
  
  AMA. I've read hundreds of these things.
  
  Enjoy o/
  

Well, the whole merits of IP and how we treat IP today is a slightly different conversation.

The real conversation in regards to the original topic is the fact that the way we regard IP is very different than how we did, 50-100 years ago. Let alone the way it was handled by enlightenment thinkers and the creators of the world's first democracies and republics.

Quite frankly, the incentive that would have been in their minds (and people like Smith), would have been that people would be able to extract a certain amount of money out of their creations (purely by being the first people to do it) and that eventually the knowledge would be released in some way to an intellectual "commons".

The history of these ideas and how they've changed is really interesting, but maybe a bit much to relay here. Some really good books on the subject:

The Anarchist in the Library

Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity

Essentially, for most of society there has been a concept of "the commons". Public spaces that everyone was entitled to use. The (earliest? not sure) most popular manifestation of this was common ground for grazing livestock. It was public land that anyone could bring their animals to, and was regarded as a public service that was in the best interest of the society. It eased pressure on land disputes, let poorer farmers stay above water, etc. Simply, just a good thing for everyone involved. Of course, since it was essentially free animal food, there were instances where the commons were worn down and rendered useless. This is where the phrase "tragedy of the commons" comes from. Regulations were put in place to make the commons effective for the common good, but also sustainable.

These types of initiatives/societal mechanisms were thought by enlightenment thinkers as necessary for our advancement. And those types of things were included in the way they thought about IP, as well. Simply put, it looks much different now than it did then. Things like "The Mickey Mouse Preservation act", for better or worse, made those changes.

So, what someone like Smith would say, is that there is "common good" that comes from free IP. The idea that no one has the patent on the concept of a car is a good thing because it frees up capital for different car companies to compete and make the best car. The individual loss of intellectual "ownership", and whatever that might mean on a broader societal scale, is outweighed by the benefits of "the commons".

But Smith had no concept of "ripping a movie". None of these enlightenment thinkers had any idea of what technology would become, and how that would fundamentally alter the way their theories actually played out in the real world. And since they didn't "cover that", we are left to be the philosophers and thinkers of our time instead of relying on the big ideas of the 1700s. In light of digital technology, the capability to replicate things, the transmit them almost instantaneously all over the world, putting the means of media production into the hands of every man woman and child in an effectively affordable manner... how do we need to build our society? How can we maintain incentive? What is the role of the commons? What are the real ramifications of our decisions? What do we want to achieve, and why?

It's all very interesting to me.

It might be that blogging isn't for you, and if that's the case, there's nothing wrong with that! You know you enjoyed writing a book. I think if the main factor holding you back from working in another (even if just for fun), is feeling you shouldn't do it yet, maybe you could try and identify your reasons for feeling that way. Are the reasons for not doing it as strong as the sense of purpose you feel when writing? Is it because you truly don't want to work on another book until you hear from your editor, or is it because you feel like you're supposed to wait to write until you hear from the editor? Several of my favorite authors have books that were released after they became well known, but were written before their actual first published book. So I don't know if there's any clear should/shouldn't in your situation!

I have a few books (both regular and workbook style) on planning out a blog saved to my wish list.

I have a small, 4 year old blog with a small following (around 200 views a day on average during times I'm not actively writing on it). It mainly was built by connecting with other bloggers and commenting on their blogs, as well as by learning about how to get my blog to show up in Google searches (I only had to learn it once, do it, then haven't messed with it since, although I probably should). At first, it was only read by my family and friends. I am considering these books because I haven't felt like writing lately, and want to put more thought into the structure of my blog.

EPIC BLOG: One-Year Editorial Planner

The Ultimate Blogger To-Do List

How To Style Your Brand

Blog, Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community - I borrowed this one from the library yesterday.

If money were no object, I would get this one because I really like parts of it, however the parts about taxes and employees and the like wouldn't be of use to me! I also don't know why it's for women not men... Marketing, I suppose The Conquer Kit: A Creative Business Planner for Women Entrepreneurs

This is my favorite of the guided journal type books I purchased. Design the Life You Love I am only a little into it, however I think it is perfectly suited to our personality type.

Edited: formatting and forgotten thoughts

>I'm horrid in the motivation department

I hear this almost every day of my life, and I have the same response: Motivation is like gasoline. It's high-octane, but it's not sustainable. Motivation is great for when you're starting to workout. You go to the gym for 4 days a week. You feel great, you've accomplished something. You're on the way to a healthier lifestyle. You're happy that you did it, but you didn't like doing it. You forced yourself to do it.

If you want to be physically fit -- not just lose weight -- you need dedication. I wake up at 5, I'm in the gym by 6 and I've done my workout by 8. This is my routine, It makes me happy to exercise. I like it. If I can't do it when I'm scheduled to, I know I won't feel good that day. I don't get that release; I know working out always makes me happy after I've done it. I don't want to deprive myself of future happiness. Dedication and routine are what makes you physically fit. Motivation gets you started.

You might benefit from this book.

Let me try to get you started

First off, let's start with some Seth Godin, dude's got some stuff figured out subscribe to his blog, but for right now pick up a copy of The Dip, or better yet read this summary or better yet read the whole thing.

That book is about finding something that you can be best in the world in, so do just that. The world needs you to do something, to be a part of something, that is better than everything else. There is too much mediocrity, too much good enough, you need to shoot for great. So yeah, start today.

When you have decided what you are going to be the best in the world at, get a copy of Do The Work. This book will basically walk you through your whatever it is (novel, event, business plan, etc.). The big thought here is that once you start you're going to hit a thing called resistance. Resistance is what is going to pull you back down to normalcy whenever you try to do something great. Expect it, respect it, but don't let it stop you.

If you want more stuff to read check out the Art of Non-Conformity and the Guide to World Domination. Outliers is good for understanding how much failure accompanies success.

