In this post will find some of the must-read non-fiction books on creativity written over the years. These books have helped me start, grow, and scale my creativity, and they’ll help you, too, to get more ideas and to learn how to be more creative.
Best Books on Creativity
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Flow is a concept that explores those moments when you’re entirely immersed in an activity or subject that you don’t even notice that time has passed. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the co-founder of positive psychology. The author was the first to identify and research the Flow concept.
This excellent book is full of insights and engaging pictures on how to generate brilliant ideas and master the art of creative thinking.
The Laws Of Simplicity
In his book, John Maeda depicts ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design.
John Maeda is an MIT Media Lab professor and a world-renowned graphic designer. He explains how we can redefine the notion of “improved” so that it doesn’t always mean something more; something added on.
“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.”
John Maeda
Learn MoreSteal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
This book is one of the best books about the creative process I’ve ever read.
Austin Kleon is a New York Times bestselling author and artist who writes about practical and entertaining ideas you need to implement to improve your creativity and originality. Austin Kleon points out that many creative works in history are not 100% original.
Photo: Proactive Creative
“Stay Smart, stay out of debt, and risk being boring in the everyday world so that you have the space to be wild and daring in your imagination and your work.”
Austin Kleon
Learn MoreThe War of Art by Steven Pressfield
The War of Art is an excellent book by the bestselling novelist Steven Pressfield. The author identifies the inside enemy that every one of us must face. He describes a battle plan to conquer this internal foe. This book shows Steven Pressfield how to achieve the greatest success in creative fields.
“Don’t prepare. Begin. Our enemy is not lack of preparation. The enemy is resistance, our chattering brain producing excuses. Start before you are ready.”
“Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are & become it.”
Quotes – Steven Pressfield
Photo: Proactive Creative
Learn MoreThe Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Artist’s Way is a self-help book by Julia Cameron, who is full of insights on how to cultivate your creativity. This fantastic book features practical examples and exercises to help people with creative artistic recovery in gaining self-confidence in their creative talents and skills.
Learn MoreImagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer
This original book helps you defy common premises about life and creativity while arming you with the tools to live a successful creative life. You’ll discover how to live on your terms by exploring creative self-improvement. You’ll learn how to nurture your creativity with practical tips and real-life examples.
Learn More7 – Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
In Big Magic, Miss Gilbert shares her wisdom and unique perspective on creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity. The book contains many anecdotes from the author’s personal life that you can relate to it.
Learn MoreOriginals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
Through this genius book, Adam Grant identifies the challenge of becoming original and choosing to experiment with novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and buck outdated traditions. Grant gives the tools needed to recognize a good idea and choose the right time to act, through studies and anecdotes. Original can be considered one of the creative thinking books.
Learn MoreHow to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
Michael J. Gelb has taken one of the most brilliant minds ever to have existed and dissected the rituals, routines, and techniques used by Da Vinci to develop your mind into a limitless tool of creativity. For me, it is one of the best books for aspiring artists.
The author offers a step-by-step guide that helps you become more creative.
Photo: Proactive Creative
Learn MoreThe Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp is an American artist and author who lives and works in New York City. In her second book, Tharp intuitively demystifies the creative process, showing that it’s mostly a matter of discipline, habits, and hard work. She highlights the importance of rituals and routines in the path of being creative. Her advice is convenient and comes with examples and exercises.
“Creativity is not a gift from the gods, 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: ToIn order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative”
Twyla Tharp
Learn MoreA Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
In an era of human fears concerning a world dominated by artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation. Daniel Pink makes a compelling argument that creativity is the only thing that can’t be outsourced and offers a guide to growing our creative thinking.
Learn MoreDesign by Nature: Using Universal Forms and Principles in Design
Using universal forms and principles in Design, author Maggie Macnab, inspired by nature, takes you on a wonderful and eclectic journey examining the unending versatility of nature, showing how to uncover nature’s ingenuity and use it to create original and creative communications. Written for designers and creative thinkers of all types, this book will guide you through a series of incredible moments that describe relationships among nature, art, science, technology, and design.
Learn MoreConclusion
If anyone has ever told you that you are not creative or if you doubt that you are a creative person, read these books, and you will change your opinion!
Do you know Any other books on creativity? Share with us below how much value they added to your creative life?!
Thanks for reading!
This post contains affiliate links. Proactive Creative may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase.