"Wild Ideas: Creativity from the Inside Out" takes you on an intimate journey through the seven stages of the creative process. All along the way, counselor, artist, and writer Cathy Wild interweaves her own personal journey as well as fascinating stories from her private practice.
Discover your authentic voice while exploring timeless themes that compel creative expression—curiosity and imagination, mystery and mourning, chaos and clarity, suffering and gratitude and many more. Feel deeply supported as you unlock the mysteries of your own creative power. Beautifully conceived and written, "Wild Ideas" is a feast for the mind, heart, and soul.
I have shelves of books about the creative process. It used to be that reading those books was a great substitute for actually engaging in creative activity of any kind. Now that particular curse has been broken — Hallelujah! — I still read all of the books, but now I’m much more discerning. I want an author who is honest, transparent, gritty and real; someone who has been there, understands all aspects of the creative spiral and who can ask the right kinds of questions that will help bring me to deeper and deeper levels of insight. Cathy Wild does all of that. This is one of the best books about creativity I’ve ever read. It might even be the very best.
We are proud to announce that WILD IDEAS: Creativity from Inside Out by Cathy Wild is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to review this book. I have rated Wild Ideas: Creativity from the Inside Out by Cathy Wild as a 5 star, being that this book has changed my opinion of creativity in my life, and changed the way I view creativity in general. Cathy Wild is an amazing author, sharing her life experiences and love of helping others, to empower even the most skeptical of us, that we all have the ability to empower our creativity through many aspects of our life. Wild Ideas, takes us on a journey of creativity through seven inspiring stages, backed up with author experience, inspirational quotes, Cathy's clients stories, as well as meaningful questions and exercises to follow at the end of each chapter. The book also covers how to deal with self doubt and overcome any blocks in the process to fostering our creativity, which is very helpful. Overall I found Wild Ideas to be an inspirational guide to inner creativity, and I plan now to re-read the book and further develop through the exercises and questions within each chapter. I know personal development takes time and commitment, and I'm so glad I have Cathy to guide me through my new passion for creativity in all areas of life!
This author writes with an honest, authentic voice drawing fearlessly from her personal experience. The sections on Commitment and Courage resonate profoundly for me. Wild is articulate and digs deeply into untilled soil; refreshing and free of cliches. I got a lot out of The Artist's Way; Wild Ideas adds a new dimension to the artist's quest. I imagine writer support groups working through this, or selecting particular chapters to enhance their work.
I received a copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a fair, honest review.
Overall, this book provided a nice overview of the process of creativity. She breaks the process down into the many stages, emotions, blockages, etc. that you're likely to encounter in the process of creating something new. She gives some decent broad strokes for each of these stages. I also appreciate that she acknowledges that creative work has a range of expressions, from painting and writing to developing a new business venture. I think this book would be good for someone just starting out in creative work, or someone who is struggling to understand or improve their creative process. This is the reason I gave it 3 stars.
However, none of the stages she describes is discussed with any real depth. It was a very shallow discussion for most of these, and it often left me wanting more. It really wanted for more examples with greater detail, more information about why we go through these stages (perhaps using psychology or sociology to bolster it). For example, I would have loved more information about how learning influences creativity, but she only spent a few scant paragraphs on this.
Most importantly, I felt there was a distinct lack of helpful information and examples on how to actually get through the stages or break through blockages. The examples she provided mostly seemed to rely on eliciting empathy about what it's like to be going through that stage of creativity, but rarely helped us see how the creator moved through it.
I was also frustrated with how there wasn't much consistency between chapters. Some were great, with clear, descriptive text and good examples, like the chapter on compromise. Then there were chapters that seemed full of fluff, and often misused words. For example, the whole chapter on engagement is just weird. I don't think she actually understands what the word "engagement" even means. She seemed to describe it as basically letting the creative juices flow when you're in the zone and knowing how to schedule time with friends around your creative zones - however, this is definitely NOT engagement by any means. The process of engagement by definition requires two parties: you have to engage with someone/something. This isn't Star Trek, you can't "engage" your creativity as she seems to imply.
I was confused by the two endings. She writes a fluff-filled "Closing" chapter, and then it's followed by an epilogue where she basically ends the book again. It was strange, and I didn't understand why she didn't just edit the two sections together to form one cohesive conclusion to the book.
Finally, the formatting for the ebook was a mess. The beginning of each chapter was particularly problematic, with variable fonts and letter sizes, lines that broke after one word, and paragraphs that would be randomly broken by an image of a heart or what appeared to be a footer (e.g., "Wild Ideas 388"). It's clear that whoever made the ebook put no effort into assuring it was ereader-friendly, and it almost looked as though the book was scanned and the ebook was not even checked before being sent out.