Happy happy cake day! And thanks for this contest! I had a lot of fun doing this!

1. Candy can be a cake replacement sometimes if its this big :)
   
2. Don't have anything Simon Pegg related, sorry.
   
3. My favorite, poetry!
   
4. I already have some so they aren't on my wishlist :(
   
5. The most comfortable animal thing EVER
   
6. My favorite shade of purple
   
7. This is kinda like a game.....
   
8. ummm none on my wishlist already
   
9. Its surprisingly very helpful
   
10. Best. Things. Ever.
    
11. Helps organize my nail polish collection!
    
12. All day 'evry day
    
13. Closest thing I could find on my wishlist
    
14. Natural beauties
    
15. More like a blue-green but its still one of my favorites
    
16. My lips would love to wear these!
    
17. Found these on someone elses wishlist and bursted out laughing!
    
18. Nothing:/
    
19. I have always wanted one of these things
    20.It's cheap and it smells like heaven!

Oh I typed all this for you my dude but these dastardly bullies caused you to delete it.

​

Hope it benefits you or another ENTP stoner:

​

What caught my eye was the Myers-Briggs test: I also (usually) test ENTP. Just wanted to say I think the Reddit subs seem to do it a serious disservice:

​

A) It is a management tool. It is not meant to enable some rando's life as a lovable eccentric. You should be shoring up the weaknesses it shows, not jerking off to how creative you think you are (not that you can stop yourself amirite? Ha!), and

B) It is not a tarot card reading of your soul. I get profiled regularly, by professionals, using whatever method is in vogue at that moment and while I absolutely see the value in the tests, it is limited, it is contextual and it will vary over time.

​

It is not so much "revealing" your personality as a prediction of how your behavior will manifest in a given context. MB being particularly general. For example, all my ENTP result tells me is that RIGHT NOW, I likely have too many projects going on and/or am managing my time poorly.

​

So based on your results, I would recommend you get out of your comfort zone and focus on active productivity exercises. Far from being something unsuited to you: they are likely just what you need. Anytime I dial this in tight, my life has a night and day improvement.

​

7 Habits is the granddaddy of course.



Unchained Man has a great time management system. Actually he refers back to Covey's 7 habits and explains why and how he updated the principle for a digital era. The rest isn't "bad" but its pretty standard 4HWW/TRP/Digital nomad type stuff. You could literally read Chapters 8-11 and get a great deal of benefit.

​

4HWW fuck I hate this book. And it's probably dangerous for lazy fucks. But Ferriss has nuggets of good advice on productivity and time management.

​

More conceptual reading:

Do the Work;

The War of Art;

The Power of Habit;

Rework;

On Form - some tips, although heavily weighted to glorify salaryman life;

One Minute Manager;

Extreme Ownership has helped a lot of dudes here. Personally I despise wading through the military waffle for two or three pages of content but the message of owning every aspect of your life and not accepting low standards from yourself or others is good (Hint: that means after you quit weed, (after a reasonable interval) you can and should expect your lazy wife to too).

​

Corporations have invested a great deal of time and money in training me but honestly most of the valuable things I implement are on that list.

​

Atomic Habits is on my current reading list. Check out this post (and comments) with some concepts from it.

Congratulations on choosing a career in entertainment! Forging a career (in entertainment) involves craft, luck, and a lobster-like tenacity! Remember that acting is as much about talent and craft as it is about luck and attrition.

You will meet people who found the demands of a profession in the arts to high a cost or the playing field to unpredictable; they will seek work and happiness elsewhere. You'll also meet those who either do not relate to your choice at all, or were not willing risk the chance of success or failure.

Do not listen to anyone who insults or diminishes your profession. The world is dominated by people very happily living lives of reasonable security and comfort. Some of these people are overconfident enough in their station in life, or secretly unhappy about it, to preach to you about the risks of your decision, the foolish choice you have made, or perhaps the "what will you do when you don't make it" line of questioning will present itself. Some intend to mock you. Do not allow them to waste your time. Do be polite. Some mean to illuminate alternatives, should one be needed. Pay heed to the risks and understand your ability to change directions in life. Respect their intent to caution. Be polite.

Go read The War of Art and Do the Work.

It's been said that being skilled in something takes roughly 10,000 hours of work. Clearly, acting must be treated as a full time job, as a business (make no mistake, it is a business, you'd be wise to educate yourself on it), and as an obsession if you want to achieve true mastery; a shot at control of your own future within the industry. You alone will decide where your time and energy are invested, and these decisions will -- in part -- determine what you can carve out for yourself.

I say "in part" because you are not the ultimate decision maker here. You rarely are in life or any type work. Others will be exerting their influence. Be aware of who they are (it's not always obvious), work with those you must, befriend those who are great.

I say "carve out" because few are the successful who waited for a "big break". A big break is a moment where preparation and tenacity meet a flash of luck. Meaningful success, in all walks of life, comes from this.

Your effort would be no different if you wanted to work on Wall Street, be an attorney, a doctor, an engineer, or own a business. Some will attempt to move up in their fields. To achieve "great things" by their own standards and possibly societies. These people face different battles but the formula for success remains largely the same. Hard work. Drive. Tenacity. Luck. And the most valuable asset you have: your network. Seriously, build it.

Good luck! See you at your call time.

OOH!!! I never get to do this, but I've been reading this book, Imagine, and it talks about the effects of marijuana on your brain. (I haven't verified the facts beyond this book, so take it with that grain of salt).

Basically, as expected, you can have a variety of attention spans. What this is, in comp. sci. terms, is your RAM ("working memory") is working to either retain the same bits of data ("focus"), or is neglecting to do so and allowing the right hemisphere to swap it out randomly.

Predictably, the more you focus, the more critically you can analyze, the more productive you can be laterally. The less you focus, the more your brain gets to swap out bits almost randomly through different addresses, which permits you to make seemingly random associations.

