Our Favorite Books About Creativity That Have Inspired Us Lately
I love reading about creative people… well, about creativity in general, really. Below is a shallow dive into a reading list I warmly recommend as a perfect holiday pastime during your time in Mallorca. Most of these books kept me so busy and immersed that I found myself immediately energized to start learning the electric guitar, finally begin improving my photography, go to the theater and set up my own art studio…. While the electric guitar was a bit of a reach, these books lit a dormant spark in me that suddenly awoke new creative joy and untapped personal potential. I hope you can find some inspiration in these books too.
Just Kids – by Patti Smith
A memoir by Patti Smith, Just Kids chronicles her close friendship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. The book reveals an intimate look into their lives within the context of 1960s and 70s New York City, illustrating the transformative power of art, friendship, and the pursuit of creative and personal expression.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being – by Rick Rubin
Record executive and producer, Rick Rubin centres this meditative manifesto around the practice of realising who you truly are as an artist. Transcending self-imposed expectations, Rubins emphasises that everyone is inherently creative, encouraging readers to reconnect with a state of innocence from which creativity becomes inevitable.
The Interestings – by Meg Wolitzer
Six teenagers meet at a summer camp for creative arts in 1974. Sarcastically calling themselves ‘the Interestings,’ the book follows the characters into adulthood as their unique paths of self-invention lead them to their own definitions of success and true happiness.
The Artist’s Way – by Julia Cameron
In this self-help book, Julia Cameron guides readers through a 12-week revolutionary program of insights, exercises, and tools to help readers overcome creative blocks and recover their artistic identities. Cameron’s book acts as a beautiful reference point for anyone looking for a chance at creative personal renewal.
Nothing Special – by Nicole Flattery
Named best book of the year by The New Yorker and Time, this coming of age novel explores the experience of a teenage girl working in Andy Warhol’s factory in 1960’s New York. Tasked with transcribing the voice recordings of Warhol as he constructs his novel, seventeen-year-old finds herself becoming lost within the conversations of his many famous and alluring friends.
Text & Photos: Lisa Heschel