What do you think?
Rate this book
Creativity: The Perfect Crime
In the vein of The Creative Habit and The Artist’s Way, a new manifesto on the creative process from a master of the impossible.
Since well before his epic 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, Philippe Petit had become an artist who answered first and foremost to the demands of his craft—not only on the high wire, but also as a magician, street juggler, visual artist, builder, and writer. A born rebel like many creative people, he was from an early age a voracious learner who taught himself, cultivating the attitudes, resources, and techniques to tackle even seemingly impossible feats. His outlaw sensibility spawned a unique approach to the creative process—an approach he shares, with characteristic enthusiasm, irreverence, and originality in Creativity: The Perfect Crime.
Making the reader his accomplice, Petit reveals new and unconventional ways of going about the artistic endeavor, from generating and shaping ideas to practicing and problem-solving to pulling off the �coup” itself—executing a finished work. The strategies and insights he shares will resonate with performers of every stripe (actors, musicians, dancers) and practitioners of the non-performing arts (painters, writers, sculptors), and also with ordinary mortals in search of fresh ways of tackling the challenges and possibilities of everyday existence.
Since well before his epic 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, Philippe Petit had become an artist who answered first and foremost to the demands of his craft—not only on the high wire, but also as a magician, street juggler, visual artist, builder, and writer. A born rebel like many creative people, he was from an early age a voracious learner who taught himself, cultivating the attitudes, resources, and techniques to tackle even seemingly impossible feats. His outlaw sensibility spawned a unique approach to the creative process—an approach he shares, with characteristic enthusiasm, irreverence, and originality in Creativity: The Perfect Crime.
Making the reader his accomplice, Petit reveals new and unconventional ways of going about the artistic endeavor, from generating and shaping ideas to practicing and problem-solving to pulling off the �coup” itself—executing a finished work. The strategies and insights he shares will resonate with performers of every stripe (actors, musicians, dancers) and practitioners of the non-performing arts (painters, writers, sculptors), and also with ordinary mortals in search of fresh ways of tackling the challenges and possibilities of everyday existence.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2014
41 people are currently reading
1088 people want to read
About the author
Philippe Petit
77 books51 followersPhilippe Petit became famous in August 1974 for his high-wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. His walk is known as the "artistic crime of the century". Petit has performed high-wire walks around the world, and a 2008 documentary based on his adventure, Man on Wire, won numerous awards and critical praise.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
July 5, 2017
In Creativity: The Perfect Crime, Philippe invites the reader into his mind and attempts to dissect his creative process.
For this to make any sense, you have to let go of reality as you know it and step into his pipe-dream vision of the world. Sometimes I was able to do this and followed his twisting train of thought, but other times I couldn't. So, if you pick this one up, prepare yourself. It's not for everyone.
I marked a couple of his ideas that resonated with me:
"If you are an artist, you want to create a giant wall around yourself and, inside that wall, to follow your honesty and your intuition. What the audience will see is a man or woman who is a prisoner of his or her passion, and that is the most inspiring performance in the world." pg 16 "To be a prisoner of passion"- I've never heard an artist described that way before.
"Another theory of mine: turning in circles and getting lost is important! You find yourself when you get lost." pg 28 I embrace that theory as well.
"Go to school if you want to learn. Go to life if you want to feel." pg 85 Loved that.
Always look on the bright side of life: "Use your creative paranoia to be on the lookout for negativity; observe with a positive spirit: "What a beautiful disaster!" uttered the French architect Le Corbusier when he visited Manhattan for the first time." pg 100
We are all creators, painting our lives in wide strokes around us, even those of us who can't draw a stick figure or walk on a rope between skyscrapers. "Even if you are not a performer, even if you don't have an act, do not think that you have nothing to rehearse! The art of living makes a performing artist out of you." pg 122
In pages 20 to 26, Philippe essentially describes his brainstorming process as a paper version of Pinterest (my comparison, not his). He takes all of these words and pictures and files them according to some associations that his mind makes, then reassembles the results into art... somehow.
Read these pages if you want to explore how difficult it is for a creative type to write down his process in a manner that makes sense to anyone other than him or herself. It's interesting but baffling. "What a beautiful disaster," indeed.
Something to keep in mind when life's anxieties and impossibilities assail you: "Look in the mirror of fear and focus beyond it. What appears in the background is your path, awaiting." pg 149
Creativity: The Perfect Crime is one of a kind but if you liked it, I'd recommend reading PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren (Hundreds of people decorate plain postcards with a secret that they've never revealed to another person. It shows the heights and depths of creativity and artistic catharsis.) or How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery by Kevin Ashton (A more logical than emotional book about the creative process, how it works, and how everybody can create).
