Creativity and Artistry

I recommend the following:

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life – By Twyla Tharp

This is a book that I return to regularly for inspiration and ideas to nurture creativity, practice, goal planning and of course musicality. The author draws on personal experience and the stories of fellow artist to present practical examples, exercises and insightful  narratives about art, music and dance.  It is written by a choreographer and dancer, but I feel it can be applied to any creative vocation. 

One of the main points of the book is that the act of creating can be done regularly or habitually. It demystifies the artistic craft and clearly states that success comes out of daily practice and hard work rather than a random flash of inspiration. I feel that consistent practice or doing something creative regularly always generates new ideas. The number of brilliant anecdotes and examples from great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Beethoven, Mozart, Marcel Proust, Jerome Robbins and Buster Keaton also make for an excellent read.

Organization, inspiration, adversity, memory and productivity are just a few of the other topics covered and every chapter ends with a series of helpful exercises.  Motivational quotes abound in this book, but one of my favourites is the following: “Without passion, all the skill in the world won’t lift you above craft. Without skill, all the passion in the world will leave you eager but floundering.  Combining the two is the essence of the creative life.”