Wild Ideas: Creating from the Inside Out is not a book to be read in a rush. It's a book best read a few pages at a time, an excellent choice for those who, like me, want to read something inspiring and uplifting with their morning coffee. That's how I read this self-help book by Cathy Wild.
While the book is full of helpful advice to get the creative juices flowing, the questions posed at the end of each chapter make it personal to each reader. This interrogative aspect of Wild's writing requires thoughtful readers to go deep inside themselves, which is likely the reason the book was chosen as reading material in the first place.
That was true for me, and I wasn't disappointed. My favorite questions were the ones in which the answers weren't near the surface of my brain. For example: What is your problem-solving style? What lessons have loss and sadness taught you? Or, Are you in flight from the past? With such questions, Wild Ideas offers unique meaning for a variety of readers, not just those whose personalities and creative urges match those of the author.
"Each of us must travel our own path to discover who we truly are and how we can best express that uniqueness in the world," Wild writes. Her book traces the personal path she took to reach her own creative goals, and demonstrates her bravery as she shares the struggles of that journey with her readers. That she understands the difficulties of the journeys, which each of us must take to find creativity within ourselves, is what gives the book its authenticity.
Wild Ideas is written in a way that its ideas are not just pertinent to writers or painters. It is a book that can be useful to anyone who wants to stretch and strengthen the creative bent, whether it's simply for one's own enjoyment, or whether it's for readers who want to use their creativity in ways that bring them financial rewards. Toward the latter's goals, Wild includes such end-of-the-chapter questions as "How will I present myself and my work?" and "What is my plan for reaching people who love what I do?"
In short, Wild's book has something for everyone.
by Pat Bean for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women
WILD IDEAS: Creativity from Inside Out by Cathy Wild is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree
Wild Ideas: Creativity from the Inside Out is a well written, easy to read book that will help you grow your creative side whether you see yourself as an artist or not. Wild Ideas flows smoothly providing the reader with easy to follow suggestions, helpful nudges and overall comfort to help you through whatever project is daunting you.
Cathy Wild, author, delivers a beautifully written book that stays with the reader long after the last page is turned. Her suggestions and guidance can be applied by all artists – not just painters, writers, or sculptures. Rather her message is all-inclusive.
A calming book and a thought-provoking self-help book. Not one to miss!
Wild Ideas by Cathy Wild is a great guide for building creativity. The writer has a lot to offer inside her book. A wonderful emotional yet inspiring journey to follow. Taking ones thoughts and placing them in a way that proves positive. I can't see how anyone reading this book won't be changed. It certainly drove me deeper into my life and changed how I felt. I read this book that led me out of my norm and it personally challenged myself. It is well-written and organized in a way that makes flipping through the pages easy. Wild Ideas is a self-help book that anyone and any age could read. Overall, I recommend it.
This book is amazingly helpful to me. I refer to it almost every day. Creativity is about relationships, work, play, hobbies. It really has applied to all areas of my life. Cathy Wild is insightful and humble, which makes me feel that the creative process is something I too can engage in. It is sort of like my new bible for making my life more enjoyable and well...creative! Every chapter has a different area of work that can be done...or not. And everyone has a different way of being creative and so everyone can be honored for who they are. This books helps me honor myself and my differences.
This book has been an adventure and an experience I will take with me going forward. I am immensely grateful to have encountered it and I do mean encountered. I found myself slowing down and savoring every passage as it resonated deep down where my fragile creative self resides. I strongly recommend it to anyone who wishes to live a creative life regardless of your medium. I would give it more stars if I could.
Many years ago, I read/worked through Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, and it had a profound effect on my creative output, my entire artistic approach, and frankly, my life. Since then, I've always been on the lookout for anything promising to enhance my creativity, alleviate artist's/writer's block, improve my process, address my fears – basically any book, magazine, or class that goes beyond technique and into the true heart of the human drive toward creative expression. Unfortunately, nothing I've come across has ever really approached the profundity or practical usefulness of Cameron's magnum opus, and Wild Ideas by Cathy Wild is no exception.
I'm a practical, concrete, non-woo kind of person – the kind of thinker usually referred to as "left-brained" (which is kind of ironic considering we're talking about art and creativity here). I believe technical improvements (at least for me) come from learning and practice, as opposed to contemplation and insight (not that those activities don't have their place). The Artist's Way had definitive exercises and activities – repetitive tasks that needed to be done every day to spur growth. I am always going to doubt that true improvement of any task can come purely from self pep-talks. But it's hard to tell from the cover or blurb of a book in this burgeoning "creativity enhancement" genre whether or not it's of the "buckle-down-and-do-the-work" variety, or the "let-me-rephrase-everything-in-a-slightly-different-way-and-the-resulting-'Eureka!'-will-change-your-life" ilk, especially if you're just requesting an eARC and can't leaf through the actual pages.