For this to make any sense, you have to let go of reality as you know it and step into his pipe-dream vision of the world. Sometimes I was able to do this and followed his twisting train of thought, but other times I couldn't. So, if you pick this one up, prepare yourself. It's not for everyone.
I marked a couple of his ideas that resonated with me:
"If you are an artist, you want to create a giant wall around yourself and, inside that wall, to follow your honesty and your intuition. What the audience will see is a man or woman who is a prisoner of his or her passion, and that is the most inspiring performance in the world." pg 16 "To be a prisoner of passion"- I've never heard an artist described that way before.
"Another theory of mine: turning in circles and getting lost is important! You find yourself when you get lost." pg 28 I embrace that theory as well.
"Go to school if you want to learn. Go to life if you want to feel." pg 85 Loved that.
Always look on the bright side of life: "Use your creative paranoia to be on the lookout for negativity; observe with a positive spirit: "What a beautiful disaster!" uttered the French architect Le Corbusier when he visited Manhattan for the first time." pg 100
We are all creators, painting our lives in wide strokes around us, even those of us who can't draw a stick figure or walk on a rope between skyscrapers. "Even if you are not a performer, even if you don't have an act, do not think that you have nothing to rehearse! The art of living makes a performing artist out of you." pg 122
In pages 20 to 26, Philippe essentially describes his brainstorming process as a paper version of Pinterest (my comparison, not his). He takes all of these words and pictures and files them according to some associations that his mind makes, then reassembles the results into art... somehow.
Read these pages if you want to explore how difficult it is for a creative type to write down his process in a manner that makes sense to anyone other than him or herself. It's interesting but baffling. "What a beautiful disaster," indeed.
Something to keep in mind when life's anxieties and impossibilities assail you: "Look in the mirror of fear and focus beyond it. What appears in the background is your path, awaiting." pg 149
Creativity: The Perfect Crime is one of a kind but if you liked it, I'd recommend reading PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren (Hundreds of people decorate plain postcards with a secret that they've never revealed to another person. It shows the heights and depths of creativity and artistic catharsis.) or How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery by Kevin Ashton (A more logical than emotional book about the creative process, how it works, and how everybody can create).
June 18, 2014
Oh, dear. This was quite a disastrous stack of papers — I hesitate even to call it a ‘book’, because it read like it was put together from scraps of paper pulled from the drawer of a deranged, narcissistic child. Every line in this book was either a shocking display of almost inhuman arrogance on the author’s part, or a horrible cliché about ‘creativity’ which I'm certain would not be in the least bit revelatory to an infant. Don’t be fooled by the title: this is not a book about creativity. It is a book of ramblings by a man who truly believes himself infinitely superior to the rest of mankind. And when I say ‘ramblings’, I really do mean that. The very concept of writing that flows is apparently entirely alien to him; the content of his thoughts are as sporadic as they are meaningless and irrelevant.
In a section on focus, he writes, “I can’t offer a formula for developing focus. But I know how it developed for me” (Petit 95). This perfectly exemplifies the self–centred uselessness of the book. The same concept is reflected in all other sections, too; all 210 excruciating pages of this codswallop go along the lines of, ‘I can’t really tell you how to be creative, but gee whiz I’m simply the most fascinating man who has ever lived, so let me tell you about myself and how creative I mistakenly think I am. And while I’m at it I’ll throw in some trite old sayings about being artistic for good measure’.
What that quotation fails to capture, though, is Petit’s writing style. It is one of the rare lines in his book that does not display his typical utter lack of coherency, his tone which is perpetually both painfully patronising and unavoidably stupid, his frequent and pointless line–breaks which make the whole thing feel like an extraordinarily lethargic and inept attempt at poetry, his astonishing overuse of exclamation points (I cannot stress this enough — they alone are almost enough to make this a torturous read), his liberal italicisation which seems to have been done completely at random. His love and admiration of himself is as unapologetic as it is repulsive. And his drawings — oh, Jesus, the drawings. Every once in a while his unbearable text is interrupted by a smeary scribbling of his, often just as unnecessary and unskilled as his writing. It’s clear that his aim is to be ‘artistic’, ‘unique’, ‘interesting’ perhaps. However, the result is simply pretentiousness and a severe lack of quality.
