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Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything
A national bestseller, Let the Elephants Run is the essential guidebook for anyone looking to reignite their creativity. Creativity is in everyone’s DNA, not a select few. Award-winning musician and founder of CloudID Creativity Lab David Usher believes we just need the right tools to help us reconnect with our imaginations in our day-to-day lives, whether in the head office, the home office, or the artist’s studio. Using a mix of personal anecdotes and professional examples from the worlds of industry, technology, science, music, and art, he shows us that creativity is not magic; it is a learnable skill that any person or business can master. The dynamic full-colour design includes photographs, artwork, and illustrations, as well as action pages to help readers start cultivating the habit of documenting their ideas for future execution. Based on his wildly popular speaking engagements, Let the Elephants Run is the essential guidebook to reigniting and nurturing our creativity in accessible and productive ways.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2014
62 people are currently reading
1644 people want to read
About the author
David Usher
2 books27 followersDavid Usher is an artist, author, entrepreneur and activist. As a musician he has sold more than 1.4 million albums and performed all over the world. He has had #1 singles singing in English, French and Thai.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 28, 2016
If you have spent any time on the internet reading about creativity, very little of the information stored in this book will be new to you. This is a great book for those who have no previous experience on the topic of creative enterprise, and are not looking for a particularly in-depth report on it. Written in a blog-length format, with an emphasis on graphics, it's a quick and easy read. The most interesting information was from Usher's experience within the music industry, and his perception of his record company's business model as music transitioned into a digitized commodity. These stories, sadly, are few and far between. Though the book is well written, it is not appropriate for someone who has already invested time researching the various insights of creative pursuits. Usher's perspective is not particularly branded, and thankfully he does not employ cringe-worthy phrases or titles for any component of the creative process. But his approach is bland, and clearly modelled off of other "thought leaders" such as Seth Godin. The act of recycling of information in a newly packaged product is an oddly ironic process for a book focused on innovation and creativity. The moral of this journey is that the status quo is the enemy, and Usher's ability to reproduce readily-available information -- not his on experiences working for decades in a creative filed -- is somehow going to help you fight that cause. By no means an awful book, but I was thoroughly underwhelmed.
January 25, 2015
I don't know how to best categorize this book - business? self help? reference? But what I do know is that it's awesome. I just about flew through this book and had to force myself to slow down so that I could take it all in, and let it ruminate.
Some of the ideas in the book seem pretty obvious, but they were only obvious after I had read them. It was very much a "this should be so obvious to me, why didn't I think of this?"
The book gives suggestions and actions of what you can do to get your creativity flowing, how you can maintain that momentum, and transfer it to other disciplines, and talks about the process of creativity itself and how it takes structure to be creative and to maintain your creativity and be successful with it.
The design of the book is also very creative and something that I really enjoyed.
Overall, a great read, and one that I will becoming back to again and again.
Some of the ideas in the book seem pretty obvious, but they were only obvious after I had read them. It was very much a "this should be so obvious to me, why didn't I think of this?"
The book gives suggestions and actions of what you can do to get your creativity flowing, how you can maintain that momentum, and transfer it to other disciplines, and talks about the process of creativity itself and how it takes structure to be creative and to maintain your creativity and be successful with it.
The design of the book is also very creative and something that I really enjoyed.
Overall, a great read, and one that I will becoming back to again and again.
August 24, 2015
No. Just no. Boo! Thinking about reading this book? Don't. Trust me. There's only so much time to read, save yourself from this drivel.
This book didn't offer any insights great into the creative process. I found it glib, thin, and ultimately annoying.
If you're looking to expand (or jump start) your creativity I suggest looking someplace else.
This book didn't offer any insights great into the creative process. I found it glib, thin, and ultimately annoying.
If you're looking to expand (or jump start) your creativity I suggest looking someplace else.
March 7, 2015
i won this book from goodreads.
it was very interesting. the author encourages everyone to be more creative. he uses various examples, exercises, stories and illustrations to get his point across. he also discusses the creative process. he mentions (and i agree) that creativity belongs to everyone, not just artists. artists do not miraculously put out art. they work hard, revise, edit, etc through a long process that is a lot of actual work. they work hard to get what they want done, and this is something anyone who is willing to work hard can do. they just need a system or a process to get things done. the author likens this to how a scientist hypothesizes and tests and revises. so, creativity can be seen as a science not just an art. he also applies some of his ideas to the business/entepreneur world too.
the book uses pictures, art, and layout design which makes it a pleasure just to read. all in all, the book taught me a lot about the process of creating something (which i dearly wish to do) and, even more important, inspired me to do so. i would encourage anyone who ever wanted to write a book or a poem, or paint a picture or sculpt or anything at all to read this book. if you want to create anything--art or business--then try this book.