These random associations are sometimes determined to have meaning to the thinker, and sometimes meaning to others as well. This last group of thoughts is typically "creativity," as I understand it. The book makes it clear that creativity is meaningless without the drudgery of research or practice or whathaveyou.

So, weed acts to jumble your RAM about. More free associations, less able to stay on task. Stimulants, like amphetamine, puts your ducks in a row, so to speak. Sgt. Adderall gives your RAM a stern lecture on the need for order and control, and you can focus. Critical thought, articulation, intentional memory can all come into play much more effectively, because it turns out that if you've got so much of your RAM occupied on the task at hand, you can still put it to use making the task easier.

Our brains are fucking wonderful.

I LOVE my inner child! I have 3 coloring books on my WL that all have different themes but seem equally enjoyable.

• Outside the Lines: An Artists' Coloring Book for Giant Imaginations
  
  
• Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book
  
  And
  
  
• The Mandala Coloring Book: Inspire Creativity, Reduce Stress, and Bring Balance with 100 Mandala Coloring Pages
  
  
  So do you have any of your own to share? I feel like I'll go through a few of them :)

The majority of the money came independently through individual investors. Of course, friends and family pitched in but the majority of it was plain old salesmanship. Rob and I both spent countless hours putting together professional sales packets going over the story of the film, the location, our experience, the financial possibilities, etc... A lot of salesmanship, but always being honest with potential investors.

We used Kickstarter sparingly having just hit a $5k goal recently for some extra finishing funds.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rbhamiltoniv/the-suffering-independent-horror-film-completion-f

Screenwriting wise, Rob and I both are ardent believers in reading all scripts you can get your hands on. Particularly if they are films you have seen and are familiar with. It's the best way to understand how a script translates finally onto the screen.

Of course, reading Save the Cat, and one of my favorites,

http://www.amazon.com/Save-Last-Book-Screenwriting-Youll/dp/1932907009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396988059&sr=8-1&keywords=save+the+cat+screenwriting

"How Not to Write a Screenplay"

http://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Write-Screenplay-Screenwriters/dp/1580650155/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396988100&sr=1-1&keywords=how+not+to+write+a+screenplay

But to be honest, it's all about the story. It's what helped us acquire our investors. Having a story that was genuinely intriguing and frightening helped us reach our goal. However, the script doesn't come easily it took well over a year to work out from inception to completion.

I like these books just to get the creative juices flowing: Caffeine for the Creative Mind and Team.

If time allows, I like to play games and/or grab a drink with my team.

Sometimes, I imagine what imaginary characters would do with the product/service. It helps if the characters are in the demo, but still fun if they aren't. Once I imagined Troy and Abed going to Dollywood. It wasn't productive, but I had a good laugh.

>Rick Santelli is a mouthpiece for the GOP

Actually he railed against Bush and the Republicans for their deficit spending and failed economic policies.. he and others like him have been a major thorn in the side of the GOP for years.

>Rick Santelli is a mouthpiece for the rich.

He opposed the bailouts that the rich pushed for, and he is opposing what the rich are asking for (raising the debt ceiling to kick the can down the road a bit longer). Who is getting rich off of the US going further into debt? The rich people who are making the loans, or the poor people? The fact is the rich have been getting richer off of the growth of government for decades and hire the best lobbyists to ensure that the politicians from both parties keep the gravy train flowing. They also control the media so they can convince the ignorant masses that adding more debt is the only solution.

>Rick Santelli is a mouthpiece for the whites.

Wait.. I missed where he said he supported the War on Drugs that the whites use to suppress minorities in the US. Or did you just play the race card because you disagree with him on the issue of raising the debt ceiling?

Haha, thank you but I'm not much of a writer! However I do love 'Design The Life You Love' by Ayse Birsel. If you are or want to work in design it should be on the top of your 'Must Read' list.

Meditation in general is great for being more creative, since coming up with new ideas is something that can not be directly forced. I earn my living as an professional illustrator and I almost never come up with good ideas if I panic or start thinking about that I HAVE to come up with a good concept.

You CAN`T force good ideas, you can only "show up" each day and work hard, very similar to how you can´t force yourself to sleep or force yourself to relax. Meditation can teach you that the only thing you can do is "show up" and create the right circumstances, and then let go and watch the procress unfold. Creativity works in a very similar way.

Fear of failure is the biggest mental roadblock for any kind of creative endevour. Meditation will help you realize that your doubts and fears are just thoughts, illusions, mental constructs. Once you can see past of all that baggage, you can start truly being creative without losing all that energy to the useless friction and resistance.

I also highly recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Do-Work-Steven-Pressfield/dp/1936719010

I'm currently reading The Black Hole War By Leonard Susskind, Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs, the October 2013 issue of Outside Magazine, and the 9th edition of Mechanics of Materials by R.C. Hibbeler for my deforms midterm tomorrow ):

Some of my favorites have been Born to Run, Moonwalking with Einstein, and Imagine. The combination of Moonwalking with Einstein and Imagine was really interesting and changed a lot of my views on "how terrible the education system is". I was always criticizing the US education system for being focused on memorizing info instead of learning and understanding. I still think the US is still too focused on that, but I see that there are definitely draw-backs to having all of our knowledge "outsourced" to our phones or the internet.

Imagine also gives a ton of insight into the creative process and makes it much more achievable for someone in the sciences who thought they had little creative ability/talent. All really good reads.

> I initially set out with a goal of 1 release per year, but I was feeling pressure to deliver more than that based on indie trends.

Libbie Hawker's book, Take Off Your Pants shaved a bit of time off my writing, even though I mentally do most of what she talks about in the book. I think it's worth reading. Even if you never want to work with an outline, by thinking about her various questions in the book, your pantsing will even improve.

I find contemporary books take me a lot less time to write than either historical or fantasyland. Even contemporary fantasyland takes about the same as just regular contemporary. So you can't compare yourself to people outside of your subgenre, either, because that often doesn't work.