Don’t think I’m being hypocritical, or unduly harsh. I am not a published author; I could not draw well if my life depended on it. But I — like anyone with a scrap of self–awareness or self–respect — do not, therefore, fill a book with poor ‘art’ and my shoddiest strings of word salad and send it off to the publishing house, all the while assuming that I should be idolised as a great font of wisdom. To highlight one particularly stunning sample of the egomania he somehow managed to preserve throughout all this poor writing, he states in the latter half of the book, “I suddenly felt that it was my words Churchill had stolen. ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ And, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going.’”
Such delusions are featured on every page. I would almost say in every paragraph, except he has so many silly one–line paragraphs, some of which are not even long enough to contain a complete thought.
If you like Philippe Petit, be prepared to lose all respect or fondness for him quickly and thoroughly in this book. If you don’t like him, rest assured that after reading this, you never will.
In a section on focus, he writes, “I can’t offer a formula for developing focus. But I know how it developed for me” (Petit 95). This perfectly exemplifies the self–centred uselessness of the book. The same concept is reflected in all other sections, too; all 210 excruciating pages of this codswallop go along the lines of, ‘I can’t really tell you how to be creative, but gee whiz I’m simply the most fascinating man who has ever lived, so let me tell you about myself and how creative I mistakenly think I am. And while I’m at it I’ll throw in some trite old sayings about being artistic for good measure’.
What that quotation fails to capture, though, is Petit’s writing style. It is one of the rare lines in his book that does not display his typical utter lack of coherency, his tone which is perpetually both painfully patronising and unavoidably stupid, his frequent and pointless line–breaks which make the whole thing feel like an extraordinarily lethargic and inept attempt at poetry, his astonishing overuse of exclamation points (I cannot stress this enough — they alone are almost enough to make this a torturous read), his liberal italicisation which seems to have been done completely at random. His love and admiration of himself is as unapologetic as it is repulsive. And his drawings — oh, Jesus, the drawings. Every once in a while his unbearable text is interrupted by a smeary scribbling of his, often just as unnecessary and unskilled as his writing. It’s clear that his aim is to be ‘artistic’, ‘unique’, ‘interesting’ perhaps. However, the result is simply pretentiousness and a severe lack of quality.
Don’t think I’m being hypocritical, or unduly harsh. I am not a published author; I could not draw well if my life depended on it. But I — like anyone with a scrap of self–awareness or self–respect — do not, therefore, fill a book with poor ‘art’ and my shoddiest strings of word salad and send it off to the publishing house, all the while assuming that I should be idolised as a great font of wisdom. To highlight one particularly stunning sample of the egomania he somehow managed to preserve throughout all this poor writing, he states in the latter half of the book, “I suddenly felt that it was my words Churchill had stolen. ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ And, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going.’”
Such delusions are featured on every page. I would almost say in every paragraph, except he has so many silly one–line paragraphs, some of which are not even long enough to contain a complete thought.
If you like Philippe Petit, be prepared to lose all respect or fondness for him quickly and thoroughly in this book. If you don’t like him, rest assured that after reading this, you never will.
June 24, 2014
This is a truly dreadful book. It has nothing to do with creativity and everything to do with the ridiculous ego of the so called author. I say so called because the writing is horrific (disjointed thoughts, unfinished sentences, rambling, infantile drawings, and most annoyingly--exclamations every third sentence!!!). He is a skilled wire walker and self promoter but there was no more thought put in to the ramblings of this book than if a self absorbed 7th grader wrote a few sentences every time a thought popped into their head.
I would give an example but honestly every single sentence in the book is an example of how bad it is and I can't bear to pick it up again. Whoever told this man he could or should write did him a disservice.
One star only because I cannot give less.
I would give an example but honestly every single sentence in the book is an example of how bad it is and I can't bear to pick it up again. Whoever told this man he could or should write did him a disservice.
One star only because I cannot give less.
June 18, 2014
What. The. Hell.
My mother is usually pretty kind to authors. She knows that writing is difficult, and loves reading anything and everything. When she tried to explain how terrible this book was, I didn't believe her.
Now I do. I give you, select ACTUAL quotes that somehow escaped the editor's notice:
"Be the Artist In Residence (The AIR) of the Cathedral of your Dreams"
Haha. Look. I made a pun that doesn't make sense. Just as Picasso mixed paint, so I ruthlessly mix metaphors. And then, just like Napoleon on the battlefield, I mangle them.
"I don't mean "Get your act together!" I mean, get your act together."
I don't mean "I am insufferably pretentious," I mean, "I'm pretty sure I just scammed a publishing house for however much it costs to print this book."
"If intuition is the left hand of creativity, improvisation is the right."
But I can't see either, because I haven't looked up from my navel in 124 pages.