July 25, 2015
Ok so this book is beautiful. I'm putting some quotes here so that I have them for when the paper I wrote them on gets lost..
"CREATIVITY IS 95 PERCENT WORK AND DISCIPLINE AND 5 PERCENT INSPIRATION."
one of the truest statements I've ever read.
"experience breeds confidence."
"you are the costco of creativity."
"artist or entrepreneur, in my mind we are all hustlers and thieves. we are an amalgamation of the ideas that surround us."
"times have changed. these days, ideas are like oxygen - they are everywhere."
"when you learn the language of creativity it alters the lens through which you see the world."
"CREATIVITY IS 95 PERCENT WORK AND DISCIPLINE AND 5 PERCENT INSPIRATION."
one of the truest statements I've ever read.
"experience breeds confidence."
"you are the costco of creativity."
"artist or entrepreneur, in my mind we are all hustlers and thieves. we are an amalgamation of the ideas that surround us."
"times have changed. these days, ideas are like oxygen - they are everywhere."
"when you learn the language of creativity it alters the lens through which you see the world."
October 10, 2017
A very conventional take on creativity produced by a very conventional and uncreative person.
April 11, 2019
OK: this was both an excellent book and a less good one.
We'll start with the less great:
1. It wasn't very well written, which was disappointing. I think it was probably written like one of his speeches, and probably would have sounded better given as a presentation. But it was a bit disjointed, and there were some typos that made it through.
2. It was a bit preachy... which, I suppose is the point?
3. I was the wrong audience, since I'm already a working creative, and he's therefore preaching to the choir. There was still some action I could be taking from it (see good point #2), but there was a lot of why I should as well as the how.
4. It was also a bit shamelessly self-promotional, which is probably unavoidable, seeing as he's talking about his own experiences...
The good:
1. The entire message of it. This is basically what I tell everyone. As a designer, everyone is always telling me that they couldn't do what I do because they're not creative, which really annoys me. Everyone is creative, and if they're not artistic, it's just that they didn't value it enough to go for it. It's like me and sports.
2. There were enough sections that I really loved in it to highlight, that I might actually go and buy my own copy. Here were the bits I enjoyed and will try to take away:
a. the "half-hour habit" of taking the first half hour of the day before checking email or opening your computer to generate ideas. I might not use it for idea generation, but maybe for sketching. That's something I'd like to get better at.
b. keeping my mouth shut about new creative projects until I'm ready to defend them: "When your ideas are still newborn, treat them as something precious that needs time to grow and develop and change. There will be plenty of time to talk and discuss and defend your ideas later."
c. getting started and overcoming the blank page issue: just start working, don't think, get stuff on the page. I already know this and it's often part of my process, but I do need to hear it said more, because I do forget.
d. pick something to learn. "As you become curious you begin to learn, and the more you learn the more curious you become. It becomes an infinite loop, and this loop sparks ideas. Creativity comes from that curiosity: the burning desire to see what is on the other side and to find answers." I also know this one, that when I take classes, even random ones, I'm much better and more excited about my job. It's just hard to make time and money for it! (Also "The Internet is a learning game changer ig you have the discipline to follow through and focus to avoid distraction." which I don't... sigh)
e. There was a lot about the craft of creative professions (ie. the hard work, the bits you have to struggle through to keep the train rolling, and not just the ideas and you're done). There was a bit where he said the craft is what gets him up before dawn and keeps him up long into the night: and I feel like an imposter, because nothing can wake me before dawn! I will admit sometimes projects keep me awake, but they never wake me up.
f. to remember to not take feedback personally. It's a reminder I can't hear enough. Because I do take feedback personally, and I have to not. I should actually not even take good feedback personally, which I do.
g. I really loved this suggestion: once he puts out an album, he doesn't listen to it for a year, then "I put on my headphones and head out for a walk. The truth is: Sometimes I love it, and sometimes not so much." This hit me in two ways. 1. to start earlier, so that I can have some time to review concepts before sending them to clients, 2. to do a post-mortem type of reflection after everything is done.
All in all, it was a book worth reading. I think if you're at all interested in starting an artistic pursuit (firstly, just get into it: it's all practice anyway. May as well start now!), it's a book worth reading, since it does get into his own creative process, which could be helpful to start developing your own. But also, if you wish you were "more creative", this is the book for you. (Spoiler, you're already creative, you just need to exercise your creativity more often to actually feel it!)
We'll start with the less great:
1. It wasn't very well written, which was disappointing. I think it was probably written like one of his speeches, and probably would have sounded better given as a presentation. But it was a bit disjointed, and there were some typos that made it through.
2. It was a bit preachy... which, I suppose is the point?
3. I was the wrong audience, since I'm already a working creative, and he's therefore preaching to the choir. There was still some action I could be taking from it (see good point #2), but there was a lot of why I should as well as the how.
4. It was also a bit shamelessly self-promotional, which is probably unavoidable, seeing as he's talking about his own experiences...
The good:
1. The entire message of it. This is basically what I tell everyone. As a designer, everyone is always telling me that they couldn't do what I do because they're not creative, which really annoys me. Everyone is creative, and if they're not artistic, it's just that they didn't value it enough to go for it. It's like me and sports.
2. There were enough sections that I really loved in it to highlight, that I might actually go and buy my own copy. Here were the bits I enjoyed and will try to take away:
a. the "half-hour habit" of taking the first half hour of the day before checking email or opening your computer to generate ideas. I might not use it for idea generation, but maybe for sketching. That's something I'd like to get better at.
b. keeping my mouth shut about new creative projects until I'm ready to defend them: "When your ideas are still newborn, treat them as something precious that needs time to grow and develop and change. There will be plenty of time to talk and discuss and defend your ideas later."
c. getting started and overcoming the blank page issue: just start working, don't think, get stuff on the page. I already know this and it's often part of my process, but I do need to hear it said more, because I do forget.
d. pick something to learn. "As you become curious you begin to learn, and the more you learn the more curious you become. It becomes an infinite loop, and this loop sparks ideas. Creativity comes from that curiosity: the burning desire to see what is on the other side and to find answers." I also know this one, that when I take classes, even random ones, I'm much better and more excited about my job. It's just hard to make time and money for it! (Also "The Internet is a learning game changer ig you have the discipline to follow through and focus to avoid distraction." which I don't... sigh)
e. There was a lot about the craft of creative professions (ie. the hard work, the bits you have to struggle through to keep the train rolling, and not just the ideas and you're done). There was a bit where he said the craft is what gets him up before dawn and keeps him up long into the night: and I feel like an imposter, because nothing can wake me before dawn! I will admit sometimes projects keep me awake, but they never wake me up.
f. to remember to not take feedback personally. It's a reminder I can't hear enough. Because I do take feedback personally, and I have to not. I should actually not even take good feedback personally, which I do.
g. I really loved this suggestion: once he puts out an album, he doesn't listen to it for a year, then "I put on my headphones and head out for a walk. The truth is: Sometimes I love it, and sometimes not so much." This hit me in two ways. 1. to start earlier, so that I can have some time to review concepts before sending them to clients, 2. to do a post-mortem type of reflection after everything is done.
All in all, it was a book worth reading. I think if you're at all interested in starting an artistic pursuit (firstly, just get into it: it's all practice anyway. May as well start now!), it's a book worth reading, since it does get into his own creative process, which could be helpful to start developing your own. But also, if you wish you were "more creative", this is the book for you. (Spoiler, you're already creative, you just need to exercise your creativity more often to actually feel it!)
November 6, 2015
A quick read with good information. Not only does it point you in the right direction for added inspiration but also how you may be able to continue to tap into the process of creativity again and again.
March 20, 2017
Amazing.
March 12, 2015
Great book that inspired me to think more freely than I had been before reading.
August 29, 2019
This book had a narcissistic quality to it from start to finish. David Usher seems to need a lot of validation, 'Let the Elephants Run' was basically a way for him to compile all his successes and brag about his craft and process. "The song 'Black Black Heart' went #1 in Canada and was top ten in fourteen countries across Europe and Asia. It went on to be covered by other artists in different languages, and despite the fact that the original song came out four years before YouTube even launched (in 2004), it still went on to accumulate over 10,000,000 Youtube plays." By the way, I fact-checked this and only found a video of this song with 1.5 m and the second highest with 638 K. So I'm not sure where he is getting 10 million views from unless he is combining total plays on all videos which would be a serious stretch and attribute to some confusing and misleading data.
Am I supposed to know this mans music? I'd say I'm pretty finger on the pulse when it comes to the music industry and yet I've never heard of him. The number of times he links to his own work or quotes his own lyrics is honestly quite comical, I'd recommend making that into a drinking game if you do decide to read this.
In terms of content, I didn't learn anything new except that this Usher fella is pretentious. He spews on and on as if everyone's idea of nirvana is being a writer/musician/social media influencer of some sort. Basically, a whole lotta words saying a whole lotta nothing. I don't like to leave things unread so I ran through this and it took about 2 hours. I am a sucker for activity books but this one felt redundant to other processes I already have integrated into my own life, so not much on that front either.
I have been reading a lot of these nonfiction, personal development books and I'm going back to fiction for the time being to wash the bad taste out of my mouth that some of these books have left. It seems as though everyone thinks they are an author nowadays, shame.
Am I supposed to know this mans music? I'd say I'm pretty finger on the pulse when it comes to the music industry and yet I've never heard of him. The number of times he links to his own work or quotes his own lyrics is honestly quite comical, I'd recommend making that into a drinking game if you do decide to read this.
In terms of content, I didn't learn anything new except that this Usher fella is pretentious. He spews on and on as if everyone's idea of nirvana is being a writer/musician/social media influencer of some sort. Basically, a whole lotta words saying a whole lotta nothing. I don't like to leave things unread so I ran through this and it took about 2 hours. I am a sucker for activity books but this one felt redundant to other processes I already have integrated into my own life, so not much on that front either.
I have been reading a lot of these nonfiction, personal development books and I'm going back to fiction for the time being to wash the bad taste out of my mouth that some of these books have left. It seems as though everyone thinks they are an author nowadays, shame.
September 13, 2016
Somehow my first review disappeared! Gave this a 3, but it's more a 3.5.
What an amazingly quick read! I found some of David Usher's insights really impacted me to the point of aha - "That's so me!" - moments. Other times I couldn't really relate and wondered how many people could (ie. You can cross over your creativity to anything! But somehow I'm sure it's easier to jump from musician to writer when you had a #1 hit in Canada 10 or so years back...)
Still, I appreciated his words and advice. I feel more likely to try the given activities than I have with other such books and his perspectives broadened my mind to some ideas I hadn't considered.
I do wish there was more on how to hang on to creativity than there was in here, though. He touches on those moments when you can get into a lull where it just escapes you. As a creative person who frustratingly tends to have those often, I was hoping for more ideas on how to hone, nurture and hold onto my creativity (but I guess it's my job to figure out how to do that...?). It's all well and good to know you're creative and run with it when you do, but I'm a creative person who is overwhelmed by the vastness of too many choices, so I guess I was just hoping for more direction to help me get more centred and grounded. But I can't expect him to do all my work...
What he has done, though...is get "Black, Black Heart" stuck in my head on a continuous loop these last two days. Well played, David Usher, well played... :P
What an amazingly quick read! I found some of David Usher's insights really impacted me to the point of aha - "That's so me!" - moments. Other times I couldn't really relate and wondered how many people could (ie. You can cross over your creativity to anything! But somehow I'm sure it's easier to jump from musician to writer when you had a #1 hit in Canada 10 or so years back...)
Still, I appreciated his words and advice. I feel more likely to try the given activities than I have with other such books and his perspectives broadened my mind to some ideas I hadn't considered.
I do wish there was more on how to hang on to creativity than there was in here, though. He touches on those moments when you can get into a lull where it just escapes you. As a creative person who frustratingly tends to have those often, I was hoping for more ideas on how to hone, nurture and hold onto my creativity (but I guess it's my job to figure out how to do that...?). It's all well and good to know you're creative and run with it when you do, but I'm a creative person who is overwhelmed by the vastness of too many choices, so I guess I was just hoping for more direction to help me get more centred and grounded. But I can't expect him to do all my work...
What he has done, though...is get "Black, Black Heart" stuck in my head on a continuous loop these last two days. Well played, David Usher, well played... :P
May 18, 2018
This book is so unique. It really helps explain how to delve into your creative side, especially if you have a more analytical way of thinking.
When I was skimming through it, I expected there to be way more workshop sort of pages to get your creativity moving. Even in the first chapter, he says that he wants you to draw all over every single page and break the rules that most books give you. I found that with most of the pages, it didn’t really make me want to do that. For the most part, the first or last page of each chapter gives you a brief essay style page that makes you think. I hope for a lot more of these.
It was a beautifully written and thought out book, I’m so glad to have experienced it. But it wasn’t much of what I expected it to be. For those who are more analytical thinkers, this book is absolutely for you.
When I was skimming through it, I expected there to be way more workshop sort of pages to get your creativity moving. Even in the first chapter, he says that he wants you to draw all over every single page and break the rules that most books give you. I found that with most of the pages, it didn’t really make me want to do that. For the most part, the first or last page of each chapter gives you a brief essay style page that makes you think. I hope for a lot more of these.
It was a beautifully written and thought out book, I’m so glad to have experienced it. But it wasn’t much of what I expected it to be. For those who are more analytical thinkers, this book is absolutely for you.
February 8, 2017
Suffers from being a flashy book written by a celebrity. It's loosely about the creative process, but is thin in ideas, and more just a series of short lectures that are so general that they'd be best suited for a high school classroom where the students have never studied anything but math. I suppose it's a good start to the creative process, but once you get past the almost embarrassing over production of the design, it's a little book that really doesn't say all that much all that clearly.
February 2, 2017
When I was at work, I saw this book & it kind of called to me.
It was a really great read...talking about creativity, stepping outside your comfort zone, how to motivate yourself, etc. I learned that ideas are meant to be built on, that it may take time, that it is important to follow through no matter what. You may need to step away, but you should never totally abandon it.
Great advice whether for your creativity or for your purpose.
It was a really great read...talking about creativity, stepping outside your comfort zone, how to motivate yourself, etc. I learned that ideas are meant to be built on, that it may take time, that it is important to follow through no matter what. You may need to step away, but you should never totally abandon it.
Great advice whether for your creativity or for your purpose.
September 28, 2016
I really enjoyed this one. I loved how well the graphic design and writing worked together. David Usher has given me a lot to think about the creative process and I'm looking forward to working through his ideas as well as the workbook included by MPL.
November 17, 2016
Was a textbook for one of my classes. The layout was really interesting but I didn't agree with any of his points on how to make yourself creativity. My professor knows this well after having to mark the essay I handed in.
July 24, 2015
Write in this book! It's so much fun!
April 10, 2015
Meh. I expected too much. A quick read with some good quotes but not the bible on creativity that I hoped for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2015
A bit light and fluffy. I guess that's what you get in a book about creativity.
October 11, 2016
Okay if you're a businessperson, maybe, but nothing really surprising here or engaging here, no real tone or personality. Really nice package and design, and quick to read, but insubstantial.
May 2, 2018
p.8 – There is something magical, almost indescribable, that happens in the moment of creation – the moment of bliss, surprise and wonder when all forces of the universe come into focus for just a split second. Suddenly, you can see something that no one else can see.
p.18 – Stop looking at creativity as the lottery that someone else won at birth. Start looking at creative thinking as a skill set that you can master if you invest the time to learn how.
p.24 – Action: When was the last time you used the power of your creativity to influence the course of your life?
p.28 – Creativity isn’t elitist. It’s not just for “special people.” Creativity is a learnable skill, and something that anyone who is willing to invest the time can achieve.
But creativity itself – the ability to think of an innovative idea and then follow through with the steps of the process and deliver something new – is something we can all learn to do.
p.29 – It all begins with freedom of imagination. To think creatively, you first need to get your imagination firing again.
p.46 – It’s much easier, faster and “safer” to copy what has been done before rather than to struggle for what is possible.
p.50 – Human beings are creatures of habit. We love patterns, we love predictability, and love routine. We tend to go to the same places, to do the same things in the same ways most of the time.
Patterns are an integral part of our lives. It is completely natural for us to want to retreat to the safety of our routines. But to be creative, we need to go against our nature and step outside these patterns. We need to look at the world from different angles.
p.51 – Start messing with your patterns.
p.80 – The reality of the creative life is that there is never enough time and space, and conditions are never perfect. Our lives are always full of a never-ending list of things to do that fill our time and separate us from the work we know we should be doing.
p.99 – Creativity is both risky and emotionally painful, and our instincts will implore us to retreat to safer ground. As we begin to take risks, pushing the limits of our boundaries, and as we attempt to build something outside of our tribe, that little voice of doubt will start to grow. It will whisper all manner of unsavoury things about failure and embarrassment in order to bring us back to “safety.” The creator’s job is to protect the creation at all costs, and to do that we must be victorious over resistance and fear.
p.101 – Getting a new creative project in motion is hard enough without the doubt of others stacked against you. Do yourself a favour and keep your mouth shut. When your ideas are still newborn, treat them as something precious that needs time to grow and develop and change. There will be plenty of time to talk and discuss and defend your ideas later.
p.145 – Remember, creativity is an action sport. We are taking ideas and putting them in motion.
p.147 – Write ideas down so you can call on them when they are needed.
p.151 – At the theoretical creative extremes are two archetypal creators. One is the “artistic creator” who is focused solely on self, with a purely internal vision and no thought for market or audience or sale. This creator is only concerned with getting his or her vision out, intact and “uncorrupted” by external forces. At the other extreme is the “commercial creator” who produces purely for the market with no thought, reason, or care for anything but what will please the audience and sell. For this creator, external feedback is a crucial part of the process. Polling, market research, and focus groups define the path and the final product.
p.162 – Action: Start developing a system for filtering your collected ideas. At the end of each week, go back through your work and review everything. Filter out the best ideas and start a new subsection or file just for them.
p.163 – Experimenting is a key component of creative thinking, and it happens continuously throughout the process. As you start to collect and filter ideas you begin to experiment with them.
p.172 – The ability to dedicate yourself to the work part of creativity is what will differentiate you form most of your peers. Will you stick with it and drive through? Will you ignore detractors and soldier on? Will you push through all obstacles and make it to the finish line?
Successful creatives understand they must invest the time and do the work. And that’s it: Creativity is work. Wonderful work, but still work.
p.174 – “Don’t expect to write a first draft like a book you read and loved. What you don’t see when you read a published book is the twenty or thirty drafts that happened before it got published.” (Walter Mosely, Why We Write)
p.178 – It is important to work hard, but it is more important to work smart.
p.179 – Make sure you let your subconscious breathe.
p.203 – Think of creativity as a long game. In the long game there are always incredible highs and devastating lows. That is the nature of creativity over the long term. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on to what you are going to make next.
p.18 – Stop looking at creativity as the lottery that someone else won at birth. Start looking at creative thinking as a skill set that you can master if you invest the time to learn how.
p.24 – Action: When was the last time you used the power of your creativity to influence the course of your life?
p.28 – Creativity isn’t elitist. It’s not just for “special people.” Creativity is a learnable skill, and something that anyone who is willing to invest the time can achieve.
But creativity itself – the ability to think of an innovative idea and then follow through with the steps of the process and deliver something new – is something we can all learn to do.
p.29 – It all begins with freedom of imagination. To think creatively, you first need to get your imagination firing again.
p.46 – It’s much easier, faster and “safer” to copy what has been done before rather than to struggle for what is possible.
p.50 – Human beings are creatures of habit. We love patterns, we love predictability, and love routine. We tend to go to the same places, to do the same things in the same ways most of the time.
Patterns are an integral part of our lives. It is completely natural for us to want to retreat to the safety of our routines. But to be creative, we need to go against our nature and step outside these patterns. We need to look at the world from different angles.
p.51 – Start messing with your patterns.
p.80 – The reality of the creative life is that there is never enough time and space, and conditions are never perfect. Our lives are always full of a never-ending list of things to do that fill our time and separate us from the work we know we should be doing.
p.99 – Creativity is both risky and emotionally painful, and our instincts will implore us to retreat to safer ground. As we begin to take risks, pushing the limits of our boundaries, and as we attempt to build something outside of our tribe, that little voice of doubt will start to grow. It will whisper all manner of unsavoury things about failure and embarrassment in order to bring us back to “safety.” The creator’s job is to protect the creation at all costs, and to do that we must be victorious over resistance and fear.
p.101 – Getting a new creative project in motion is hard enough without the doubt of others stacked against you. Do yourself a favour and keep your mouth shut. When your ideas are still newborn, treat them as something precious that needs time to grow and develop and change. There will be plenty of time to talk and discuss and defend your ideas later.
p.145 – Remember, creativity is an action sport. We are taking ideas and putting them in motion.
p.147 – Write ideas down so you can call on them when they are needed.
p.151 – At the theoretical creative extremes are two archetypal creators. One is the “artistic creator” who is focused solely on self, with a purely internal vision and no thought for market or audience or sale. This creator is only concerned with getting his or her vision out, intact and “uncorrupted” by external forces. At the other extreme is the “commercial creator” who produces purely for the market with no thought, reason, or care for anything but what will please the audience and sell. For this creator, external feedback is a crucial part of the process. Polling, market research, and focus groups define the path and the final product.
p.162 – Action: Start developing a system for filtering your collected ideas. At the end of each week, go back through your work and review everything. Filter out the best ideas and start a new subsection or file just for them.
p.163 – Experimenting is a key component of creative thinking, and it happens continuously throughout the process. As you start to collect and filter ideas you begin to experiment with them.
p.172 – The ability to dedicate yourself to the work part of creativity is what will differentiate you form most of your peers. Will you stick with it and drive through? Will you ignore detractors and soldier on? Will you push through all obstacles and make it to the finish line?
Successful creatives understand they must invest the time and do the work. And that’s it: Creativity is work. Wonderful work, but still work.
p.174 – “Don’t expect to write a first draft like a book you read and loved. What you don’t see when you read a published book is the twenty or thirty drafts that happened before it got published.” (Walter Mosely, Why We Write)
p.178 – It is important to work hard, but it is more important to work smart.
p.179 – Make sure you let your subconscious breathe.
p.203 – Think of creativity as a long game. In the long game there are always incredible highs and devastating lows. That is the nature of creativity over the long term. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on to what you are going to make next.
August 21, 2018
I'm still processing it a little. I liked it. Self help style books like this rely in voice and tone to work. I liked the author's voice (I also realized halfway through that I used to listen to his music when I was younger).
It wasn't really aimed at a person like me. I think of myself as creative. I don't find the idea of having to put oceans of work into your art/projects is surprising. I have written millions of shitty words. I have written some - hopefully - good ones. But I did find myself coming away from this book thinking about the /not/ creative parts of my life and how my creative process can and should be pulled back I to those things because actually, there is a lot of creativity and process/product stuff when you teach for example.
I regularly reflect on writing projects: what I liked, what I did not, process, product, flaws, success, reception vs personal reflection. It's a big piece of how I improve and deal. And it's something I should be doing more of in my professional life too. They talk about being a "reflective practicioner" in my field but I've never really had a model/mentor/supervisor who did that so I have never really picked up the habit in that context. I reflect on my writing, on craft projects, on all kinds of other things but rarely on my lessons or my classroom. I react and fix problems but I should be doing more sit back and process.
So the idea of taking it backwards from the process mentioned here - how can I makes sense of and then extrapolate and apply my creative process in new ways.
Books like this are supposed to spark thoughts like that so I'm calling it a successful book on creativity and I enjoyed reading it.
I also need to go listen to Black Black Heart for the first time in nearly two decades because it's one of the projects he talked about when he talked about how filing away multiple ideas eventually leads to new ideas.
It wasn't really aimed at a person like me. I think of myself as creative. I don't find the idea of having to put oceans of work into your art/projects is surprising. I have written millions of shitty words. I have written some - hopefully - good ones. But I did find myself coming away from this book thinking about the /not/ creative parts of my life and how my creative process can and should be pulled back I to those things because actually, there is a lot of creativity and process/product stuff when you teach for example.
I regularly reflect on writing projects: what I liked, what I did not, process, product, flaws, success, reception vs personal reflection. It's a big piece of how I improve and deal. And it's something I should be doing more of in my professional life too. They talk about being a "reflective practicioner" in my field but I've never really had a model/mentor/supervisor who did that so I have never really picked up the habit in that context. I reflect on my writing, on craft projects, on all kinds of other things but rarely on my lessons or my classroom. I react and fix problems but I should be doing more sit back and process.
So the idea of taking it backwards from the process mentioned here - how can I makes sense of and then extrapolate and apply my creative process in new ways.
Books like this are supposed to spark thoughts like that so I'm calling it a successful book on creativity and I enjoyed reading it.
I also need to go listen to Black Black Heart for the first time in nearly two decades because it's one of the projects he talked about when he talked about how filing away multiple ideas eventually leads to new ideas.
April 19, 2019
"In this new world, in this revolutionary time in our history, the old paradigms about risk versus safety no longer exist. The old world of stability is gone and the only thing you can be sure of is that the future will be volatile. For our jobs and our careers and our lives, change is the new normal."
- David Usher
- Creativity is essential for 21st-century work.
- Creativity can be developed; it is not for a limited few.
- Creativity can be used in multiple fields, not simply the one we think we're especially good at.
- Creativity can be broken down into a process which we repeat every time we need to produce.
- Creativity requires a corporate infrastructure, one that requires the majority of energy to be invested in the mundane.
After attending a talk, Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers:
"To working artists the concept of "10,000 hours" of dedication seems so obvious it doesn't need to be said. Ten thousand hours is a given. Artists know from experience that what appears, at first glance, to be divinely anointed talent is really countless hours of study and endless drive. Talent matters, but work is what delivers you. This notion is counterintuitive to the popular mythology propagated about the artist"
- David Usher
- Creativity is essential for 21st-century work.
- Creativity can be developed; it is not for a limited few.
- Creativity can be used in multiple fields, not simply the one we think we're especially good at.
- Creativity can be broken down into a process which we repeat every time we need to produce.
- Creativity requires a corporate infrastructure, one that requires the majority of energy to be invested in the mundane.
After attending a talk, Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers:
"To working artists the concept of "10,000 hours" of dedication seems so obvious it doesn't need to be said. Ten thousand hours is a given. Artists know from experience that what appears, at first glance, to be divinely anointed talent is really countless hours of study and endless drive. Talent matters, but work is what delivers you. This notion is counterintuitive to the popular mythology propagated about the artist"
June 6, 2023
I’m a fan of Moist and David Usher, but I feel like 3.5 stars is a fairly unbiased rating for this book.
Overall, it was a fast, fun read and the overall message is positive: anyone can be creative. I think there is a little bit of everything for everyone - beginner or professional - but the activities are more for the beginner. That said I did take away some helpful tips and I did enjoy reading about his own creative process, I wish there was more of that throughout. It touches briefly on history, research, psychology, entrepreneurship and how they all tie into the creative process and I think the book would have had more depth if it had delved into these areas a bit more. That said, it was a quick read, which was fine for me. I feel this book is more along the lines of “unlock your interest in understanding of creativity and THEN change everything”, as I think it overpromises a bit too much.
Overall, it was a fast, fun read and the overall message is positive: anyone can be creative. I think there is a little bit of everything for everyone - beginner or professional - but the activities are more for the beginner. That said I did take away some helpful tips and I did enjoy reading about his own creative process, I wish there was more of that throughout. It touches briefly on history, research, psychology, entrepreneurship and how they all tie into the creative process and I think the book would have had more depth if it had delved into these areas a bit more. That said, it was a quick read, which was fine for me. I feel this book is more along the lines of “unlock your interest in understanding of creativity and THEN change everything”, as I think it overpromises a bit too much.
February 12, 2018
This book was recommended by a youtuber named Kalyn Nicholson. I picked it up because she flipped through it in one of her videos and it looked like a creative book about creativity. It is full of varying fonts, bright colors, and photographs. Aside from being visually interesting, Usher provides "Actions," little steps to take toward unleashing your creativity. Although many of the actions or techniques were standard, the one thing I gleaned from Usher's advice is to find your process - what works for you. I've never thought to examine my "creative process" (if there is one), but I'm starting now. Two other benefits of reading this book: 1) I now am familiar with David Usher's music and 2) he turned me on to an artist named Kai McCall whose work is breathtaking, romantic, and weird - right up my alley.
November 14, 2018
This book had two ideas that resonated with me which were by no means groundbreaking - 1. Break up your daily patterns and 2. Add some consequences to your creative process.
I’m such a creature of habit that just the thought of changing my routines makes me itch but it’s a potentially good way to collide with new ideas and experiences. And the last one really just means adopting a deadline or paying someone to hold you accountable. I wouldn’t want to make my friends and family suffer through my creative process for free.
A quick note on the design of the book - it’s colorful and chaotic. Very designy. But the neon pink text on gray background must go. My eyesight isn’t terrible but those sentences are unreadable.
Overall, I’m happy I read this book.
I’m such a creature of habit that just the thought of changing my routines makes me itch but it’s a potentially good way to collide with new ideas and experiences. And the last one really just means adopting a deadline or paying someone to hold you accountable. I wouldn’t want to make my friends and family suffer through my creative process for free.
A quick note on the design of the book - it’s colorful and chaotic. Very designy. But the neon pink text on gray background must go. My eyesight isn’t terrible but those sentences are unreadable.
Overall, I’m happy I read this book.
June 22, 2017
I actually read this book within a day. I really enjoyed reading this not only for its content but the format also...various fonts and sizes of lettering, colored lettering, graphics too. It kept my attention. I liked this author's take on creativity, that it is within everyone's reach and that it is a skill that can be learned. He says there are 2 components to creativity...freedom and discipline. Sounds contradictory but it isn't really. Creativity is a practice and you need discipline to keep going. I can definitely relate. I most likely will read this a second time to absorb more.
January 8, 2020
What if you could successfully access your creative self anytime you wanted to work? David Usher’s book does exactly that. He demystifies what is often a murky and poorly understood topic and gives readers the tools they need to understand and use their own creative process at will. The way the book’s format is playful and functional. Usher has readers breaking rules, stepping outside the norms, and exploring their creativity within the first few pages. This is no passive read. For readers who want to take an active role in their creative processes, this book really does change everything.
January 22, 2019
I can see why people love this book but unfortunately for me it didn't work out. I feel like I've heard this all before in almost the exact words. It wasnt until part 2 that the book actually left any sort of positive impact which is why I gave it 3 stars. Simply for the second part. All this being said, Let the Elephants Run is a good read for anyone struggling with creativity or purpose, no matter how redundant the material can be it is always nice to hear it again.
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