The most glaring example of the latter style I can think of is SARK – the bubbliest, bounciest, most colorful art cheerleader who ever lived. Her, shall we say, enthusiasm works for some people, but although I have tried, I have never been able to see her books as anything more than vacuous (albeit pretty) Stuart-Smalley-style affirmations, scattered and following no logical flow that I can detect, and seemingly geared toward young children. She is very popular and beloved, but I just don't get it. Thankfully, Wild Ideas is nowhere near that level of chaotic or childish presentation. In fact, oddly, it is just the opposite – the material presented is refined and structured to within an inch of its life. Every idea is very linearly categorized, enumerated, defined, and chronological, with exceptionally clean writing and a very well-designed text block. Once again with the irony: it's a gloriously left-brained presentation of the material (although it contains an enormous amount of repetition).
But the content itself is ephemeral, insubstantial, general to the point of universal inapplicability. Cathy Wild is so broad in her definition, that I'm not even sure what she considers a non-creative endeavor, occupation, problem, or life. Not just the content, but the language itself is very specifically unspecific; even the examples are kind of vague (with the exception of when she delves into her own personal stories, which feel a little too personal, and tend to be cringe-inducingly depressing). Most important to know, is that there is no guidance towards a practical application of the material – it's all hypothetical. There are no exercises or even answerable questions, just the same set of vague contemplations repeated at the end of every chapter.
Not only is Wild Ideas unfulfillingly non-specific, it contains too much "woo" for my aforementioned hyperlogical and rationalistic tendencies. Wild evokes just enough Buddhism to prove she doesn't really have much of a grasp on it, but seems to be a proponent of the Law of Attraction, which I really stridently dislike. I get that art and creativity can be fairly ethereal, but this just goes spiritually overboard for me, which is bound to be my reaction when someone starts getting this animistic.
The "About the Author" page at the end of the book reveals that Wild "has spent over thirty years developing innovative approaches to healing that integrate powerful body-centered techniques with the creative process", and that "As a pioneer in somatic counseling", "her life's work and has deepened and evolved into Body-Centered Healing—a dynamic, experiential process that supports clients on a profound personal journey of transformation". If you are struggling to parse all that into what exactly it is she does, then the book will also be so much word salad to you. If on the other hand, it makes perfect sense to you, you may enjoy Wild Ideas and gain benefit from it.
Thank you to Standing Place Press, LLC, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and the author for the opportunity to read a pre-publication eARC of this title via NetGalley, in return for my unbiased feedback and review.
A truly significant work! This is a book I can see myself revisiting for years to come as it relates to so many aspects of life. There is a great deal of inspiration and strength to be found within the pages of Wild Ideas: Creativity from the Inside Out.
This book is a wonderful and joyful examination of creativity throughout all its many stages. Each chapter is based on a quality to cultivate during that stage. Beautifully, lovingly written. My only complaint is that it deserved and inspired more color on the pages than the stock black and white.
This book found me at the perfect time as I was able to deeply learn from it. I have been learning about creativity for 30 + years and this book has been the closest to striking the mark of being and doing and touching on the why.
Cathy Wild’s inspirational book, Wild Ideas moves the reader through the ups and downs of the creative process and provides tips on how to break free from blockage. The book focuses on interesting questions for the self, exercises and relatable anecdotes that outline the stages of the creative process while also providing motivational tools and ways to measure progress. While Cathy Wild does focus on the creative mind, the ideas and techniques discussed in the book are transferrable and usable for everyone, even for people who do not feel they have a creative mindset. The book takes the time to explain how the mind works and how making simple changes and stopping to ask questions, can open the mind to many new possibilities.
Wild Ideas forces the reader to ask hard questions about processes in a wide range of categories: professional, personal, thought, relationships, creative and more. There is a focus on relationships not only with others but also with the self and how those relationships often influence the process of the mind. Each chapter offers ideas that are personal enough to be applied to a variety of individual needs and also the reader can easily pull techniques that apply to a specific situation. The book is not a fluffy self-help read, but rather an honest and insightful look at how life and a person’s mindset shapes so much that is unseen. The use of anecdotes, both from Cathy’s personal stories as well as others, help to make the book more relatable, especially when the stories reflect on frustrations or setbacks and how to rebound from less than ideal situations. The use of questions force time for reflection and create an active reading that invites engagement and additional work.
Wild Ideas is a book that needs to be read thoughtfully with a notebook close at hand. There are plenty of reason to revisit and reread because as situations change and grow, so do people and mindsets. Wild Ideas is a wonderful read for anyone in a creative rut or for anyone who is looking to just find a way to find more potential/mindfulness in their lives. Cathy Wild asks the tough questions that open up blocks and provide a personal path for greatness and finding what’s next.