"How do we observe others? The eyes, the eyes...yes, the eyes, of course the eyes!"
WHAT? I'm sorry, I'm confused. Do you mean to say these spherical things in my head are good at observing things? Who knew! I've been using them for pickup basketball games. Also, how many times do you need to say "the eyes" to get your kindergarten-level point across.
"Let's, like...try things--totally! (I'm saying hello to some of my teenage readers.)"
No you're not. You're getting paid by the word count and so stuffed useless filler words into an otherwise meaningless sentence.
"I see the page on the right. It is blank." (in two pages) "If I turn back the page and this time look, the page will still be blank."
All hail the re-incarnation of Plato. No, but, seriously. Is there any chance this guy's joking? Like, this is some underground comedy book? I guess not.
"And what about you? How do you respond to the blank page? How does the blank page respond to you? ARE YOU THE PAGE?"
No, Petit, but that might because I haven't just taken mountains of acid.
"Why don't you eavesdrop on me as I interview myself?"
Because I now know with 100% certainty that none of your voices have anything interesting to say.
"Open your eyes. You're back! And I can safely ask if you have any memory of our visit, because your answer will be: "What visit?" But what are those purple slippers doing on your feet? Never mind... Fresh air welcomes us."
Oh boy Philippe...That may be the least connected set of clauses I've ever seen. Can I recommend writing your next book using a random word generator? It'll make a lot more sense.
Look, Phil. I'm sure you were a great tight-rope walker. But this book is a train-wreck of self-absorption and pseudo-intellectual drivel.
1 star because terrible, almost gave it 5 because few books have made me laugh this hard.
My mother is usually pretty kind to authors. She knows that writing is difficult, and loves reading anything and everything. When she tried to explain how terrible this book was, I didn't believe her.
Now I do. I give you, select ACTUAL quotes that somehow escaped the editor's notice:
"Be the Artist In Residence (The AIR) of the Cathedral of your Dreams"
Haha. Look. I made a pun that doesn't make sense. Just as Picasso mixed paint, so I ruthlessly mix metaphors. And then, just like Napoleon on the battlefield, I mangle them.
"I don't mean "Get your act together!" I mean, get your act together."
I don't mean "I am insufferably pretentious," I mean, "I'm pretty sure I just scammed a publishing house for however much it costs to print this book."
"If intuition is the left hand of creativity, improvisation is the right."
But I can't see either, because I haven't looked up from my navel in 124 pages.
"How do we observe others? The eyes, the eyes...yes, the eyes, of course the eyes!"
WHAT? I'm sorry, I'm confused. Do you mean to say these spherical things in my head are good at observing things? Who knew! I've been using them for pickup basketball games. Also, how many times do you need to say "the eyes" to get your kindergarten-level point across.
"Let's, like...try things--totally! (I'm saying hello to some of my teenage readers.)"
No you're not. You're getting paid by the word count and so stuffed useless filler words into an otherwise meaningless sentence.
"I see the page on the right. It is blank." (in two pages) "If I turn back the page and this time look, the page will still be blank."
All hail the re-incarnation of Plato. No, but, seriously. Is there any chance this guy's joking? Like, this is some underground comedy book? I guess not.
"And what about you? How do you respond to the blank page? How does the blank page respond to you? ARE YOU THE PAGE?"
No, Petit, but that might because I haven't just taken mountains of acid.
"Why don't you eavesdrop on me as I interview myself?"
Because I now know with 100% certainty that none of your voices have anything interesting to say.
"Open your eyes. You're back! And I can safely ask if you have any memory of our visit, because your answer will be: "What visit?" But what are those purple slippers doing on your feet? Never mind... Fresh air welcomes us."
Oh boy Philippe...That may be the least connected set of clauses I've ever seen. Can I recommend writing your next book using a random word generator? It'll make a lot more sense.
Look, Phil. I'm sure you were a great tight-rope walker. But this book is a train-wreck of self-absorption and pseudo-intellectual drivel.
1 star because terrible, almost gave it 5 because few books have made me laugh this hard.
April 9, 2014
Is Philippe Petit really a mere mortal? I wonder. After watching, Man On A Wire, last year, I became an instant fan. In, Creativity, Philippe ponders many things and gives out great advice to the reader. The greatest factor of his new book is his energy. It will infect you and you will become his partner in crime.
