Make It Mighty Ugly: Exercises & Advice for Getting Creative Even When It Ain't Pretty

by Kim Piper Werker, Kate Bingaman-Burt (Illustrator)

Fans of DIY projects and crafts will conquer their fear of failure and create their own masterpieces using this fun and inspiring handbook. Get Crafty. Make Great Stuff. Be Creative! The number one fear of all creative types—crafters, DIYers, makers, artists—is that failure lurks right around the corner. Crafty blogger and creativity guru Kim Piper Werker urges everyone to pick up their pen or paintbrush or scissors and make something mighty ugly: get that “failure” out of the way. This friendly book offers up a multi-pronged approach to overcoming creative fears through inspiring essays and anecdotes, interviews, exercises and prompts, and sage advice from all over the creative spectrum to help individuals slay their creative demons.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Crafts, Self Help, Writing, Design, How To

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Kim Werker is a writer and editor who makes something every day. She runs a project called Mighty Ugly, helping people to embrace the difficult, dark side of creativity so they can have way more fun making stuff and trying new things.

Her latest book is Make It Mighty Ugly: Exercises and Advice for Getting Creative Even When It Ain't Pretty. Kim was the founder of the now-extinct CrochetMe.com and was the editor of Interweave Crochet magazine from 2006-2008. She has written or co-authored six crochet books including Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution, and Crochet Visual Quick Tips.

Kim lives in Vancouver, BC, with her partner, their son, and a mutt who was named after a tree.

Reviews

[Lili · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I recieved this book through Goodreads First Read Program in exchange for a review*

I am rather fond of the author's no-nonsense, spunky, style of writing. It is very engaging and enjoyable. The one problem is, I was expecting something a bit different from this book...it is comprised of one part advice, one part exercises, and about three parts life store. I was expecting it to be more of a thing similar to 'Wreck This Journal' but specifically geared towards helping readers break through creative blocks. I was hoping for crafty exercises to overcome procrastination, to break tendencies of perfectionism, to beat up fear of failure...and so forth.

Instead what we got was a snarky self help book with several really good exercises and excellent pieces of advice. So really my only complaint is it was not what I was expecting. I did really enjoy the exercises and the blocks with advice that share links to podcasts and websites was a brilliant little bit.

I do wish that maybe there will be a Mighty Ugly II that will be nothing but exercises and projects that shake you out of your creative comfort zone, I will buy it up instantly.

[Laine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. the beginning of the book started very strong - i was charmed by the author's story of struggle, her not-yet-husband and their mosaic, and the starter exercises were useful to me. this book is why i have a brand new ashtray, why i have an ugly doll hanging on the wall above my desk. it's certainly played a role in my creative life since the year began. but then the book became less and less specific about the exercises, and heavier on the anecdotes from other creatives and innovators. one in particular that kept coming up was joss whedon. i've enjoyed some of whedon's productions in the past. that's the best compliment i can give the man, so to have to skim through the author giving whedon praise upon praise...left a bad taste in my mouth to say the least. still. it was great to read a book where the advice was essentially: give yourself permission to make ugly things. when you do that, when you give yourself the room, the freedom, you may be surprised at what you end up with.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I’ve been craving to start creating something new. I’ve been seeking out inspiration more than usual and luckily found this book at the library. It’s exactly what I needed at this moment! I really want to buy my own copy, so I re-read and highlight everything. 🤓

“Talk of creativity is often limited to the results of visual art, writing, crafts, performing arts, etc, but creativity plays an invaluable role in every sort of endeavor—from the science lab to the boardroom to the classroom. If you’re inclined to insist you’re not creative, give some thought to this. . . Everyone is creative in some way, not just artists. . . People need to go through the process of trying different things in order to figure out where their creative strengths lie.”

[Julianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start:
1) I received this book as part of a first-reads giveaway. Thank you, Sasquatch Books, for your generosity! :) Also, you picked a winner with you decision to publish this book. Congratulations!
2) My actual rating for this book is more like 4.7, since the mild swearing causes me to make disclaimers whenever I recommend it. (Having to make disclaimer = slightly less than the five stars of perfection.)
If you know me, please remember that I've warned you and don't think that I've gone crazy or that I'm recommending such behavior. :) If you don't know me, please ignore this point because you probably don't care. Even if you do, my guess is that you will love what she has to say in spite of how she says it. Give it a try.

Okay. Now that we have that out of the way, I can elaborate on how I absolutely LOVE this book:

1) It's inspiring. Not only is Kim's own story in overcoming her creative demons encouraging, she's included tidbits from creative types spanning many professions and specialties. I felt like I was a part of this huge family of makers, and I finished the book totally convinced that I'm not alone in my struggles with fear as I endeavor to make beautiful and meaningful things.

2) It's entertaining. Even if I'm not interested in the subject matter, I feel like I want to read future books of hers because her writing style is hilarious- there were times I couldn't wait to get through the exercises and just keep reading.

3) It's thought-provoking. Since reading this book I've felt liberated to examine why I'm fearful of doing something- in my creative life, certainly, but also in other areas. So even if you don't like making things, other people's stories, and/or Kim's goofy metaphors, (which, seriously, why wouldn't you?) you should still read this book. The insight you'd glean regarding living with less fear is worth your time.

[WittyUserName5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm long overdue to post this review! Kim has written a book that I think could help a lot of people who find themselves stuck creatively. She has a practical no-nonsense style of writing that makes this a delight to read. (I have no patience for books that make the creative process into mystical, magical stuff, and Kim stays well away from that.) She provides useful exercises to get to the kernel of what might be holding you back creatively. Highly recommend.

[Carolyn Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good premise & pep talks for those who are timid or fearful about flexing their creative muscles. (Helpful to review before teaching an art class)

[Latasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fun, useful and oh-so true. I felt myself nodding (awkward, since I read most of this in public). Made me want to go crochet something, paint, write ALL the novels, and just generally do things without worrying how they looked.

If you're stuck in a creative rut, add this to your list!

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! A great read for anyone who wants to be more creative, or to start being creative, or is worried that they aren't creative at all. It just embraces the joy of making & getting past your own fears doubts & ugly voices.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't finish, not because the book wasn't good, but because there were too many things on my to-do list and I had to return the book. In essence, don't worry about how things look. It hinders the creative process. I'm still working on that.

[Keetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! I liked everything about it.

[Martha O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

She doesn't talk down to you in assume that her methods will help you, but she has valuable perspectives and ideas.

[Lea Dela · Rating 3 out of 5]

inetresting

[Artemisia Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about creativity. When I'm not creating something myself, I also love to read books that inspire me creatively, or give me new ideas about the creative process itself. Kim Werker is someone I have followed online for a while now, and she is known for her down-to-earth, often irreverent style when it comes to getting to work on the crafts and projects we all dream of making. Hence the provocative title of this book: Make It Mighty Ugly: Exercises and Advice for Getting Creative Even When It Ain't Pretty. While tackling some of the common demons known to crafters and makers everywhere, like self-doubt and procrastination to name a couple, she keeps things real here, reminding us that perfectionism (another demon) is not going to cut it when it comes to unlocking our best creative efforts. In fact, she advocates that we first strive for the opposite of perfection (yes, the "Mighty Ugly") as a way to unearth and slay some of those demons so we can move beyond them more easily. Yes, her methods may seem unorthodox for sure, but somehow there is a brilliance to this madness too. After all, anything that gets the creative juices flowing and moves us into the actual process of making something is the only way we ever get on to making something really great.

[Gilion Dumas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make It Mighty Ugly is about overcoming "demons" like procrastination, self-doubt, and perfectionism to be more creative. Werker identifies common demons, then provides advice and hands-on exercises to start creating things and sustain your creative habits,

I usually associate creativity with arts-and-crafts, DIY projects, and maybe fiction writing. My hope is to apply Werker's advice and techniques in my law practice because I think the same demons can restrict creative thinking in the workplace.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read for someone trying to be more creative!

There are good exercises to help you get over fear, writers block, and other barriers that prevent you from creating. There are also anecdotes about what it makes to make ugly things - and why that's ok! There's advice on finding your creative niche and how to make a schedule that's sustainable.

It's an inspiring read!

[C.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this along with a number of other creative people and Kim's five-week course and found it very helpful. At some point I need to get the physical book as it's much easier to look through it and find the information I need.

[H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

my procrastination and anxiety over any book with exercises are so enormous I didn't finish it or the several like it I've bought over the years. if you can do exercises im sure it's great. but I couldn't even do them.

[Asha]

I’m going to leave this one unstarred. This is just a note for myself if I search for it again in the future:

I am excessively wordy in informal writing.
So is this author.
Looking at what I consider a personal writing flaw stretching out for 100s of pages was not appealing.

[Katie Rosso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touched my heart. I loved it.

[Erin Dumond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forces you to confront and call out the bullies that keep you from creating. Also moves you to just get on with creating, EVEN IF ITS UGLY. *Gasp* had some fun exercises to get making too.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am inspiring resource!

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt dated, but I had to remind myself it was written pre-covid and *gestures at 2025.* So, better if it's a regular creative funk vs one during bouts of existential dread, maybe...?

[J.D. Kitrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic! The author's hilarious points and anecdotes made me giggle the whole way through. What wonderful advice to help stop writer's block, and creative stoppage in general.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are you in a creative rut? Kim Piper Werker’s book Make It Mighty Ugly might just give your creativity a boost.

The author calls her work “A Handbook for Vanquishing Creative Demons,” and it is full of suggestions, exercises, and advice to help you break through your creative blocks and fire up your imagination. The basic premise is that creative demons – self-doubt, perfectionism, fear of failure, and the like – keep us from trying new things, forging ahead, and being as productive as we can be. A slim book (only 205 pages), Make It Mighty Ugly can be skimmed, sampled or read straight through. You can faithfully do all the exercises or just read and think about them.

Although the author talks a lot about knitting, crocheting, and crafting, the principles of the book can apply to work and life generally. The spotlight is on the Mighty Ugly project. In this exercise, you pull together random stuff and create an ugly creature from it. Anything will do – old fabric, bottle caps and popsicle sticks, items from the recycle bin, broken jewelry. By purposefully planning to create something ugly, the hope is that you will tame some of those creative demons. “Making ugly things reminds me to pay attention to the process of making, rather than obsessing about the product,” Werker writes (p. 3).

Werker includes links to a lot of websites and online videos that help make her points. Her writing style is breezy and familiar. In the section Establish a Regular Practice, she notes, “Bear in mind that what works for one person is sure to drive another mad, so read up on famous people’s habits while remembering that whiskey and a pack of cigarettes at seven every morning may not actually be the best path to take.” (p. 133) She offers advice without being a cheerleader. She recognizes that everyone struggles, and that those struggles can’t be entirely eliminated.

I found Make It Mighty Ugly to be an easy and thought-provoking read. If you are in the mood for a self-help challenge or need to spark your creativity, I recommend it.

[September Michaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff. Mostly things I've heard already, but I like Werker's personality and the particular way she describes things: acknowledging your creative demons, creating and maintaining a daily habit, sharing your work.

I really love some of the random things she added including:

- the inspiration of YouTube commencement speech videos

- Joss Whedon's quote "fill the tanks, fill the tanks, fill the tanks" highlighting the fact that sometimes creators just need to take a break and binge watch or binge read and to just keep up a steady stream of media/art intake to keep the gears turning

- the chart used to track your moods throughout the day so that you can pinpoint when you are most likely to be creative and to feel like making things. AND to find ways to make time for creating during those specific parts of the day

- the bit about how she rearranges furniture when she's in a funk and how she did that even when she was a teenager. I have always done that too. It's amazing how a new space can re-energize.

- the idea to "Pay attention to what gets your neurons firing."

- the idea that art needs to "cultivated." That we don't wake up and make good art. That it requires thought, practice, and dedication.

- setting a timer for 25 minutes and working until it dings (and often beyond then) (because you can handle doing anything for just 25 minutes)

- the idea that our quest to create never really ends and that "we need to be prepared to slay demons for our whole lives. Sometimes new ones. Often the same ones again and again."

- And finally just her definition of creativity as "figuring out how to use the tools and skills and materials at hand to solve a problem" whether that's making art, or resolving a family "kerfuffle," answering questions at a desk, or surviving under harsh conditions.

[Leigh Anne]

Good advice for making bad art so you can make better art.

The subtitle pretty much nails it. You'd expect a book like this to be super-chipper and incredibly irritating, but Werker hates that kind of thing herself and goes out of her way to avoid it. Her main point, heavily illustrated with examples from her own adventures in crochet, sewing, and other crafts, is that you can whack away at your obstacles by making some really horrible things on purpose. There are also a bunch of writing exercises for helping you get out of your own way and just have fun making stuff.

The only reason I'm not finishing this is because it's the kind of book you DO rather than passively read, and I just don't have time for one more project right now. I would definitely come back to it later if I felt in need of a creative kick in the ass.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for getting yourself into or back into a Creative Habit. It uses lots of ideas from Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life, but it has more exercises and some great graphs to help you monitor what's working for you creatively. I also love all the great links and interviews Werker gives in her text. She has great ideas and has pulled in lots of good info from others. Worthwhile read. I made a list of all the links she suggests and check them out while waiting in lines etc.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read parts of the book in preparation for a Mighty Ugly workshop at our library. Kim was gracious & skyped with us, in spite of the 3 hour time difference on a Saturday morning. She was terrific, just like the book. All the women attending the workshop had great fun and felt liberated by the exercise. Highly recommend the book for creative people, people who feel like they can't create, people who want to be more creative, and those of us who are plagued by that voice in our heads telling us we can't do something. Yes You Can!

Now just to find the time in my stacks of to-read books to read it in entirety. Like the idea on her website to have a book group work through the book. Maybe I'll try this next year!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty solid book about creativity that got my mind humming with intentions for the new year. You spend some time doing exercises to identify your top demons, then there are many activities to get you started making things and to inspire you to keep making things. I skipped some of the exercises, mostly because they were focused on making physical items (collage, craft) and my creative outlets are the written and sung word (and, yes, because I am trying to meet my reading goal with 2 days left in the year!). I wrote down a ton of links to look at later and am about to add a bunch of books to my to-read list.

[Maryse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent over 6 months reading this book in spurts doing some of the earlier exercises religiously. But I have to say that once I expanded the focus of the book to more than just my creative life is when it resonated for me. I've been job hunting for 7 months now and there really isn't more soul sucking than looking for a job. But by applying some of the examples to the job hunting process I've been able to move past some of the disappointments and the demons that at times have limited me career wise as well.