Unthink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius

by Erik Wahl

In the tradition of A Whole New Mind and The War of Art, graffiti artist and corporate thought leader, Erik Wahl explores the power of creativity to achieve superior performance.

Somehow we’ve come to believe that creativity is reserved for the chosen few: the poets, the painters, the writers. The truth is creativity is in all of us and re-discovering it is the key to unlocking your fullest potential. Unthink is a book that pushes us beyond our traditional thought patterns.

Unthink is a book that will inspire everyone to realize that we are capable of so much more than we have pre-conditioned for. Creativity is not in one special place--and it is not in one special person. Creativity is everywhere and in everyone who has the courage to unleash their creative genius.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Leadership, Education, Personal Development

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erik Wahl is a graffiti artist who no longer sells his art. He is on the corporate speaking circuit and in the course of an hour will paint 3 different pieces, each one done in 3 minutes. He will then give one away, then do an ArtDrop - hide a painting somewhere around the city and tweet clues to it's location, and perhaps donate the last one. At least that's what he did when I saw him a Gartner Conference in late April in San Diego.
In Unthink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius, Wahl says this "What you need to know - what perhaps no one has ever told you - is that an artist is anyone who challenges conventional wisdom and inspires change that creates new channels of problem solving and innovation….Art is not only a noun; it is a verb. It is not only a canvas; it is a catalyst. Art is far less about the physical thing created than about the effect of your ideas, words, and creations on your circumstances and the others around you."

He then presents his views on how to get there using Picasso as his framework:
P - Provacative
I - Intuitive
C - Convicted
A - Accelerated
S - Spontaneous
S - Surrendered
O - Original

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I read each section slowly as he challenged me to think differently about what creativity really is. I recommend it to anyone who thinks "they don't have a creative bone in them."

[Synthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book to be a lot of fluff. There is nothing you haven't heard before. You would be more inspired by reading a motivational quote which he inserts often throughout the book.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. One of my favorite passages is on page 44, "The hunger for creativity you feel as an adult is a lot like phantom pain" Many people have an emptiness that they just can't explain.

That passage could be the answer; those people are feeling the phantom pain of their creativity shriveling and dying. Just like a muscle, creativity must be used or it withers to nothing, leaving us with unexplained pain

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made the mistake of thinking this book would be about creativity. As an art teacher, I thought I might use some of what I read to inspire my students. Unfortunately, this book is targeted towards people who find themselves stuck in a job they don't enjoy, and how to turn their situation around (and the advice seems to be quit the job and find something you love to do, no matter how daring that might be). Oh, and the author also likes to bring up fairly regularly how successful he is at producing quick paintings that he leaves for others to find.

This is definitely NOT a book about creativity. And unfortunately it offers nothing that the average self-help motivational book has already featured.

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This read more like a biography than a plan to "rediscover your creative genius."

[Sekaie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was published on 2013 and I read it on 2024. So, I am definitely late to the party and my review may not be really reflective of the quality of the book at the time. That's being said, I think the book was totally boring and often cringy. The book is only 200 pages, but the amount of repetition made the read tedious and a waste of time. The themes and messages are repetitive with similar ideas being reiterated without substantial new content.
To me, the book feels like your generic "inside you there is an artist/creative" book, but it lacks depth, and the tips offered are not that actionable. Most of the time, the content feels more like a collection of motivational quotes with some personal anecdotes. The author reflects on past events and selectively includes information that supports his current beliefs. He uses his own successful experiences to advocate for creative risk-taking and cherry-picks success stories, creating a biased narrative that overemphasizes positive outcomes.

[Julian Arias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic concept, persuasively and convincingly delivered🎩

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't quite sure what to think of this book. It's basic message is to "do what you love" and "find your inner artist" and buck convention - but in a sort of business-minded manner. The author's prescriptions for embracing this mindset are typical platitudes such as "be spontaneous," "be creative" and others. I think I would like to see his presentation in person that he alludes to numerous times throughout the book (he apparently paints a portrait in three minutes during each session and then leaves the art work out in public for anyone to take home). All in all, I've read better motivational business books, but at least this was a quick read with a few nuggets of wisdom.

[Abby Farr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting. I consider myself to be creative, but not necessarily an artist. I write fiction and have the constant urge to craft, but I have not really tapped into my full potential. This book is inspirational in the sense that it tries to get you to see the world in a completely different way. I am still in college and therefore do not have a monotonous job to apply these lessons to, but if I had been in a creative rut, this book would be very helpful. (I won this for free from a goodreads giveaway and i'm so glad that I did)

[Marc Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to think being a rebel at work was the reason I never got ahead at most of my jobs. Now I realize, I am just an innovator, not happy with the status quo. Makes me wonder how many of the companies that I have worked for could have done monumentally better, had they seen the vision I saw for them. I have always been a visionary, from my days as a paste up artist back in 1984, when I saw the first Macintosh computer and told my co-workers that things in our world were about to change, drastically.