This is a book to savor and ponder and experiment with. It's not a how to, it's more of a what if and how about this...take on life and Philippe's experiences, which are vast and always interesting. The book is filled with his drawings, musings, experiences and ideas-he is an idea man. Philippe helps to look at life in fresh, surprising ways. Ah, he is a miracle and what a fun partner in crime he makes. Some of his ideas are big and some are small. He encourages trickery and balance and once you begin the journey with him, there is no return. Sometimes you'll be a fool and sometimes you will be wiser than others while making the tryst with Philippe.
This is a rare book by a genius to savor and re-re-re-read. It will be a book for your life that whenever you pick it up, no matter if you've read it already several times, something new will click and your partnership will be renewed and your creative crimes will be wonderful and adventurous.
Thanks, Philippe, you are definitely not, a mere mortal.
This is a book to savor and ponder and experiment with. It's not a how to, it's more of a what if and how about this...take on life and Philippe's experiences, which are vast and always interesting. The book is filled with his drawings, musings, experiences and ideas-he is an idea man. Philippe helps to look at life in fresh, surprising ways. Ah, he is a miracle and what a fun partner in crime he makes. Some of his ideas are big and some are small. He encourages trickery and balance and once you begin the journey with him, there is no return. Sometimes you'll be a fool and sometimes you will be wiser than others while making the tryst with Philippe.
This is a rare book by a genius to savor and re-re-re-read. It will be a book for your life that whenever you pick it up, no matter if you've read it already several times, something new will click and your partnership will be renewed and your creative crimes will be wonderful and adventurous.
Thanks, Philippe, you are definitely not, a mere mortal.
October 8, 2014
This is a book that seems based on a version of me, if things had gone slightly differently. One thing I've realized is that much of the mind differ between person and person. The motivations and attitudes toward life and creativity differ in each of us. "Creative, the perfect crime" certainly isn't a manifesto for all on how to cultivate their own creativity, but resonated quite strongly with me.
Even if not looking at it as a book to stir and teach you creativity this is a beautifully crafted and mesmerizing tome dedicated to life lived.
Even if not looking at it as a book to stir and teach you creativity this is a beautifully crafted and mesmerizing tome dedicated to life lived.
May 22, 2015
It is probably just me, but it took everything I had to force myself to keep reading this book to the end. Petit writes in his foreword to the book, "Make no mistake. I frown upon books about creativity."
Perhaps he should have listened to his instincts here. Some things just can't be written about, perhaps.
December 26, 2017
Audacious is the word for this book. It is such a different approach. I love the drawings he uses to illustrate his ideas. I love the way he embraces contradictions. He has such a distinctive writing style. It was a pleasure to read.
September 13, 2015
Absolute rubbish. The author is an arrogant, name-dropping, self-infatuated, attention-seeking narcissist.
May 22, 2014
It could be that I misunderstood what I should get out of this book. The author, Philippe Petit is the man who walked on a tight rope across the two towers in New York years ago as well as many other feats of daring. He is a man of many talents - not all legal ones - hence the title. The author writes about his methods to keep the creative juices flowing in his life. My problem with the book is I don't think this is a one size fits all topic. Many of his suggestions have much merit to someone seeking a creative lifestyle. However much of the book is off the topic and pertinent to him alone in my opinion.
January 17, 2016
What a book!
The first thing you must understand before you read this book is that this is not a self help book. It will not help you to be a creative person.
It is from a creative and dedicated man, explaining HIS creative process and what has influenced him. You may however be influenced creatively in the process.
Now I have read this book, I am ready to go back and understand it, and soak in what is being said. This is a book that you will come back to again and again. Read it. Highlight it. Practice it.
The first thing you must understand before you read this book is that this is not a self help book. It will not help you to be a creative person.
It is from a creative and dedicated man, explaining HIS creative process and what has influenced him. You may however be influenced creatively in the process.
Now I have read this book, I am ready to go back and understand it, and soak in what is being said. This is a book that you will come back to again and again. Read it. Highlight it. Practice it.
July 23, 2014
Too terrible to keep going.
September 8, 2020
Great physical feats begin with the mind. It is so rare to learn first-hand from an accomplished performer. Very few write. Then only some write well.
In this elegant book, we enter the extraordinary and methodical intellect of Frenchman Petit, who skywalked over 110 floors of the Twin Towers of the New York World Trade Center in 1974. He was arrested after. He crossed eight times without any safety net nor harness. This was depicted in the 2015 movie “The Walk” and the 2008 documentary “Man On Wire” and set a guinness world record for the highest tightrope walk at 411m (1,350 ft). It was unbeaten for over 30 years. Petit truly wants to share his creativity for our amusement and enrichment.
