Let Me Out: Unlock Your Creative Mind and Bring Your Ideas to Life

by Peter Himmelman

From award-winning musician turned communications expert Peter Himmelman, science-based techniques and simple exercises to get unstuck and unlock your creative potential. Do you want to stop procrastinating? Would you love to be more creative? Is there an idea you’ve dreamt of making a reality? Whether it's learning ragtime piano, losing 30 pounds, or starting an organic jellybean company, Himmelman's unique, inspiring methods will give you the tools and confidence you need to harness your fear and take steps to make your goals a reality.   Using practices mined from his years as a successful musician, Himmelman shows you how to open your mind and unite left AND right-brained thinking through powerful and deceptively easy exercises that will enable you more fearlessly, whether it's an ad campaign, a song, or a new business  -Communicate more effectively -Finish projects that have stayed in the "bits and pieces" phase forever  -Make your ideas take shape in the real world   The perfect tool for anyone in a mental rut, Let Me Out will force you to stop listening to the negative thoughts that hold you back and achieve the professional and personal success you deserve.*SILVER WINNER OF 2016 NAUTILUS AWARD in Inner Prosperty/Right Livelihood*

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Business, Art, Personal Development, Psychology

236 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2016

Reviews

[Tori (InToriLex) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find this and other Reviews at In Tori Lex

This book teaches important lessons about a menacing voice we all live with named MARV, Majorly Afraid of Revealing Vulnerability. I don't read alot of self-help, but I picked up this ARC and decided it would be a way for me to get back to my writing and open myself up more creativly. Himmelman does a great job giving scientific and anecdotal evidence about how to take the steps that you need to fulfill your dreams. The writing is relateable, humorous and very engaging.

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Himmelan suggests your goals should be Specific, Present and True,
so that you are able to take real and worthwhile steps toward them. Brain Bottle Openers are small activity's you complete throughout the book to help you tap into your creativity. These activity's are one of the best features of the book. The activity's only take between 3 to 10 minutes  and he strongly suggests you to follow the time constraints. Here are some Brain Bottle Openers I felt were especially worthwhile:
Acknowledgement is Knowledge asks the reader to  acknowledge a situation where they  were partly responsible for the bad outcome.  

Disconnect to Reconnect suggests that you designate 4 hours a week to unplug from technology.  Chaos to Kid thinking, focus on a object for a few minutes and think of ways that object can be used outside of its normal function.

These activities shows readers they are capable of addressing the deep seated reasons they are afraid to achieve their dreams, in practical ways. After each chapter there is a review of the main points discussed and the Brain Bottle Openers that were featured. The chapter reviews are a great way for the reader to use this book as a reference. I look forward to using the Brain Bottle Openers in the future as I need them. This book got me out of a bad place with my writing, and I'm encouraged to begin again. I would recommend this book for everyone who is looking for a catalyst to get out their own way and pursue their dreams.

[Dr. Tobias Christian Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

MARV is strong - but you can be stronger. The book shows you how to overcome barriers and reach your own goal.

[Kristen Heimerl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sussman Lawrence was a staple in Minneapolis' indie rock scene when I was growing up. And band member, Peter Himmelman, who went on to pursue a solo career, was a local hero. Like millions of other Americans in his fifties, he found himself and his ways outdated and outmoded. He needed to transform. And it was scary as hell. Immobilizing in fact.

Let Me Out is Peter's prescription for overcoming fear and taking action toward your "what's next." It's gentle, supportive, and filled with easy frameworks for the apprehensive. Mostly, it exudes authenticity and poetry as one would expect from a singer-songwriter.

[Dee Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book but nothing spectacular. I can say that I sincerely enjoyed reading it but there wasn't any information that was astoundingly enlightening. He has a lot of "homework" I call it, but he refers to them as Brain Bottle Openers which are really insightful and useful for getting out of your head and sparking some creativity. The last one kind of lost me. I won't spoil it but it wasn't for me lol.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's be clear: pretty much every self-help book offers similar information to other books in the genre, just with its own unique spin. As a writer, Let Me Out really worked for me. I enjoyed Himmelman's conversational tone, personal anecdotes, and the exercises, particularly the ones that dealt with defining your own creative goals/vision and helping expand creative thinking.

Some of the core concepts I liked was personifying your inner-critic as Marv (Majorly Afraid of Revealing Vulnerability, as I know much of my self-criticism comes from a fearful/protective place); replacing the terms "success and failure," which imply a fixed, finished state, with "expanding and contracting" (this was a new concept for me, and I love how it leaves room for growth and changing circumstances); and focusing on enjoying your work and having that satisfying "Milky Way Moment" every single day.

This is a relatively short book with some illustrations, so I read it all in one day. I even took notes, which I rarely do. Strongly recommended for anyone who wants to be more creative or get out of an artistic funk. As some of the other reviewers said, the book isn't anything that new, but the package could work for you like it did for me.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a few "self-help" books on how to improve your output and obtain whatever your dream is, but this is the first that actually had concrete steps on how to do that. Yes, envisioning your dream as reality is in there, but it's only a part of the process. Himmelman's writing is easy to read and comes across as honestly wanting you to obtain your goal, whatever it may be. mostly this book is about overcoming your anxiety and getting out of your own way, which is really the thing stopping you from even thinking seriously about getting what you want. Definitely worth a read if you want to get your dream started, but don't know where to start.

[MariWabiSabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed this book more than I expected! It gives a lot of practical advice for how to keep the voices in your head/baggage from your past/fears in your lizard brain from controlling the outcome of your life. The author insists (and I agree) that creativity is not about art or music; instead, it's seeing solutions to problems and bringing order to chaos. In order to do these successfully, you must work to train your mind around these negative influences that are embedded into every aspect of your life. A quick read. Taking away one star because I am a little confused by all of the metaphors (which may be an indication of how I need to work on expanding my creativity...)

[Patrick Hanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Me Go ought to quickly join the pantheon of great books on creativity. Himmelman’s insights on the creative process and the inhibitions that are encountered are well described and there is a freshness to his take on the process that often left me tenting the book over my head as I absorbed what he had to say. I’ve read extensively on Creativity for the last few years and this book has a depth that will prompt me to visit it again and... and... do the exercises as well.

If you are looking for a practical, applicable and wise book on the subject this is a good place to start.

[Agnes P · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️: 3.5

Easy read, but nothing extraordinary. No mind blowing new information. If it’s your “first” on creativity, could be insightful. Provides a lot of “brain opening” exercises. I wouldn’t say that all of them will help you to boost your creativity, but they sure can help you to loosen up. I liked that author emphasizes that everyone can create and it doesn’t have to lead to something amazing or to be perfect.

[Tanaya Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives quick, practical ideas and exercises to increase your creativity. Just what I was looking for, however, I was turned off at first with all of the fear ("Marv") talk at the beginning. I don't have fear that is stopping me from reaching my dreams. Luckily, I just skipped the first few chapters and it got better.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow of a read but had a few good nuggets in there! Not all of the exercises resonated with me but I can see how they might be useful for different audiences. Wish the anecdotes were more interesting haha.

[Sufia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a pretty easy read, straightforward and easy to digest. Not the most original content. Also a bit unconvinced that the practical applications of the strategies used in the book is going to be effective in terms of unleashing one's own creativity.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the "brain bottle openers", would have preferred a wider range of ppl being quoted and/or imagined in scenarios-- a lot of upper middle class, probably white voices and not many others. Will return to this book for the BBOs.

[Deborah De · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just read the last chapter. Sums up the whole book.

[☄ · Rating 4 out of 5]

at some point you need to simply give way to doing. that point is now.

[Cloud]

Not for me...

[Nancy Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspiring. I made notes all the way through of things to keep in mind. And while I was reading it, I felt like I could accomplish anything. Now it's time to put that feeling to the test.

[Hamidreza · Rating 4 out of 5]

good reminder

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Had some good, concrete ways of opening the mind to increase creativity - I especially liked the song writing exercise at the end. However, sometimes I got lost in the excessive metaphors.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has some great exercises in it I hope to incorporate into a class presentation I'm working on.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Peter Himmelman was the most creative, funny, brave performing musician I'd ever seen when I first saw him in concert at Northwestern University in 1992. Since then, to my surprise, he has undergone many periods of self-doubt, yet has reinvented his own career as a creative muse with a what might be terms a self-help book. He shares with us many anecdotes that help us see ourselves getting over creative blockage in tangible ways, and he guides us through hands-on exercises (including writing a song) that are simple enough to actually do.

Always a gifted storyteller, Himmelman seems to have taken well to the self-help style--defining certain tropes: for example, the negative voice within is named Marv and he's referenced dozens of times within. Perhaps someone who reads a lot of books in this genre (which i don't) would find some of the concepts not so new. But since I'm reading this while imagining Himmelman taking us on a remarkable narrative journey such as I've witnessed on stage a half dozen times, my take on the book is a personal one--a five-star one, and one that reflects my gratitude for seeing a great artist struggle, overcome, and share some ideas that will help the rest of us do the same at our own individual crossroads.

[Rachel Matuch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book should really be A Practical Guide to Getting Stuff Done. Peter Himmelman acts as your mentor, relaying personal anecdotes and hard-won advice. He gives you little "homework assignments" to help break up creative logjams, and these exercises are, for the most part, effective and helpful.

Let Me Out gives are some scientific explanations for why our brain works the way it does, and the occasional quote from a researcher or academic. But overall, this is a more simplified, practical guide.

It's also written in Self Help-ese, with lots of unnecessary nicknames for thing. Did you know your internal self-critic is named Marv, short for "Majorly Afraid of Revealing Vulnerability? Or that your anxious, overactive imagination is comprised of a squad of Deflators? Some of these images are effective, though; the image of "elephant ropes," or fears that hold us back even though we are strong enough to break free, is especially apt.

The content is worth wading through some jargon. Himmelman is honest about his own creative successes and struggles. He's a valuable mentor for anyone who has a dream, but can never quite seem to get started.

[Michael Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Himmelman knows what scares you—because it scares him, too. An accomplished musician, artist, and writer, Himmelman has dealt with fear of creative failure throughout his career. His recommendations come from personal experience—everything from auditioning for a reggae band as a kid, to being forced to take his career in a new direction, to that time he lost his cool over a couple bags of cheese—and are backed up with research and theory. He lays his advice out simply and logically and unites it around a central thread: you’re not in the struggle alone—and you don’t have to be. You’ve got the supportive posse the book shows you how to build and you’ve got Himmelman at your back. Whatever your journey, Let Me Out has something to offer you as you chart your own creative path.

[Dmitry Khvatov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginner’s self help

[Myra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas in here about freeing your creativity, but not a whole lot that I hadn't seen before. There were a few different spins on things and it was nice to have them all in one concise spot. I look forward to trying them out, but nothing mind-blowing here.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good pop-psychology book on motivation and follow through. I skipped most of the activities, which I suppose might have given me greater insight/appreciation for the book. Really snappy.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

end fell short a bit but the actionable steps throughout were very useful and will be good to look back on in times of fear and doubt