[Mariyan Tashev · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much repetition of the same idea. Behave like a kid. Explore. Trust your creativity. That's it.
It's like a long article where the author cites other authors. At least 3-4 times per chapter. For 10 chapters.
So, when he cites other ideas, then he gives example and then he explains them.
To make it clear you will read more or less the same thing 3 times. Each chapter.
Why did I read it till the end then? Cause I was at a live event where Erik performed and it was alright.
Save yourself some time and read something else. Preferably not in this category.

[Collin Bustanoby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not interested in learning how to manipulate a crowd.

[Stephen Altrogge · Rating 2 out of 5]

As creativity books go, this one was pretty disappointing. A lot of grand ideas with very little practical application.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's not an original thought in the entire book.

[Bob Mcinnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Erik Wahl for writing my story. Helped me realize that I am at my best when unthinking.

[Mike Corso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me why I am so unimpressed with most adults

[Kari · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was awful. I would not have finished it if I wasn't reading it for a school book club.

[Barry Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtitled “rediscover your creative genius,” this powerful book begins with the author’s tale of his dramatic career loss with a wife and 3 young kids to his discovering of his true calling - as a graffiti artist and inspirational speaker. He hides his paintings in the town where he will speak (called the Art Spot) leaving clues. The person who finds the painting gets to keep it, Speaking while painting (a 1 hour event) he encourages his listeners to discover and practice the artist that was in all of us as children. The book is full of quotes, recommended readings, research and stories (including Steve Jobs, Oswald Chambers, and G.K. Chesteron, among others) to support his premise.

Section one speaks of THEN (who you were) and what was right about you before adulthood came and suppressed your creativity. Key points:
-Mystery adds meaning
-Ignorance leads to breakthroughs
-Later means never
-Play is the supreme catalyst

Section two speaks of NOW (who you are) and what is left of you. You still have a right brain, just aren’t using it!

Section three speaks to HOW (who you can still be) with seven powerful and insightful chapters.

Be provocative
- Step outside your bubble, live with some discomfort, ask forgiveness rather than permission, start small

Be Intuitive
- Know what’s under the surface, loosen your processes, make discovery as valuable as data, let conversations be your proving ground

Be convicted
- Do the next thing on your heart, be a catalyst

Be accelerated
- Refine your resources...even when you don’t have to, refuse to be overwhelmed,

Be spontaneous
- Act through the fear, leave room for interruptions

Be surrendered
- Surrender the recognition, the labels, the moment, the outcome

Be original
- Dance to your own drum, work boldly/uniquely/freely, recruit an ally

Interestingly, in the final chapter, “your Picasso,” Wahl shows his creativity as you record the first letter of each “be” - P.I.C.A..S.S.O.

Although the primary focus of this excellent book is enhancing your creativity at work, it is just as applicable to the entire process of decision making, creativity, and problem-solving in any situation. I am using this as one of my textbooks in an Organizational Leadership graduate class.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a literally forgettable book. I finished it yesterday, but most of its vague "do what works, unless it doesn't, in which case, do the opposite" empty platitudes are already fading from memory.

These style of business self-help books are not for me, and I recognize that, but this book fails even on its own terms. That is, I consciously chose not to catalog all the infuriating (to me) self-contradictory advice nuggets, or the many examples where Wahl mistakes an anecdote for compelling evidence, or even the preachy message of "everyone has to find their path, so long as that path is as an artist" because I understand his goal is to instill an emotion in people, and such a goal can be legitimate. I even resolved to suppress the reflexive certainty that such evoked emotions are transitory and don't yield lasting outcomes. But all that turned out to be unnecessary because Wahl never came close to sparking any excitement in me.

He did a lot of talking about how awesome he is, and he did a lot of (inaccurate) guessing about how I (the reader) structure my life, and then he told me to stop doing that and be more like him.

Apropos of nothing above, I found the sub-subsection "Live With Some Discomfort" of Chapter 3 an insightful and prescient commentary on how the public interacts with the social media feeds of industry titans. His specific example was the 2010 NFL strike. (Side note: looking back at that section, I see that it is a summary of something written by Amy Jo Martin; maybe one is better off just reading her book.)

my favorite quote: "They were provocative because they lived with conviction that life itself could and should continually advance toward a higher standard and produce a more fulfilling result."