At the same time, it's important to accept - as best as you can - that your progression will be slower because you aren't writing as fast as others. Some authors want to be making as much money as someone with twenty books and an established fanbase right at book 1, and get very frustrated they aren't getting this immediately. It usually doesn't work out like that, so it's all about head down and do the work as best as you can.

Ok, let's take an actual look at this and not at your professor's discredited ideology.

First of all, Federal Income Taxes are only part of the total tax burden. Anyone who isn't also looking at Sales Tax, Payroll Tax, Excise Tax, and Property Taxes is trying to sell you a bridge.

Payroll taxes are regressive due to cap on earning: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/the-regressive-tax-that-does-the-work/ "As a result, people earning over $106,800 pay a lesser percentage of their earnings in payroll taxes than do people earning less than $106,800."

Income taxes themselves are regressive: http://www.middleclassimpact.com/our-regressive-income-tax/

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regressive_tax): According to Congressional Budget Office estimates,[13] the federal tax system is a progressive tax system for earners all but the richest 1% of Americans. According to the study, the lowest earning 20% of Americans (24.1 million households earning an average of $15,900 in 2005) paid an effective federal tax rate of 3.9%, when taking into account income tax, social insurance tax, and excise tax. The highest earning 5% (5.8 million households earning an average of $520,200 in 2005) paid an effective federal tax rate of 21.5%. However, the highest earning 1% of Americans (1.1 million households earning an average of $1,558,500 in 2005) paid an "effective" federal tax rate of 21.3%.

note that the system breaks down once you hit the 1% mark

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2011/04/18/the-rise-of-the-hints-high-income-no-taxes/

"According to an article by Tom Herman in The Fiscal Times, more than 10,000 Americans who earned more than $200,000 in 2007 paid no income taxes to the U.S. government."

What this means is that yes, a lot of people don't pay federal income taxes, but some of them are ultra-rich! THEY ARE NOT SUPPORTING THE REST OF US. THIS IS SIMPLY PROPAGANDA.

> People that hate the rich are simply jealous.

The real truth is that people, like your professor, hate the poor. And if you're poor, you hate yourself. That's how you can have shit like http://the53.tumblr.com/ where people wear their dedication to being a sacred, job creating rich person while they mire in inescapable poverty like a badge of honor.

Bonus round: If you want to read a good book about the ways in which the wealthy in this country actually receive the most amount of government money, I highly recommend Free Lunch:How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense and Stick You with the Bill

O sa-ti explic ce cred si eu, dar mai ales in cazul Frantei. ( deci o sa fie putin unrelated cu educatia romana deci despre ce o sa vorbesc trebuie sa fie vazut ca o comparare )
Am facut colegiul si liceul in Franta de astfel si primul an de medicina in Franta, si care e pararea mea:

La colegiu in Romania se invata mult mai mult si tot la avans, sa spunem ca in clasa a 6-a la francezi aveam nivelul de clasa a 8-a, le faceam teme la copi la mate mai ales fiind ca era singura materie unde nu aveam nevoie sa vorbesc franceza, la un moment dat am repetat un an pentru ca nu vorbeam bine franceza si mi-am dat seama de fapt ca in Franta se invata sa " intelegem un continut " si sa facem sinteza pe acest continut. Dar si noi am avut nu stiu cate chesti de invatat, orice razboi/orice discours de De Gaule/ orice autor francez posibil/ citate. Adica as spune ca orice copil am avut multe chesti de invatat pana la urma. Nu am avut niciodata cursuri de cum trebuie sa INVATAM.

Ajung la Liceu, si acuma incepe catastrofa pentru foarte multi copi francezi, toate mediile cad de cel putin 2-3 puncte de unde aveam noi in colegiu, continutul e mult mai dens si vag si schimbarea a fost drastica, la mate nivelul era ca in romania, la fizica/chimie la fel. Trebuie luat in cont faptul ca aici trebuie sa stai de la ora 8 pana la 17-18 la liceu dar nu avem prea multe teme, ma rog cateva exerciti la mate care se fac in maxim o ora si de invatat la geo/isto timp de 40 de minute pe zi.

Clasa a 12-a, ca am trebuit sa invatam 7 scheme si harti, detaliu pe detaliu pentru bacalaureat, daca nu stiai asta la geografie, putem spune ca erai intr-un mare bullshit, la franceza trebuia sa cunosti 30 de carti pe de rost, pagina cu pagina, mate de astfel foarte multe chesti de invatat.

Ajungem la facultate, yay fortza steaua hey hey ce fain 85% din elevi au bacalaureatul fara nici-o problema in Franta.
Oops, 50% din Francezi la facultate fac dropout dupa primi 4 luni de facultate si cauta deja o alta meserie/formare profesionala. De astfel pentru ca nu se stie cum sa invatam, schimbare drastica de educatie, cum spun francezi " des cours magistraux ". Deci care e treaba aici, eu cred ca e o problema din tarile cu o influenta francofona ( in afara de Canada unde acolo e ca in SUA ), nu e chiar o problema special unificata a Romaniei.

Oricum eu am supravietuit putin invatamuntul, dar am invatat foarte recent chiar cum trebuia sa fi invatat de la inceput, pot sa recomandez mai multe carti ( poate mai trece aici un student nu stiu ) care pe mine m-au ajutat foarte mult:

Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and be More Productive
Bine nu trebuie chiar sa iei promisiunile lui Tony Buzan ca un Arsenie Boca a invatamantului
and:
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

A dou-a carte e mai mult ca un studiu, dar iti da niste idei despre cum ar merge creierul

that's all folks

This reminds me of me. I grew up in a small midwest town and was always the artist in my class. Yet, I never met an artist or even realized that a career in art was an option. Confession: I didn't know artists made a living with their art until I was in my mid 20s. My family was poor and college wasn't an option, so I went to work. Years later I took night classes at a community college (for my job) and took a drawing class as an elective. I learned about living artists and rediscovered my love for drawing.


I'm over 50 now, but recently quit my job to give full-time art a shot.


> I'm doing myself a disservice by not spending my one shot at life exploring stuff that could turn out to be really awesome.


You don't only have one shot. Of course, now is the best time, but you always have a shot.


> I don't feel hip and creative enough to be part of the contemporary crowd.


Your normal. This is just low self worth and resistance talking. Real artist fight this throughout their career. Remember, as an artist you call the shots:

• It's hip if you make it hip.
  
  
  
• The contemporary crowd are a bunch of lemmings who do whatever is hip (refer to bullet point above.)
  
  
  Being an artist is like getting in a line in which you can’t see the end. This is exciting but scary. Here's some books that helped me make my decision late in life:
  
  
  
• The War of Art
  
  
  
• Do the Work
  
  
  
• Art and Fear
  
  
  
• The Art Spirit
  
  
  You can be happy both ways, but which journey leaves you with less regrets?

Sorry in advance for this not being noot related, but if improving memory is more important than the mechanism of achieving it I'd recommend: Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsely

It takes some practice, but you can definitely see noticeable improvements after awhile.

Riding a bike or a skateboard to go get something always helps. Also Caffeine for the Creative Mind can be tedious but the exercises definitely work. Or try and design a quick logo that encompasses a friend or family member. Then when you come up with a good enough one, print it, frame it, and BOOM: one less Christmas gift to worry about.

Yeah, they are gimmicky. But they're fun, and fine for a casual secret santa gift.

Here are a couple other things I routinely give to people I don't know well, but feel obligated to buy a present for:

Caffeine for the Creative Mind

Creative Whack Pack

Just look for something fun and kind of interesting. So long as you don't buy her a vibrator or clothes you'll probably stay out of jail.

Ever since I saw this, I have been coveting it something awful. I love patterns and the zen of filling them in, and this just seems like an awesome way to spend some time winding down!!

Elephant Barber!

I'm fairly new here as well. I'm an avid RPer and have been in my current game for nearly 2.5 years with some of my characters existing that entire time!

There is a common term for the pivot point in a joke. It's called a punchline.

If you want to read up on joke and humor writing, the only good book that I personally know of it is Scott Dikkers's "How to Write Funny." It breaks things down pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Funny-Step-Step-ebook/dp/B00K9PI7AQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1496660024&sr=8-3&keywords=humor+writing

Check out "Steal Like An Artist" by Austin Kleon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0074QGGK6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#navbar

It's a short read, but it's ridiculously motivational, informational, and inspiring. If/when any friend says they're interested in tackling a creative endeavor, I always buy 'em a copy.

Read Sparks of Genius. It's a book about "tools" that can be used for creativity/idea creation. Skim through the related books too because a lot of them are good as well.

Watch Aaron Draplin take on a logo design challenge. He uses several of the tools (e.g., brainstorming, associations, abstraction, etc.).

Too often, we think that creativity is something that either flows from you or doesn't. That's simply not true. We are all capable of being creative.

Here's one It's like a beginner's guide to weird art haha.

It's a journal filled with blank spaces and instructions that will say something like "Cover this page in sticky things" or "Sew this page" or even "Chew on this" and they're all completely open to interpretation.

It's a pretty good way to get steam out

I feel exactly this, but I think about the weight of all the thousands or millions of avoidable, horrible things happening around the world at any given time. I can feel it on and in my chest.

Best thing to do: immerse yourself in an activity that requires focus, like drawing, music, meditation, etc. Mandala coloring books are great! https://www.amazon.com/Mandala-Coloring-Book-Inspire-Creativity/dp/1440569983

EDIT: phrasing

Because this is one of the best responses I've read on this website, I'm just gunna add a bit rather than write my own.

There's one thing I feel you missed which was key to my personal self-improvement too: paying attention. It sounds like OP is really putting effort into trying to remember things (by writing stuff down etc.) but if her full attention isn't on listening to the instructions at the time (say you're distracted by your own thoughts or attention is elsewhere), it's not going to be retained very well. It can make a world of difference.

OP may also want to get on board how awesome making/learning from mistakes and asking questions actually are. As I try to say to others - they're two of the greatest self-building tools that we have.

"The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried"

• Stephen McCranie
  
  "Everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will forever think it is stupid."
  
  
• Albert Einstein
  
  And get this if you can afford it/torrent it.

OMG this is great! Loved the idea :D
Anyone interested can check it here

edit: Happy cake day from Zoidberg (V)(°,,,°)(V)

Oy vey: send this poor person a link like this:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Write-Screenplay-Screenwriters/dp/1580650155

EDIT: excellent book BTW. Good for anyone who wants to make sure their script gets past the real frontline to Hollywood scripts: the readers/development assistants...

I think that'a quite common to be honest, I read a book on the subject which was pretty good. Worth a look, anyway.

There are many books on comedy wrting including http://www.amazon.com/Comedy-Writing-Secrets-Best-Selling-Edition/dp/1582973571/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406897234&sr=8-1&keywords=comedy+writing and http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Funny-Step---Step-ebook/dp/B00K9PI7AQ/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1406897250&sr=8-10&keywords=comedy+writing. They might help.

Which comedians do you personally think are funny? Which sitcoms? Which RomComs?

-Cuisine, www.daygamer.net

Leo Da Vinci is a hero of mine.

He met an alien in the woods. (According to "Ancient Aliens")

He ate minestrone soup for lunch everyday.

There's a great book about him.

