Quote:
Originally Posted by SaII
. . . Ways to learn to be more creative.
Not understanding fully where your interests reside, I'll suggest books that have to do with writing (my field, I write novels, short stories and teach how to do the same). For people who haven't read them (most the people I see read them years ago), I like
On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner;
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott; and
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Each of them has a very different approach to writing.
Regardless, I worry that what you learn from reading books about creativity is how to read books about creativity.
I believe that what you need to do is to become highly skilled in the area in which you want to be creative. In creating fiction, this does not mean having good writing skills, though that is helpful, it means knowing how to create memories in a reader. Once you have confidence that you can create memories in a reader, and you understand that creating memories is a writer's primary task, the creativity will flow and be satisfying and fulfilling. So-called "writer's block" is now a solved puzzle and you can wiki how to get over that (short answer: adequate preparation).
I also think that being active in other artistic pursuits is helpful. I do some songwriting, play guitar, and am a photographer; each of these was originally pursued to help my writing. How does playing guitar help writing? I don't know, but I am convinced that it does and there are studies that back up my impression.
If your interest is in being creative in a business setting or in the visual arts or performance arts, none of this may be helpful. Some of it applies analogously to other artistic areas. If your interest is in writing, let me know and I can provide a few ideas of areas to explore, but you will have to teach yourself.
Best of luck.