He trained as an aerialist, circus and street performer, juggler, magician, and bullfighter. He gives advice on how to balance, focus, perform, plan, practice, rest, use tools and props, and live a creative life. Petit's passion bursts through the pages filled with his clear sketches and beautiful prose. You will learn his painstaking preparation and rigorous training to perfect his craft. He practices multiple things daily until he perfects them. So inspiring!
@IvyDigest
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvUh2yaB1...
In this elegant book, we enter the extraordinary and methodical intellect of Frenchman Petit, who skywalked over 110 floors of the Twin Towers of the New York World Trade Center in 1974. He was arrested after. He crossed eight times without any safety net nor harness. This was depicted in the 2015 movie “The Walk” and the 2008 documentary “Man On Wire” and set a guinness world record for the highest tightrope walk at 411m (1,350 ft). It was unbeaten for over 30 years. Petit truly wants to share his creativity for our amusement and enrichment.
He trained as an aerialist, circus and street performer, juggler, magician, and bullfighter. He gives advice on how to balance, focus, perform, plan, practice, rest, use tools and props, and live a creative life. Petit's passion bursts through the pages filled with his clear sketches and beautiful prose. You will learn his painstaking preparation and rigorous training to perfect his craft. He practices multiple things daily until he perfects them. So inspiring!
@IvyDigest
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvUh2yaB1...
June 1, 2021
One of the best books on creativity I've ever read, and I've read many of them.
Petit is full of enthusiasm and verve. He not only discusses the process of creating but he demonstrates it in every chapter.
One of the early chapters is of greatest value , in which he describes his process of using divergence and chaos before applying focus and stringent scheduling. This, it seems, is the missing piece of the process for many artists, be they wild, unstructured creators or methodical, logical, perhaps sometimes limited ones.
A big thumbs up.
Petit is full of enthusiasm and verve. He not only discusses the process of creating but he demonstrates it in every chapter.
One of the early chapters is of greatest value , in which he describes his process of using divergence and chaos before applying focus and stringent scheduling. This, it seems, is the missing piece of the process for many artists, be they wild, unstructured creators or methodical, logical, perhaps sometimes limited ones.
A big thumbs up.
April 7, 2018
Did not finish, shelving this one. To be fair to Philippe Petit, he does say in the beginning of the book that this is not a creativity guide. However I feel like it's the worst of all precious creator cliches rolled into a ball, and I had to put the book about 3/4s of the way through, away after it talked about the power of magical objects several times. While Philippe Petit has done some amazing work, the book is just far too precious and insulating.
November 6, 2024
Philippe Petit is a madman and reading through this manifesto on his creative process is like following a child given free reign in a candy shop. But there is an order to his chaos and, while my process will never resemble his, it was good fun to watch him go joyfully to work. But now I need a nap.
December 7, 2017
The few nuggets of wisdom in this book is hardly worth the price of sorting through the author's self-obsessed rambling.
July 23, 2020
It took me a few days of ruminating to catch his vision and appreciate his genius. For anyone that wants to be more creative, follow this guy out onto the tightrope.
November 1, 2020
619 - 2020
March 27, 2017
This was an incredible look into Petit's mind - how he creates, some of his habits to do so, and how he protects his creating process. There were great points and thoughts in every chapter. I found myself taking notes! This man is truly one of a kind. :)
January 2, 2015
I'm embarrassed to confess that I chose this book based on the title, thinking I had selected a mystery!! I knew almost nothing about Petit. Although I had come across references to the film documentary Man on Wire, I did not associate them with this man or this author.
Petit's writing style is...different. It is tight yet airy and flowing. He reveals his personal take on nurturing the creative process as he shares illustrative anecdotes from his own practice (multiple practices as it turns out, including writing as well as wire walking, juggling and magic) and from other sources. Some aspects of his story are surreal, drawn from elements of his imagination which he turns into a kind of mental scaffolding for personal discipline.
I kept thinking I would not finish this book. I was in the mood for fiction, and here I was doing a forced march through a work of non-fiction during parts of which I found my attention straying. Yet, every few days I picked up the book and read more. Partly I returned because I found the book a fast read and because I hate to abandon a book. But partly I persisted because each time my interest started to wane, I came upon a passage that spoke directly to me. I read bits that inspired me, bits that startled me when I recognized an insight that I had already discovered for myself, bits that evoked shamed, bits that had practical value, and bits that simply made me pause and reflect.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in the subject of creativity from an experiential perspective rather than from an academic one.
Petit's writing style is...different. It is tight yet airy and flowing. He reveals his personal take on nurturing the creative process as he shares illustrative anecdotes from his own practice (multiple practices as it turns out, including writing as well as wire walking, juggling and magic) and from other sources. Some aspects of his story are surreal, drawn from elements of his imagination which he turns into a kind of mental scaffolding for personal discipline.