[Matt Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s interesting how Erik Wahl creates art masterpieces then gives them away. He often hides them in plain sight and tweets the general location where it’s at and whoever finds it can keep it. One day, I would love to find one. This book is about tapping into your creative potential and “unthinking” the various counterproductive lessons you’ve learned throughout your life and tapping into the things we often know innately. He says to “be provocative” and go against the grain. 1. Step outside your bubble. 2. Live with some discomfort. 3. Ask for forgiveness, instead of permission. 4. Start small. He says when you learn to be provocative every day, creativity is always accessible. He says to “be convicted”. Only you knows what makes you come alive and to do that in your work. He talks about being surrendered and knowing your why, like Simon Sinek talks about. The book has lots of good quotes, reminders and challenges to help you become the best version of yourself. I liked it!

[Talince · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a book with an anarchist symbol, this book does a lot of praising about corporate structures. From the book:
"For starters, it meant creativity wasn't relegated to the walls of museums, libraries, and concert halls. It also resided in the halls of corporate headquarters. It echoed off the office walls of the savvy executives and shrewd entrepreneurs."
I guess he's an AnarchoCapitalist? Anyways...

Otherwise, the novel is mostly focused on Erik Wahl's career, (Someone I'd never heard of and wasn't particularly interested in) and an emphasis on finding your "inner child". So basically find new experiences and try to be more confident. I don't think it's anything you wouldn't find in a more focused, condensed book. I wouldn't recommend trying to learn that through the author's ramblings.

[Rob Brock · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is an artist and motivational speaker who found his niche after losing a well paying job in corporate america. The premise of his book plays off the famous Picasso quote, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." He then takes readers through a series of recommendations about how to unleash your creativity by thinking like an artist. There are two things that are helpful to understand about this book. First, the author specializes in rapid painting, where he'll do a portrait on stage while giving a talk. His writing is similarly characterized by broad brush strokes and quick stories, but often lacks depth or detail. Second, the series of recommendations he presents actually form an acrostic spelling out PICASSO, but he doesn't reveal this until the very end of the book. While the suprise reveal might work for a TED-style talk, I think the reader would have been better served with this information up front. At least it would make his recommendations seem slightly less random when you know he's presenting them as part of a memory tool. If you like to think of yourself as an artist, you might enjoy this book, but otherwise, there are other books on creativity that might serve you better.

[Lorrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

For such a short book, this one was hard to get through. It falls into the same trap that a lot of self-help books do: professing grandiose ideas with few, if any, practical solutions. Perhaps this is because the subject matter is such an ephemeral thing. It also suffers from the same problem as most self-help books, in that it repeats the same one or two points over and over (and over, and over...) ad nauseum, as if teh repetition will somehow make them more true (or perhaps it's just to beat us over the head with them trying to make them stick?).

All in all, there was little of substance to be learned from this book. Glad it was only a couple hours of my life wasted.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

this has been sitting on my bookshelf for probably over a decade so i decided to finally read it but it honestly wasn't what i was expecting and it's a message i ultimately cannot get behind... good overall philosophy (albeit a bit basic/general) but poor in how he applied these creativity tips to being a good worker like.... i hate capitalism (heartbreak emote) we work to live guys not live to work...

[Jen W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book and was completely thrown when it was narrated by a woman yet it was a man’s story. Then at the end I realized she was his wife. This still did not work for me as it was basically a memoir. I read this to get a few new ideas to promote creativity with my team. Sadly, I don’t think I gained much useful from this book.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. If your in the process of making a career transition or need a boost of creative enjoy, this is the book for you. This book is full of inspirational quotes and shorties.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good parts: many good and new anecdotes, inspiring ideas, love what he does. Not as good: too dependent on right brain/left brain as a model. A good read, but if I had to choose one I would choose Pressfield's The War of Art. If I could choose two, this would be on the list.

[CharityJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as inspiring or informative as I'd hoped it would be. I was looking for concrete ideas or exercises to work through and there isn't much of that. If you've already read a lot of books along this thread, I'd probably skip this one.

[Di Do · Rating 1 out of 5]

An artist using an anarchist symbol to spell his name, he does a lot of praising about corporate structure.
There are no original ideas in this book and it is more about surviving in the corporate structure than unleashing your creativity.

[Mathher Abbassi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book introduced nothing new that a CEO, HR professional, or hiring manager doesn't already know. It provides very basic information about how to identify talents and competencies in hiring candidates.