"How to think like Davinci"

http://www.amazon.com/How-Think-Like-Leonardo-Vinci/dp/0440508274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453128925&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+think+like+davinci

There's a book called "Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)" by David Cay Johnston which talks about this kind of business.

http://www.amazon.com/Free-Lunch-Wealthiest-Themselves-Government/dp/1591841917/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207857662&sr=8-1

It's a fantastic read, and covers a lot more than just this type of fraud..

off the top of my head:

Meditations, with The Inner Citadel as a reader

Letters from a Stoic

A Guide to the Good Life by Irvine

Do The Work by Pressfield as well as The War of Art by Pressfield

Managing Oneself by Ducker

Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl

What Predicts Divorce by Gottman

Nicomachean Ethics

Models by Manson seems to be popular on reddit

So Good They Can't Ignore You by Newport, as well

I'm currently reading Triumphs of Experience by Vaillant and find it insightful.

Jonah Lehrer's Imagine is what came to mind for me. It's okay - a lot of it looks at companies that encourage creativity among their staff (Apple, Pixar, 3M, and a couple of others). There are certain parts that pertain to individual creativity, but (as I recall) it was mostly about creativity in a group or corporate setting. Might be worth the read regardless.

Reading a book on how to think like da Vinci, one of the steps was drawing. You never really understand how something really is until you break it down in small, understandable parts and the put it together in a greater picture. ( https://www.amazon.com/How-Think-Like-Leonardo-Vinci/dp/0440508274)
Recommended reading for truth seekers :-)

So you are more right than you think!

I love my inner child!!

Either:

Coloring for Grown-Ups: The Adult Activity Book

Or

Unicorns Are Jerks: a coloring book exposing the cold, hard, sparkly truth

Thanks for the contest!! It reminded me how much I LOVE to color! It's therapeutic for me.

Edit: I also have Between the Lines: An Expert Level Coloring Book == and == Outside the Lines: An Artists' Coloring Book for Giant Imaginations (totally stole that one from /u/chickenfriedsoup so if you pick this particular book, give it to them)

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Do you follow any particular outlining format? Is there a science to how you plot your character arcs? In the past couple of years, I've been experimenting with the methods in Take Off Your Pants! by Libbie Hawker, and my outlines have definitely improved to a great extent. But I still don't feel I'm at the point yet where they are complete enough to avoid having to do a major plot-level revision.

Read Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker. She walks you through a great classic format, awesome way to start outlining.

Added to my wishlist. Another book I got a lot of insight and much to think about from was The War Of Art, by Steven Pressfield. I recommend this book to anyone who's doing anything creative. Awesome, awesome book.

http://www.amazon.com/The-War-Art-Winning-Creative/dp/1501260626

Well,look at that - the blurb from Publisher's Weekly says it's a cross between Sun Tzu's The Art Of War, and The Artist's Way, by Julie Cameron! Definitely reading it now!

Hey, yeah thanks for the tag!
You can buy a physical copy on Amazon or a PDF copy on my website.

Let me know if you guys have any questions! :)

This mandala coloring book is artsy! I love the designs and coloring them helps relieve stress. I'm a very stressed out person so I thought this was cool!

Thanks for the contest!

Not only that, he is the guy who lobbied and blackmailed the US government into giving subsidies for his railroad and public utility companies. Free money that we paid as taxpayers and that Buffet received it and declared it as profit. Read Free Lunch by David Johnston. The book has a chapter on Buffet.

Design Elements: Graphic Style Manual is a great book to have. It helps to remind you about general practice and design sense that you might forget about.

Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain: is not a focus on methodology, but can help to just get your brain out of a rut.

I would recommend two books for you to read

https://www.amazon.com/Show-Your-Work-Austin-Kleon/dp/076117897X

https://www.amazon.com/Do-Work-Overcome-Resistance-Your/dp/1936891379/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1GH3K61EWSRLK&keywords=steven+pressfield&qid=1571259852&s=books&sprefix=steven+press%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C262&sr=1-5

​

In my experience I would always say to myself what is the worst that can happen? And you know that saying by Reid Hoffman's — “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late.”

​

Best of luck to you!

I love helping people find stuff to add to their wishlists!

Scarf <$10

Wreck This Journal $10-$20

Nag Champa

That reminded me of one of my favorite books. It is a biography on Nikola tesla which happens to be free on Amazon right now, too. It's titled
Nikola Tesla: Imagination and the Man That Invented the 20th Century

While you sure need engineering knowledge, learning inventiveness is something different

Two of the best books on the subject :

http://www.amazon.com/Trizics-yourself-impossible-technical-systematically/dp/1456319892/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408460727&sr=1-4&keywords=simplified+triz

http://www.amazon.com/Sparks-Genius-Thirteen-Thinking-Creative/dp/0618127453/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408464654&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=genius+bernstrein

I like this book. It's the first one that really got me thinking about the craft of scriptwriting.

Do a page search here for "best person to ask."

I totally understand that. There was actually a book that helped me when I was in a very similar position. I had just moved back home, I had no money, I couldn't afford to go back to school, and I felt like an all around failure. [This] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761184880/ref=sxts_sxwds-puwylo_rv_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3534076942&pd_rd_wg=fIznY&pf_rd_r=44ZT38J62K9M5T6T7ZNE&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=0761184880&pd_rd_w=VfMc9&pf_rd_i=the+crossroads+of+should+and+must+find+and+follow+your+passion&pd_rd_r=73660626-d66b-4a20-9843-90eb73ed0ba1&ie=UTF8&qid=1523016790&sr=2) and [this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1607748819?pd_rd_i=1607748819&psc=1&pd_rd_w=A7rzl&pd_rd_wg=voYXQ&pd_rd_r=691cecef-82e9-45d3-a0da-a80f06ea4816&ref_=pd_luc_rh_top_sim_03_02_t_img_lh) were the books I read after that time.

They didn't give me perfect clarity--they aren't magic. But I was able to use the skills that did help me find that clarity. Hope they're helpful for you, too.

Lawrence Lessig is another good one...