I kept thinking I would not finish this book. I was in the mood for fiction, and here I was doing a forced march through a work of non-fiction during parts of which I found my attention straying. Yet, every few days I picked up the book and read more. Partly I returned because I found the book a fast read and because I hate to abandon a book. But partly I persisted because each time my interest started to wane, I came upon a passage that spoke directly to me. I read bits that inspired me, bits that startled me when I recognized an insight that I had already discovered for myself, bits that evoked shamed, bits that had practical value, and bits that simply made me pause and reflect.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in the subject of creativity from an experiential perspective rather than from an academic one.
December 13, 2015
I received this book as part of a Goodreads First Readers giveaway. This is highly unusual memoir-cum-instruction manual written by a professional high-wire walker, juggler, magician, author, and all around Renaissance man.
With great humor and, yes, creativity, Petit shares his views on how a creative person can optimize their gift. Self taught in the various disciplines he practices, Petit is a renegade who disregards authority when it stands in the way of his creativity. He creates his own inner sanctuary, a place where he can retire to come up with unique ways to express himself, at the same time entertaining his followers. His unconventional methods make his endeavors "crimes".
While this is probably not to everyone's taste, I thoroughly enjoyed Petit's candid and charming insights into conceiving, planning, and executing ideas. Read it with an open mind to fully appreciate its freshness and originality.
With great humor and, yes, creativity, Petit shares his views on how a creative person can optimize their gift. Self taught in the various disciplines he practices, Petit is a renegade who disregards authority when it stands in the way of his creativity. He creates his own inner sanctuary, a place where he can retire to come up with unique ways to express himself, at the same time entertaining his followers. His unconventional methods make his endeavors "crimes".
While this is probably not to everyone's taste, I thoroughly enjoyed Petit's candid and charming insights into conceiving, planning, and executing ideas. Read it with an open mind to fully appreciate its freshness and originality.
January 6, 2018
"Make no mistake. I frown upon books about creativity."
This is how Philippe Petit opens *Creativity: The Perfect Crime.* And this is definitely not your typical book on creativity. In it, Petit explores his own creative process, but rarely gives concrete advice (though there is plenty of abstract advice). But anyone who reads the opening paragraph, and then expects a typical book about creativity, has missed the author's point entirely.
This book is more an exploration of one person's creative process, not a blueprint for others to follow. And while this book has drawn comparisons to *The Creative Habit* and *The Artist's Way* it is not like those books at all. There are no exercises, no clear explanations of how he takes a project from inception to completion.
Instead, it is a look inside a creative mind, meant to be an inspiration, a place to look for ideas. It is not a how-to-be-creative book, but a how-the-author-is-creative-and-might-inspire-you book.
This is how Philippe Petit opens *Creativity: The Perfect Crime.* And this is definitely not your typical book on creativity. In it, Petit explores his own creative process, but rarely gives concrete advice (though there is plenty of abstract advice). But anyone who reads the opening paragraph, and then expects a typical book about creativity, has missed the author's point entirely.
This book is more an exploration of one person's creative process, not a blueprint for others to follow. And while this book has drawn comparisons to *The Creative Habit* and *The Artist's Way* it is not like those books at all. There are no exercises, no clear explanations of how he takes a project from inception to completion.
Instead, it is a look inside a creative mind, meant to be an inspiration, a place to look for ideas. It is not a how-to-be-creative book, but a how-the-author-is-creative-and-might-inspire-you book.
January 25, 2016
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads contest.
Some readers would find Petit "narcissistic" or full of himself. He isn't. He is explaining, in detail, his creative process in this book. And when I say "extreme detail"...I mean just that. He goes step by step through every part of his creative process in hopes other creative people may be inspired and maybe take some of the process as their own. He isn't forcing it on the reader or saying it is his way or no way. He is just telling the reader what he does and hopes that it inspires you, the reader, to move forward with your own creative energies and ideas.
It is not a straightforward book. It is not a step by step "This is how you get creative" book. It is Petit explaining his creative process and what he does which I found very interesting
Some readers would find Petit "narcissistic" or full of himself. He isn't. He is explaining, in detail, his creative process in this book. And when I say "extreme detail"...I mean just that. He goes step by step through every part of his creative process in hopes other creative people may be inspired and maybe take some of the process as their own. He isn't forcing it on the reader or saying it is his way or no way. He is just telling the reader what he does and hopes that it inspires you, the reader, to move forward with your own creative energies and ideas.
