The Power of Creativity: Learning How to Build Lasting Habits, Face Your Fears and Change Your Life

by Bryan Collins

Are you ready to build habits, face your fears and change your life?

Because that’s the Power of Creativity.

This book is for new writers, musicians, filmmakers, artists and anyone who has ever asked questions like “How can I become more creative?” or, “How can I get more ideas?” or “How can I focus on my thoughts and just let them flow?”

If you’ve ever struggled with a problem or challenge in your personal or professional life and thought, “I can’t do this, I’m not creative enough”, this book will help you.

In this book, you will discover these strategies:

˃˃˃ 1. Prepare to be Inspired
Inspiration is nice, but that doesn’t mean you should sit around all day waiting for ideas to come to you. Instead, cultivate smart creative habits that help you find ideas faster.

˃˃˃ 2. Trace Your Creative Roots
To know what you’re going to create (and to overcome problems like procrastination, fear and self-doubt), you must understand what drives you. You must understand what you’re passionate about and for that, a personal mission statement is key.

˃˃˃ 3. Learn What Your Craft (And Your Audience) Demands
To master your craft, whether that by writing, painting, music, film or art, requires learning what both it and your audience expect from you.

˃˃˃ 4. Find a Creative Master to Mentor You
A mentor will help you face your fears, master the self and find better ideas faster. But, what if you can’t find one?

˃˃˃ 5. Strengthen Your Mind and Body
Creative masters understand the value of meditation, physical exercise and protecting their best self. They know becoming more creative isn’t just a mental practice.

˃˃˃ 6. Invest In Your Side-Projects
When you need when you need a break from your main gig, turn towards a side-project. That’s what smart creative people do, and they often find real success in this approach.

˃˃˃ 7. Go to War Against Your Fears
Your fear of failure, your fear of rejection, your fear of criticism, let’s change that.

If you want to discover how to build creative habits, face your fears and change your life, download a sample or buy now.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Writing, Ebooks, Amazon, Art

122 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

I am a fiction and non-fiction author from Ireland.

I am passionate about writing, creativity and productivity.

I also write an award-winning blog that helps people accomplish more with their writing projects on Become a Writer Today

In 2013, I was a Realex Fire Web Awards finalist. In 2015, I was an Irish blog awards winner.

My books include:

* The Power of Creativity - a three-part series for writers, artists, musicians and anyone who wants to find better ideas
* Poor Brother, Rich Brother - an contemporary Irish novella
* A Handbook for the Productive Writer: 33 Ways You Can Finish What You Started
* Dear Sarah - a short-story

You can find me @bryanjcollins.

Reviews

[Emma Sea]

free on Kindle today

[Susan Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of Creativity is a highly motivating book that’s sure to get those often elusive creative juices flowing. It’s filled with plenty of inspiring and practical advice for readers.

I particularly liked the author’s suggestion of writing a personal mission statement. Many people think mission statements are just for businesses, but the way the author presents the idea here makes perfect sense. I loved that he shared his own mission statement in the book. This exercise alone is a creative activity that can easily be used as a jumping off point for many other self-discovery themed projects.

The Power of Creativity is an engaging pep talk of a book that has already given me some new ideas to increasing my own creativity. I'm already looking forward to Book 2!

[Dan Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comes in three small books, all of which were packaged into one audio book that I listened to. Good sound advice on how to be more creative. This book is specifically geared towards writers, artists and musicians, but could apply to anybody needing to be more creative in their lives.

[Ashwin Pandey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating - 3.5

It was a nice read. Had a lot of references, short success stories which nicely showcased their situations and also had a lot of tips as the title suggests. It also had a lot of things which people already know and still don't implement and reasons for that are also well written.

[Ramy Zekry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for any work that demands creativity, the writer tells us about his personal experience of how to follow a genius master of what you want to learn, how to go forward for practising, how to conquer fear of failure

_ We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.
_ Theory is nice, but practice is better
_ Sacrifice the non-essentials
_ Learn what your audience wants
_ Side projects are an important pursuit for anyone who wants to become more creative
_ Be reckless and bold with your ideas
_ What you practise for just an hour or two today, could change your life tomorrow
_ Think of your side project as a long-term investment
_ Start a side project today and give yourself permission to fail
_ There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure "Paulo Coelho"
_ Fail early and fail fast
_ Every creative work isn't meant to succeed
_ Push past that place of discomfort and fear until you reach a place where your success is inevitable

The book is very simple, short and concised giving the reader life hacks about being creative and not fearing of failure, I like the chapter in which he talked about the side projects, how to practise along side your main job and consider it as a future investment, how to break it and practice it in little parts until you master it and get your first creative product done.

[Rick Yvanovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler alert - The author asked me to read and review his book.
Although the title says its about creativity and the book description describes it as the book for creatives, its more than that. Take away the word creative and you have a book about:
- how to build a habit
- how to overcome procrastination and just get on with it
- how to not give up and get started
- how despite the odds and obstacles, how this author overcame it all, found his flow and produced this (and other) books
- and of course its also for you creatives, how to get your creative project started
Its a self-development book with echoes of many of the themes and concepts you find in books that help you get started on the road of success and pursuing your dreams (side or pet projects as the author calls them).
So well done Bryan for getting this published, a triumph of his process (will?) and creativity.
Note this is "Book 1", the first of many more creative endeavours.

My extra 2 cents, for those of you needing an extra push to get that creative project started and done, I suggest you read The Slight Edge, which has a simple philosophy which resonates very well with this book, The Power of Creativity.

[Guy Windsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really the target market for this book, because I have no trouble sitting down to write. But if I'd read it 20 years ago, it would probably have been very helpful! It's aimed very clearly at people who struggle to execute on their desire to be creative, and it covers a range of approaches for helping them over it.
My main quibbles (hence 4 star not 5) are there are some editing errors and some odd turns of phrase that interrupted the otherwise smooth reading experience, and I felt it could have been a bit more clearly organised. But if you're in the target readership, you'll get more than your money's worth, I think. I especially liked the idea of side-projects becoming useful creative outlets- it's what happened with my own writing.

[Joseph Demes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. I read it and it has helped me as an author in my publication journey.

[Jery Schober · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly honest and helpful without being over the top incentive. I really liked the examples from others artists, how they dealt with life and work.

[Odgerel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book that i didn't know i needed. I am truly glad that i read this book. I am one of those people who think creativity is a something you either have or not and i believed i didnt have much of it within me. So it was inspiring to read that creativity is a something that can be built with habits and that a lot of artists, most of the creative people we know had habits which helped them to create a master piece.
Also one important point was about keeping a side project. I have been struggling to start a side project for some time. Apparently because i am scared it will fail. This book helped me to face my fear. Hopefully i will overcome it!

[Leandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good ideas condensed on a easy to read book.

[Angie Dokos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very inspiring and encouraging. It can help you see changes that you may need to make to help you reach your goals. I was gifted this book in trade for an honest review. Thank you for reaching out to me for a review. I enjoyed the book.

[Raffaello Palandri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book of the Day – The Power of Creativity
Today’s Book of the Day is THE POWER OF CREATIVITY, written by Bryan Collins in 2017.

Bryan Collins is a renowned nonfiction author, editor of Become a Writer Today, and columnist for Forbes. He offers practical advice about writing, creativity, productivity and more.


I have chosen this book because creativity is always a central team in my approach to building teams and improving their achievements.

The reason I care about creativity is that it is an extremely positive and powerful force that can be used to solve problems, create new products, and inspire others. Bryan Collins, in this book, shows his readers how to tap into creativity and use it to its full potential.

Starting from his own personal and professional experience, Collins aims to help people unlock their creativity and achieve their goals through a series of useful, practical, and easy-to-use tips and techniques, including:

Where to find inspiration and how to get yours. Inspiration is a great tool, but you will not just sit and wait for it. Instead, you should understand what most motivates you so as to cultivate effective habits that will help you find creative ideas more easily.
Building lasting habits. Creativity is not just a talent, but a skill that can be learned and improved through practice. He provides a step-by-step guide for developing creative habits, such as setting aside time each day to brainstorm and experiment.
Facing your fears. Many people do not dare to be creative as they are afraid of negative feedback. The author guides his readers to identify and overcome their creative fears so that they can feel more confident in their abilities.
Changing your life. Creativity can be used to transform your life in all areas, from your career to your relationships. So, you will find in the book useful suggestions on how to change your lives so that your creative flow can be fostered.
Collins’s writing style is engaging and easy to read, and he managed to provide a lot of specific examples and case studies to illustrate his points.

One of the book’s standout features is its holistic approach to creativity, which I totally support. Collins emphasizes in many different parts of his work that creativity is not confined to artists or writers; rather, it is a universal force present in all aspects of life. By becoming aware of this force, and adapting your life so as to welcome and cultivate it, everyone can use its creative potential in diverse domains.

So, if you’re looking for a book to help you unlock your creativity and achieve your goals, I highly recommend THE POWER OF CREATIVITY by Bryan Collins.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always struggling with myself…
Saw this on the FREE list, grabbed it and then read it quickly. I had a house-guest and it wasn’t conducive to immersive reading so this worked well. A lot of this is familiar but I like his voice and he says a lot of things that I totally nodded my head at.

You’re afraid of spending so much time alone with ideas that might never pay off when you could be earning real money and experiencing more success in a regular job . You’re afraid of the disapproving looks from your friends and family when you go into your room or studio alone , again . You’re scared of wasting your time , of making the wrong decisions , of failing and , when you’re honest with yourself , of not listening to the inner voice that whispers in the middle of the night , create , damn it . (p. 19).

*winces*
He’s brutally honest about his own failures. He’s in the ‘do it first thing, do it everyday, do it for a set period of time and at a set time’ box.

Stop it.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
You might think your problems are special, unique, or impossible for anyone else to understand.
But you know what? We’re all struggling with the same basic creative problems. You’re not the only one who struggles, wants to think outside the box, needs motivation to keep going or craves critical feedback about their work. You’re not the only one who spends hours tinkering with your ideas and still hates them. And you’re not the only one who’ll do anything–clean the bathroom, service the car, run a marathon–to avoid sitting your ass in the chair and doing the work.(p. 39).

Or, say … Write GR reviews…
*peers over shoulder* is he… behind me?

I had to go get a copy from Amazon as well as Kobo - Kobo won’t let you copy quotes for reviews…
Plus, if you sign up for his email list he sends you book 2 for free. Bargain.
4 stars

[Rosemary Bointon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you want to change direction, seek out a new way of life - change your zebra stripes into polka dots? This book can really help. It helps you to cut through the procrastination. It’s not just a how to organise your time sort of book, although it does have advice on that - it’s more about your mental attitudes to the work that you have to go through to make the changes and to overcome the feelings of paralysis and fear. It’s practical, it tells you how to get into the mechanics of harnessing those elusive dreams and the chatty, personal style makes it immediately accessible. First, you undertake the exercise of analysing where you want to go - something that you may not even know yourself when you start off. It’s about finding your passion. It isn’t a case of locking yourself away - we need contact with others. Creativity is most successful when it answers the needs of others and so the task of analysing what people want is all important and a big driver to your new creativity. Bryan provides timely reminders on the need to keep healthy and fit - left on our own for too long, it is all too easy to slip into bad habits. Throughout the book, Bryan illustrates his points with stories from his own life as well as from the great and the good. The hardest lessons are the fears of rejection. I found the chapter on mentors difficult too - it’s hard to ask for help for yourself, even when you are willing to give it to others. It’s hard to think you might be rejected. Creativity goes hand in hand with rejection though and but finding our passion is the key to overcoming those fears.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw this book listed on Amazon’s recommended email list I passed by it with the thought, “oh, do I really need another book on creativity?” I continued through their list, closed my emails, and continued with my day. Later that evening I returned to my emails and saw the list again. “Hmm, why did I not delete this immediately?” I reviewed the list again. There the book caught my attention again. This time reading the subtitle, “Face Your Fears and Change Your Life”.

As a writer, I struggle with fear blockage. I’ve read at least ten books if not more on the subject. I’ve continued to work on and through many of these fears yet on occasion they did continue to appear. I learned it wasn’t best to run away when the fear began to appear but to embrace it, acknowledge its presence, and have an available solution to work through it quickly. Very quickly.
As Tony Robbins says with the snap of my fingers – the whoosh technique.

I purchased the book. Not only did it provide me with solution ideas on how to practice using his suggestions but to kick them into higher power of using Tony’s techniques to make them snappable.

This book has more than what I’m mentioning. Yet, it was easy to read with clear understandable writing. My reading left me with a few hundred thoughts and ideas on how to improve my creativity and life. One quote, “Writing is my shield and my sword, and this is how I will develop happiness” grounded my spirit and calmed my thoughts.

I recommend reading this book if the subject attracts your spirit. It has made an impact on changing me. This is book 1 of the Bryan Collins series. I may check out his other books.

[Barbara Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a self-help book that focuses on enabling readers to face the fears that prevent them from pursuing their creativity and achieving a self-fulfilling career. The author takes a realistic approach. He realizes that life goals need balance. One needs to support himself and make a living. While does not necessarily mean being trapped in a profession or job that does not bring a measure of happiness and self-fulfillment.

The book opens on the author’s thirtieth birthday when he realizes he is trapped in a career that he hates. He realizes that he must force himself to move forward. He cites artists like Salvatore Dali and Paul McCartney as examples of artists who were able to support themselves with a day job while they gradually disciplined themselves to achieve a successful artistic career.

He urges his readers to begin by searching for their true passion in life. Next, remove the distractions that eat up wasted time you could spend pursuing them. Then use your job as a safety net and pursue that passion in the remaining time available. Push past your fears and practice the craft you want to develop each day.

At the end of the book, Collins provides a list of links that offer tools that might accelerate reader success. I enjoyed the author’s positive philosophy and would recommend this book to those who feel stu

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Bryan's blog for a few months now and I love how reading his work is like listening to a good friend explain extraordinary things.

I was given a sneak peek at Book 2 and as soon as I finished that, I bought Book 1, Learning How To Build Lasting Habits. The concepts he talks about regarding creativity are not new but the way he pulls together ideas, techniques, and habits of successful people like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs, and Henri Matisse to name a few, is quite unique.

After reading both books, I no longer think of creativity as something that only comes to special certain people but an actual thing that I can learn to harness for myself through specific habits. If I do those habits, like free write every day, I can open up my own paths of creativity that will enhance my work both personally and professionally.

I find Bryan's concepts on how to capture the powers of creativity for yourself unique and actionable for everyone. I only wish these books were also in print. I like to index and highlight my books and refer back to a library shelf when I need a reference.

[Leann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone is looking for creative ways to solve today's issues. You don't have to be a writer, artist, or musician to enjoy this book: Collins covers topics on how to organize your thinking and maximize your habits to become faster and more productive. But if you are a "traditional creative" type (or want to learn to be one), the best thing about this book series is it's *practical*. He pulls stories from history and psychology to illustrate his ideas, which are all written in bite-sized chunks. His writing is very clear and down to earth.

My favorite book in the series is the second one on how to master your "inner genius". Collins reassures the reader that no one is born a genius: it all depends on what is done with the thoughts you already have. He uses the analogy of putting on six thinking hats to help the reader shift perception and realize their own potential.

If you can't find at least one thing that helps you be more creative in this book series, then you must have your eyes closed. Bryan's books are packed with useful tips and suggestions!

Highly recommended for anyone who has thoughts and wants to do more with them!

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are in any way creatively inclined, go ahead and read this book! For myself I wish that this book would have been published about 20 years ago. I was stuck trying to be creative, procastinating. I mean life changed in those years, there was no social media as such at the time so getting your word/work out is easier now but still, it might have helped.

This book tells you how to put a healthy manner together how to go about creating stuff. Even 10 min a day is better than fretting over things. You can build up or over time you will build up anyway. The author talks about his fears and it's just so liberating finding someone being honest about the process. He comes up with some research he has done from McCartney, Steve Jobs and others. It's not a light bulb that suddenly went off and many failures were along the way.

Wonderful that this first book is currently free of charge. I bought all 3 already but I have recommended the book to all my friends. Some of the artists there don't earn much so it's lovely that Bryan might be able to help and encourage them. Thank you for writing this.

[indy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I encountered this book for free on Kindle, so I decided to give it a try. The author shares familiar advice—self-help readers will have heard it all before.

The writing is unremarkable but lacks pretension, at least. It feels like the writing you encounter on LinkedIn and blog posts.

Brace yourself for some repetitiveness. The section explaining what side projects are uses a rhetorical device at least 13 times in a row. Yep, we get it, thanks.

A few of the stories and anecdotes are similar to those in capitalist win-at-business books. One example is the apocryphal story about Edison testing job candidates by observing whether they add salt to their food before tasting it. (As an aside, Edison was great at creatively appropriating other people's ideas.)

We don't really need Bryan's weird internal dialogue, like the idea of calling the police on yourself for impostor syndrome.

[Fae Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had this one on my backlist from Voracious Readers, as I am in the process which is being stuck in a rut while trying to write. Now non-fiction is a genre that I just don't vibe with, but with this book, I never felt the slugness I usually get from reading non-fiction. And for this reason I can see myself reading his other works.
Another thing I found myself doing with highlighting (bearing in mind this was an my kindle). I rarely get compelled to highlight books, I've starting doing it more with ebooks, especially ones that I am enjoying. The fact that this doesn't just completely focus on writing but all forms of creativity definitely helped. And the references from other artists and how they approached there forms was very helpful.
Overall, I can only say, thank you to Bryan Collins for writing this and thank you to Voracious Readers Only for sending this my way.

[Viet Dung Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expect to see some creativity boosting methodologies but the book only shows some tips, which are helpful but quite in general, I think.

I have learned some key points from the book, other than several motivation tips, the most interesting thing is “side project” section. I realize the great potential of free time, doing something you love with a systematic approach can change your life or at least be significantly useful to you in the long-run.

The book is suggest for writer and artists (by the author), but I can see it’s useful to anyone. However, I suggest to read this book in one day, and practice right after complete it. Tips from the book are surprisingly useful to you.

Happy reading time.

[Jerimy Stoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong about my assumption that this was going to be a book written as a help book but focuses on the author's accomplishments while revealing almost nothing about helping people. I found this book to be an honest account of a writer's life, the struggles he faced and continues to face as a writer, and how he overcame the hurdles that all creative people face. This book was actually helpful. I learned a lot about not giving up on ideas. There are some strange instructions about creating a personal mission statement. I thought that was odd because it is a practice major businesses, and organizations us to create a sort of guiding compass for their employees.

[Ikmal Fitri (iikmalreads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apa yang aku dapat katakan buku ni sesuai untuk aspiring writer -tanpa mengira umur- yang tengah struggle nak siapkan buku. Buku ni ada listkan beberapa strategi yang boleh kita gunakan untuk siapkan karya kita. Oh btw, buku ni target audiences dia bukan setakat untuk penulis, tetapi semua orang yang terlibat dalam bidang seni yang perlu menjadi kreatif tetapi tengah tepu.

Disebabkan aku pun lebih kurang aspiring writer (gitewhhh ada pengakuan ekslusif dalam blog) aku dapat rasakan buku ni dekat dengan aku.

Full reviu yang tak seberapa full boleh baca di

http://lelakiseksibacabuku.blogspot.c...

[Lynelle Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I came across this ebook on Amazon, I was searching for more information about creativity. As a new creative life coach, I wanted to learn more about the subject before I am embarking on this new role. As an author, I know much of the struggles he described within the book, but to put that knowledge into a coaching guide is another.
This book helped me with a clear direction and focused knowledge. His insight through descriptive writing made it understandable and enjoyable.
This is truly a book that reveals the power of creativity in its simplicity and gives wisdom in a world cluttered with information.

[Joy Cagil · Rating 5 out of 5]

For artists and writers who are just starting out, this book is priceless. For those who have been there and done that, not that much because they have already experienced the fears and jitters at the onset of an earlier work and hopefully they have learned from the experience alone. Some of the ideas in the book have also been mentioned in other motivational literature.

Still, the writing is very good, the encouragement valuable, and the motivational \sections that target the finishing of one's work are truly helpful.

I enjoyed reading the book and I recommend it to any newbie who hasn't completed a painting or hasn't yet finished the first draft of a written work.

[A.R. Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good get it done book, especially for the struggling author who likes routine and needs help and hand holding. For instinct writers, this will probably not be your jam.

I did like the mental health aspect of facing fears and emotions in order to hone in on success - but that was toward the end of the book. The side project section was also helpful.

I appreciate the life experience and skills that the author brings to the table, but if you’re an experienced author… this is probably not the book choice for you. Especially if you despise routine and find it destroys your creativity.

[Ken Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encouraging read. An honest look at the possibilities and challenges involved in being a creative person. Nice emphasis on the role that preparation, planning, and hard work play in setting the groundwork for creativity to flow. Shows that acting, overcoming fear, and putting yourself out there are necessary to succeed in the creative field. Ultimately shows that without commitment and passion you will never succeed as a creative person. Worth reading.

[Christa Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for creative writers!

I would recommend this book to any author starting out, stuck in a funk, or in need of that one final push. It's a motivational read, with great inspiration and practical advice to get readers to stop procrastinating, get your butt in chair, and start getting into a writing routine. I connected with this book and the author's journey in a crazy way. A good read.