His books Free Culture, The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World, and Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy are all excellent books on the subject.

http://www.authorama.com/free-culture-16.html

The video shows the increase in the cost of healthcare and she describes (as I recall) the change in healthcare since that time. If you're interested in more about how healthcare has been corrupted by the government, I recommend the book Free Lunch. It describes the pattern of change in health after the HMO act was brought into effect in the 1970s.

Yes, this happens to me frequently!

Anxiety is a trigger of the "fight or flight" mechanism. The reason you lose productivity is that you feel anxious about whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. When you indulge in distractions instead, you indulge the need for "flight." You think, "I know I need to get started, but I don't know how. Rather than think about that and get stressed out, I'll get on Facebook instead so I don't get stressed out."

A great book for this is Steven Pressfield's The War of Art - Winning the Inner Creative Battle.

For those interested, Lawrence Lessig wrote a fabulous book on this topic.

This has a very similar style. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1495337111/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
His youtube channel is pretty good too: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtGTAa-xarr2HrEKRgRUHQ

My favorite person is my daughter <3 Shes so amazingly compassionate towards anyone and just know what to say to make you smile.. shes actually turning 8 as well in a few months!!

Shes wanted this since her aunt got one last year for christmas and everytime I try to find it in stores near me they are always sold out!

Ask around, it happens every time.

Ignored. That happens, so much stuff out there.

Hate: those people are just showing you their true colors, or they are just troll that have no other skills in life then trolling. Just continue your work, keep on publishing, you'll see who your true friends are.

2 great books for you:

• https://www.amazon.com/Show-Your-Work-Austin-Kleon/dp/076117897X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=306C7PX694SST6JVD0ER
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Ignore-Everybody-Other-Keys-Creativity/dp/159184259X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492124837&sr=1-1&keywords=ignore+everyone

I'd really like to recommend an actual book about creativity to Randall. No idea how to do that though, and he probably gets tons of suggestions already.

It's Imagine by Jonah Lehrer

You seem like someone that would really benefit from reading this book: https://www.amazon.com/Unlimited-Memory-Advanced-Strategies-Productive/dp/1631619985

Both styles of writers exist. The thing about seat of the pants writing is that you will probably end up throwing away more of what you write, as you won't know that a story is going off the rails until after you have written it.

I personally am gradually tending more towards outline before writing. If you want a good simple book on story outlining I'd recomend this one: https://www.amazon.com/Take-Off-Your-Pants-Outline-ebook/dp/B00UKC0GHA

Note that some people may only look like seat of the pants writeres becasue they essntially do the outlining and plot construction in their heads, and only sit down to write when they know where they want the story to go. If someone's writing speed is very low, then chances are this is what they are actually doing.I for one don't have the mental faculties to do this sort of thing.

You'll enjoy this book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci and, if you have an iPad try Notability.

1. Yes, I own it.
   
2. Don't think so. Haven't finished Story. It's extremely academic for me (dry and boring).
   
3. I love screenwriting books. They get my blood pumping and remind me that I CAN DO THIS. Favorite at the moment: How Not to Write a Screenplay (got it for $0.01 used).

Gonna give you a quick tip set here -- generally this kind of comment is going to get grabbed by automod because it looks spammy and promotional. That's not to say it is, it's just what the automod thinks when it sees these components.

Probably the reason for that is because they're isolated links to amazon, rather than links that are in context.

I'd also, just in the interest of staying within the framework of the question, include remarks that speak to the question itself rather than recommending additional resources. This individual did not ask for book recommendations, they asked for first hand commentary. That isn't to say book recommendations are unwarranted, just that they need to be treated as a secondary offering after your own opinion.

​

I recommend Lawrence Lessig's book "Free Culture" for information on the crazy copyright situation in the US today. It was very enlightening for me. Spoiler alert: Big Media doesn't actually care about content creators. Gasp!

>the Jewish people is their incredible work ethic

Is this really any different or only highlighted more among Jews for some reason?

I would argue that Judaism has a lot to do with self-discipline and that could play a part but I don't know that it is really any different than any other group.

>Are there particular writings/philosophies you can point me to?

It isn't Jewish but my favorite is "Do The Work" by Steven Pressfield

This book has helped me so much with that.

Not everything is relatable but it is still very good.

http://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626

I love my inner child (went to work in a giant baby Halloween costume lol). This would be my first.

I think this one can be very therapeutic!

You don't have to worry if you are coloring things as they are in nature, and you can spend ages in one page just coloring, lookss very calming to me!

May I suggest a great book on this topic? [Do the Work by Steven Pressfield] (https://www.amazon.com/Do-Work-Overcome-Resistance-Your/dp/1936891379)

Hang in there. You've acknowledged the problem, the first step is done. Now keep on going.
If you're up for it and need some motivation, read Do the Work. It's just 70 pages, highly motivational and gets you in the right mood to get going. The author tries to break through the fear and resistance all of us experience when trying to do work by personifying it, which worked quite well for me.

Good luck!

Personally I like this book: Steal Like an Artist

> I want to stop being so scared of meeting new people and trying new things

Check out meetup.com and join some local groups. If there's not a lot in your city, move to a bigger city.

> I want to experience life rather than watch it pass me by

Start with the book "How to think Like da Vinci."

> I want to learn to not procrastinate, and to force myself to complete the obligations I have

/r/productivity. This one is going to take a lot of effort on your part.

> I want to stop compulsively documenting everything, and to be secure in turning off my phone sometimes.

Get a dumbphone and a notebook/pen that you carry around more often.

You're young, so you've got plenty of time to learn. But it's going to take a lot of targeted work.

I can't get the formatting right for this post, but the book really is worth picking up and reading. It's changed the way I approach a lot of problems and having an idea of how your memory functions is really good at dealing with some of the effects ADHD can have on you.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/1631619985/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Some neat ideas for artsy people are a Buddha board and an expert coloring book.

I love coloring books. Stuff like this is my absolute favorite. It's engaging but not overwhelming. Super relaxing too!

Free Culture On Amazon

Free Culture Official Page

The Future of Ideas on Amazon

The Future of Ideas Official Page

Code on Amazon

Code Official Page

Standard... publisher... copyright pages? Written permission... given in the book... AND on the official websites? No, surely these things cannot be so!

I write with my pants half on and half off thanks to this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Take-Off-Your-Pants-Outline-ebook/dp/B00UKC0GHA

I've found "Take Off Your Pants" by Libbie Hawker to be useful. It isn't extensive, either.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UKC0GHA/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

If you are looking for more reading on this subject I highly recommend the book free lunch by David Cay Johnston

I really like How to Write Funny. I think it has the most practical writing advice of any book I've read (not that I've read hundreds)

There are two scholars who devoted efforts to this topic: Root-Bernstein and Michael Araki. Below are links to their works:

http://www2.dbd.puc-rio.br/pergamum/tesesabertas/1312731_2015_completo.pdf

http://www.amazon.com/Sparks-Genius-Thirteen-Thinking-Creative/dp/0618127453

I can’t recommend enough Austin Kleon’s book: show your work which talks about this very issue.

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon is a quick, engaging read that deals with this exact question.

Also

https://www.youtube.com/user/Palivizumab

His youtube channel, he has some cool videos showing his doodle process.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/1495337111/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

His coloring book, using some selected drawings.

I have always lurked reddit untill now and love colouring, these are images stolen from this book http://www.amazon.com/Between-Lines-Expert-Level-Coloring/dp/1495337111/ref=pd_sim_b_5/175-7254389-0545460?ie=UTF8&refRID=1W7X22MX6YJ4KCYPRAEM

Pretty sure he's talking about The War of Art.

​

https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626

this coloring book would make me feel better about wasting my time!

Life is about using the whole box of crayons <3

If you dug this video I would suggest reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I manage artists for a living and tell all my artists to read this book twice a year. Resistance is very very real and you can overcome. Don't wait for inspiration or motivation. If an artist tells me they only wait for inspiration, then I don't work with them.

Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity by Lawrence Lessig.

I'd suggest reading http://www.amazon.com/Free-Culture-Nature-Future-Creativity/dp/0143034650.

I could use a unicorn today, it's been rough. [Link] (http://www.amazon.com/Wreck-This-Journal-Duct-Expanded/dp/0399162704/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1OUQ8B0KGTG86&coliid=I14M0SE1PF3XYV) and if that doesn't work, [Link 2] (http://www.amazon.com/Indie-Rock-Coloring-Yellow-Project/dp/0811870944/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1OUQ8B0KGTG86&coliid=I1EID0Z02J4LJK)
Both were prime eligible but I'm going through my whole list and nothing is showing up as Prime..no shipping info is listed. Is there a way to see what items are and are not? I'm confused...

$2 more on Amazon, but with prime shipping for those of us in a pinch :)!

No affiliate. But buy this book.

the book

It's not you it's The Reistance aka your reptilian brain.

Read this book https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626 it will explain everything, and how to get over it.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Write-Screenplay-Screenwriters/dp/1580650155/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506791901&sr=8-1&keywords=how+not+to+write+a+screenplay

Many get a Free Lunch.

https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/1mwb06/rutbusting_or_how_to_get_out_of_your_head_become/

http://www.amazon.com/Do-Work-Steven-Pressfield/dp/1936719010/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Steven Pressfields Do The Work.

https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/0446691437

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936891379/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BCVW7CW9290PCY99W606&dpPl=1&dpID=41atyZ0pgmL

Just get it done, son.

Reminds me of Circa Survive song that says "Always begin, never prepare" which is based on the book Do The Work

https://www.amazon.com/Do-Work-Overcome-Resistance-Your/dp/1936891379

Do the work and Ignore Everybody

US version

https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626
The War of Art By Steven Pressfield. My personal favorite

You can make it man! if you can bring or receive books i'd send you some good but quick read books since you'll have the time:

The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations
Duncan is really good to listen to, if you want to dive in deep look for when he had ball cancer. Then out of respect you should meet Duncan's Mom parts 1 & 2. Chris Ryan's 'Tangentially Speaking' can really get you though feeling lost by learning how to enjoy the experience.

If you feel you're a creative or ever wanted to start a business, i'd buy you The War of Art. But both those books really influenced me when I was younger by exposing me to new perspectives on everyday problems I faced.

Have you heard of the book "The War of Art"? I've been reading a few pages a day to motivate myself and help overcome my fears.

No problem. I build my outlines very closely to Libbie Hawker's. PM me if you'd like my custom full outline layout based on her book. I have it in a google doc.

I believe that sums up Lawrence Lessig's argument for the past decade.

Buy this... Now... Internalize it.

"Do the Work" by Steven Pressfield
"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936891379/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_3cxTzbSBHTXN5"

Alternatively, you could buy his original, "The War of Art" that Do the Work is based on. Set up daily practices and stick to them, consistency beats everything. It's about what you actually do, daily. Buy the book, it'll change your life.

It's possible your local library has a copy of this book:
https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626?sa-no-redirect=1&pldnSite=1

What may pertain to your problem is his concept of Resistance.

He said it in the comment - it's called "The War of Art" and I'm assuming this is it: https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626

Big ones for me...

The Upward Spiral

Loving What Is: Four Questions that Can Change Your Life

The Untethered Soul

The War of Art

I came here to say this too. A friend who has written and published two memoirs keeps a notebook just for new ideas, If something occurs to her, out comes that notebook, then back it goes so she can get back on track.

And is there something else going on? The new story is always shiny, uncomplicated, not bogged down by the actual effort of making it happen. Being deep into the details of the second act is just not as sexy as fleshing out a new character or problem.

So part of the answer is just to do the work. Check out The War of Art or Do the Work by Steven Pressfield - two books that seriously pulled me out of depression and got me busting ass on my projects again.