It is not a straightforward book. It is not a step by step "This is how you get creative" book. It is Petit explaining his creative process and what he does which I found very interesting
March 16, 2016
I have been reading this book slowly for the past 150 days, according to the Goodreads counter. I have really enjoyed it. I am so inspired by Petit's walk between the World Trade Center towers (if you haven't seen the movie The Walk start there and then read this book).
This is the kind of book where if you read it quickly and mindlessly I believe you won't get much from. It is the kind of book that you need to bring your whole self to and meet openly (or in secret), and it will give you more than you asked. It is a book about crime and beauty and art and loving and even fury and anger.
It is about discipline to a larger calling and what it takes to remain a servant to the work, the art.
This is the kind of book where if you read it quickly and mindlessly I believe you won't get much from. It is the kind of book that you need to bring your whole self to and meet openly (or in secret), and it will give you more than you asked. It is a book about crime and beauty and art and loving and even fury and anger.
It is about discipline to a larger calling and what it takes to remain a servant to the work, the art.
September 12, 2016
I won this book as a good reads first read. Books about creativity appeal to me, but this book was very different from anything I have read before. Philippe's voice and personality are apparent throughout the book, and I feel that his success as a high wire artist are attributable to that confidence, strength, focus of purpose and determination. There wasn't a lot of flow throughout the book, so as a result I found myself picking it up and putting it down a number of times. After completing the book, I feel it is one that you could go back to, flip open a page, read a passage, and find something to think about.
August 16, 2015
[After half completion]
Reading this book is like going into a thrilling water ride in complete darkness. There is an mixed sensory feel to it, at least for me i.e.
I understand why people think it is self propaganda or rambling egoism. I disagree, there are some seriously deep insights if you look beyond the sentence structure or grammar or any other technicalities, and focus on understanding what is being said.
[After Completion]- The second half of the novel does feel like listening to a egocentric person. so I stand corrected. But there is a lot to be learnt/understood from what he says..
Reading this book is like going into a thrilling water ride in complete darkness. There is an mixed sensory feel to it, at least for me i.e.
I understand why people think it is self propaganda or rambling egoism. I disagree, there are some seriously deep insights if you look beyond the sentence structure or grammar or any other technicalities, and focus on understanding what is being said.
[After Completion]- The second half of the novel does feel like listening to a egocentric person. so I stand corrected. But there is a lot to be learnt/understood from what he says..
June 28, 2014
This was a great book, however it was not the book for me. I passed it on to someone who deserved it and loves it and is much more the reckless jump-off-a-building-to-figure-out-how-to-land person who needs to read this book.
It is not "How to grow your creativity" but how to channel it and encourage it and keep track of all your nutcase ideas. Also, figure out how to make your own tools. And also, recruit people you trust to help with your hijinks and shenanigans. Also, parkour and tightrope walking.
Read it: people who can't sit still, daredevils, impulsives, and thrill-seekers.
It is not "How to grow your creativity" but how to channel it and encourage it and keep track of all your nutcase ideas. Also, figure out how to make your own tools. And also, recruit people you trust to help with your hijinks and shenanigans. Also, parkour and tightrope walking.
Read it: people who can't sit still, daredevils, impulsives, and thrill-seekers.
July 24, 2016
More like the unofficial and messy biography of the world-famous wire-walker who balanced on the tight rope between the World Trade Center than an instruction on creativity.
First of all--I love Philippe Petit. I've watched his award-winning documentary and the Hollywood adaptation of his life which I enjoyed immensely. But this book is a bit of a mess--Petit writes in a stream-of-consciousness way which is hard to read. If anything, this book allows you to dive into the creatively chaotic mind of a maverick.
Only worth a read if you're interested in Philippe Petit.
First of all--I love Philippe Petit. I've watched his award-winning documentary and the Hollywood adaptation of his life which I enjoyed immensely. But this book is a bit of a mess--Petit writes in a stream-of-consciousness way which is hard to read. If anything, this book allows you to dive into the creatively chaotic mind of a maverick.
Only worth a read if you're interested in Philippe Petit.
June 26, 2014
As much as I loved To Reach the Clouds (and I did love - still do), I disliked this one. I understand what Petit is trying to communicate, but honestly it felt like the whole book was one big "HEY LOOK AT ME! LOOK HOW CLEVER AND CREATIVE I AM! I THINK DIFFERENT - OOO, ISN'T THAT NEAT?" I'm sure that's not how he meant it to come across, but it did. Sigh. I wish I would have just read To Reach the Clouds again, instead.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews