Your Idea Starts Here: 77 Mind-Expanding Ways to Unleash Your Creativity

by Carolyn Eckert

2016 Silver Nautilus Award Winner for Creative Process

With change happening faster and faster in our tech-ruled world, being able to think creatively, flexibly, and quickly is more important than ever. In Your Idea Starts Here , graphic designer Carolyn Eckert offers 77 specific questions, techniques, and exercises — cleverly combined with fascinating infographics and other visuals — to jump-start creative thinking. 

Don’t know what you want your project to be? Make a list of things you don’t want it to be. Wondering where to start? Say one word that relates to your idea and invite a friend to say another word that relates to yours. See where five or ten rounds take you. Work within a time limit, look in unexpected places, think tiny, do the opposite, shuffle your papers, and explore your creativity to the fullest! There’s something here to inspire and strengthen every smart idea, all in an innovative little book that makes a perfect gift for anyone, including yourself.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Art, Crafts, Writing

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 2016

Reviews

[M. Gaffney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and a great read for inspiration.

[Anne B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ideas. I love them! I love sitting down and taking ten minutes to write out plans to some project I'd like to do or an event I'd like to plan. Writing down my idea energizes me. But over the years, I've come to realize that many of my ideas get to remain just ideas--at least for a while. There simply isn't enough hours in the day to pursue all of my ideas. Even so, I love to brainstorm and my mind is often spinning.

As a result, I smiled like I was opening up a Christmas present when I received this book in the mail recently.

This book contains 77 ideas about what to do with ideas in the beginning middle or ending stages. There are ideas like recycle, share, wait, critique... and others that I won't give away in this review. You can view a preview of this book on Amazon or on Storey.com. For each idea about ideas, there is a graphic and description of that idea. Many interesting stories are included about little inventions that have changed our lives. I could flip open anywhere in this book and smile. I do not generally like modern art, yet most of the graphics in this book are just that--modern art. And I love them! I genuinely enjoy looking at this book--at the lines, composition, shadows, color, and subjects of the graphics. My husband also enjoyed looking at all the pictures. One thing which occurred as I read this book was that I laughed out loud often or at the very least smiled regularly in my reading.

As a book, it is well written, interesting, engaging, and easy to read. All of the formatting makes the text easy to read and understand. The graphics add to each idea about ideas and don't take away from the text.

This is a book is one you would give someone looking for ideas. I greatly enjoyed this book! It would be a perfect college graduation gift!

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book from Storey books.

[Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy creative ventures or are just looking for inspiration to get more creative, you need this book in your life. The simple, to the point style of the book means you can get a lot from it from both a flip through and a deeper reading. As a blogger, artist or content creator, this book will really speak to you. Even after you're done with it, you will probably find yourself reaching for it again for a quick flip through whenever you're in need of some inspiration. I highly recommend it!

[Katelyn Bolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brilliant collection of colors, circles, and quotes is sure to boost your creativity. Pick up and read in one sitting or reference it when you need a new idea!

[Ariadna73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

75 Ways to Find and Build More Creative Ideas

This is a wonderful book for a Christmas gift. It is full of beautiful diagrams and short tidbits to get your mind flowing. I highly recommend having it nearby for those days when you don't know where to start.

This is the cover of the book I read. It is a large, flat, hardcover, colorful book full of beautiful imagery:


Here is the editorial info and beautiful first pages of the book:


This is the jacket of the book with information about the author:


And below, you can find an image of the three stages of creativity that this book abides for:  "Gather", "Break", and "Build":


Below this lines, a great quote by John Cage: "I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I am frightened of the old ones."


This is a picture that I can't believe is true. The footnote says that it is a tennis match on top of the wings of a biplane, at thousands of feet above the ground. Very difficult to believe, but she says it is real.


Here is a great idea on how to fool with paint. Depending on the perspective that you use to look at these walls, you see a continuous pattern trough the room, or you see fractioned painting. Fascinating:


A curious picture of a wall clock that was broken, but the owner had an idea to keep it useful: draw the lacking numbers on the wall. Resourceful! Also, an example of the "Golden Ratio", a technique to create theoretically perfect images.



Here is a difficult portrait of a painful banana:


Here is a quote by Meryl Streep. I reproduced it here because that lady is one of the wise ones:


Below is the complete list of stories portrayed in the book:


And finally, the book poses a challenge "The 11-circle challenge" Basically, you have to submit 11 circles to 11circles.tumblr.com. It is really interesting to visit that page and see how people have all kinds of sometimes crazy, sometimes original ideas:


Well, I hope you liked this review. Did you know that I also have a blog? Take a look here: http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it. Yea, this has all been said elsewhere before, but this book is the kind of brief reminder artfully presented that you can turn to again and again for a brain jog. I somehow want to scatter all this art and inspiration around my life so I will suddenly encounter it all the time. I loved how it seemed so universally applicable, I feel inspired about art, and my novel, and that problem at work, and about my workout, and that new project I want to take on, and... well you get the idea.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is targeted for those who learn best visually with images and pictures rather than simply text describing how to be creative. This means it's a quick read with 77 ideas introduced and heavily illustrated in this rather small book. I learned about this book from a recent issue of Family Circle, which I've found to have solid book recommendations from time to time. This particular book reads more like an expanded magazine article to me. For me, it was a fairly quick flip through but didn't do much for me which is why I gave it 2 stars.

[إسراء أحمد · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has successfully conveyed the importance of observing the world with a fresh perspective and recognizing the potential for innovation in everyday life. By highlighting small inventions and creative ideas, it encourages the reader to see the possibilities for innovation in our own surroundings.

book as a source of inspiration and motivation, expanding our perspective and igniting our passion for creative thinking and entrepreneurship.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is (probably) better than I think; it was just pushing some comfort/interest zones for me as in I *want* to be more creative, I just don't want to put lots of work into how to be(come) more creative.

I put this under wander as it is an intellectual wander for me.

[Nilendu Misra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth it for the windshield wiper anecdote alone.

[Crowkingmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this out from library but would be a great book to have hanging around in your own library. It is a collection of 2-3 sentence suggestions for getting the creative thoughts flowing.

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visually appealing and packed full of things to try to foster creativity...useful for individual projects and group projects, both for fun and for work.

[Anisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a creative read. Lots of cool ideas, pictures and art from around the world. It was a joy to flip through the pages.

[Pamela Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick read with pictures and interesting ideas. Would be great to read before a project.

[Libraryassistant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up for the ideas I loved. Visually striking. Lots of good prompts for generating ideas and some fun and some not as fun inspiration stories.

[Am Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read for any artistic or imaginative mind craving inspiration in the form of brain candy and eye candy all at the same time.

For every creative idea listed, there is at least one accompanying picture (usually an art piece - the "eye candy"), and one example of how this idea helped a famous person invent or improve on something (a true story or scientific fact - the "brain candy").

If you feel like you really need something to get your creative juices flowing, this book will stimulate both your right and left brain and give it the pleasant jolt it needs to get going once more.

Also makes a great gift for a creative friend.

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolyn Eckert's Your Idea Starts Here: 75 Ways to Find and Build More Creative Ideas might sound like something you've seen before, but it's not. The visual design of the book inspires creativity. A great way to activate both sides of your brain while reading some practical advice. There are plenty of books that aspire to help inspire, jump start, organize, and develop your ideas, but none other is so delicious to the eyes.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say that keeping this book by my side and slowly digesting it for a few years. Using it sort of like book of wisdom such as a Bible, has done me well. Flip through it when you are stuck. Those who have read it cover-to-cover and said 'I already knew this' or 'it isn't a blueprint for exactly how to be creative'-well, they have missed the entire reason to own a book like this. It is a partner, not a date. I guess that is more of my reaction to those people giving this gm only two stars, and not my reaction to the book itself. My reaction to the book itself: This book has been a wonderful friend for the last few years of creativity.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must-add to the collection, whether it's your public or personal library. I felt so inspired by the words and images in this book. Because I had the digital galley on a computer at work, I was able to share it with other staffers whom I thought would also get a kick out of it.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Need ways to come up with ideas? Here's a great place to start. Seventy-five ideas. With illustrations.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some interesting suggestions in this small book. Certainly worth borrowing from the library.

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new in here. Or at least nothing I didn't already know. Now I just have to actually act on the ways.

[Bradley]

Was feeling a little creatively blocked so I picked this book up to help unblock myself.

[Emm-etc]

Excellent book for the visual learner and the creatively inspired. I do wish this exercise could have been longer, though!

[Laura Dunlap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the easy read. Highly recommend!