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Creativity Takes Courage: Dare to Think Differently
It’s not always easy to be creative—to give our minds space to roam while ignoring our inner critic, to stare down a blank page and make the leap from nothing to anything. It takes courage.
Finding the courage to create is something the editors of Flow know a lot about. Creativity is a central value of the Flow mission, evident in every issue that bursts with the wild imaginations of its artists, writers, and editors. In Creativity Takes Courage, Flow brings together inspiration, hands-on projects, boundary-pushing activities, and special paper goodies to show readers how to unleash their inner artists.
Organized around a series of twelve “dares”—including Dare to Fail, Dare to Be a Kid, Dare to Be Bored, Dare to Go Offline, Dare to Collaborate—Creativity Takes Courage encourages the reader to be fully present . . . and spend idle time staring out the window. To leave your comfort zone and start a project, without hesitation . . . and nourish yourself with museum visits and reading time. Each dare includes fill-in pages and prompts to go deeper into what motivates us or hinders us, like mindful questions to identify fears of failure, or a Dare to Commit notebook for recording both daily and weekly projects.
It’s the illustrated and fully interactive gift of how to live more creatively and enjoy every minute of the process, no matter what the result.
Finding the courage to create is something the editors of Flow know a lot about. Creativity is a central value of the Flow mission, evident in every issue that bursts with the wild imaginations of its artists, writers, and editors. In Creativity Takes Courage, Flow brings together inspiration, hands-on projects, boundary-pushing activities, and special paper goodies to show readers how to unleash their inner artists.
Organized around a series of twelve “dares”—including Dare to Fail, Dare to Be a Kid, Dare to Be Bored, Dare to Go Offline, Dare to Collaborate—Creativity Takes Courage encourages the reader to be fully present . . . and spend idle time staring out the window. To leave your comfort zone and start a project, without hesitation . . . and nourish yourself with museum visits and reading time. Each dare includes fill-in pages and prompts to go deeper into what motivates us or hinders us, like mindful questions to identify fears of failure, or a Dare to Commit notebook for recording both daily and weekly projects.
It’s the illustrated and fully interactive gift of how to live more creatively and enjoy every minute of the process, no matter what the result.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published August 21, 2018
17 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 3, 2022
This is such a wholesome book that deserves 5 stars just for its design!
This book is a fun one to read and look at! I could finish it in one day, but I loved the book so much I wanted to spend more my reading it. Though the content itself wasn't rocket science, the layout, design, and the authors' writing made it so much fun, which helped me reflect on topics I already knew. I also appreciate the sweet activities the book provides at the end of each mini-chapter.
This book is a fun one to read and look at! I could finish it in one day, but I loved the book so much I wanted to spend more my reading it. Though the content itself wasn't rocket science, the layout, design, and the authors' writing made it so much fun, which helped me reflect on topics I already knew. I also appreciate the sweet activities the book provides at the end of each mini-chapter.
March 11, 2022
Very good book/workbook filled with ideas to help unleash creativity.
May 19, 2020
“To create one’s own world in any of the arts takes courage.” (Georgia O’Keeffe)
Introduction: Unleash Your Creativity
p.1 – Creativity is something we all need. With a creative mind, it is easier to find solutions to daily problems. Work gets more interesting. It is easier to maintain relationships, easier to think of new ways to manage the hustle of the work-life balance, and so on.
2 – Dare to Start
p.19 – Loretta Graziano Breuing’s book Meet Your Happy Chemicals: “You don’t have to finish a job in one fell swoop, you can also chop it up into smaller pieces. One advantage is that each time you finish a piece you will be rewarded by a dose of dopamine. Each step you complete feels like a triumph and will trigger this pleasure hormone. This has an important evolutionary reason: It gives you energy and the motivation to keep going.
p.20 – The first few strokes of the brush on a canvas can be the hardest, but once you’ve committed to making them, the next strokes will be easier. With writing, it’s typing or scrawling that first word, then another, then another.
p.24 – This is why children are so creative – they have no problems with copying things, and they naturally add their own twist as they play.
4 – Dare to be Bored
p.51 – We make ourselves do all kinds of things all the time, usually leaving very little time for doing nothing. Doing nothing is vital for your head; it recharges you.
“Daydreaming increases the likelihood of you achieving what you want. Daydreaming is also good for creativity, because it lets your imagination run free,” says sleep and dream researcher Victor Spoormaker of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich.
5 – Dare to Commit
p.62 – Doing something creative every day will result in a beautiful collection of your own original and authentic material.
7 – Dare to Be a Kid
p.95 – “Beginner’s mind” is a term Buddhists use to describe a particular state of mental openness. It means that as a beginner you have no expectations, no fixed image of self. All options are open and, therefore, you could go in any direction. You are not restricted by a set idea about what is or isn’t possible, by judgments by or about certain people, or by phrases like “we don’t do things like that.”
p.96 – With a beginner’s mind, you are open to the world and the people around you.
8 – Dare to be Alone
p.109 – In our youth, we enjoyed many empty days – no plans, no presentations, no to-to lists (okay, maybe some schoolwork). […] As adults, we tend to miss out on that luxury of spending time alone. Not only that, we “forget” how to be alone.
p.110 – When we embrace our alone time, the most beautiful ideas appear.
p.116 – When we spend time alone, there’s more space in our heads for new thoughts and more creativity.
10 – Dare to be Mindful
p.141 – Mindfulness can help you live a more relaxed life, but it can also spark your creativity. That’s because practicing mindfulness helps us develop our ability to look and feel with all of our being. Meditation allows you to dive deep, which allows your creativity to blossom.
p.142 – “When you are in the moment, ideas start to flow.”
p.143 – Negative thoughts are deadly for creativity.
11 – Dare to Nourish Yourself
p.153 – If you want to be creative, you need to fill yourself with inspiration. Treat your eyes to visual candy and the thoughts in your mind will begin to fit together in new ways. Make time to visit a bookstore or go to a museum, or sit in a café and people-watch, or ride a bike through your neighbourhood for a different perspective. […] Engage your senses by trying new activities and immersing yourself in different environments, and you’ll begin to discover what inspires you most.
p.157 – Nature and art can give you a feeling of transcendence.
13 – Dare to Team Up
p.189 – You’ve started practicing mindfulness. You’ve boosted your energy levels, gained confidence in your abilities, and started creating. But now you want to find a community of people like you who can appreciate you and your art. You want to talk about your ideas, to sit with a latter in your favourite café and let ideas flow. You want a creative partner.
When you find the right partner, creating is so much easier. They will help you develop your ideas, hone your skills, and master your craft.
p.191 – Creative duos often find each other through their shared interests.
Introduction: Unleash Your Creativity
p.1 – Creativity is something we all need. With a creative mind, it is easier to find solutions to daily problems. Work gets more interesting. It is easier to maintain relationships, easier to think of new ways to manage the hustle of the work-life balance, and so on.
2 – Dare to Start
p.19 – Loretta Graziano Breuing’s book Meet Your Happy Chemicals: “You don’t have to finish a job in one fell swoop, you can also chop it up into smaller pieces. One advantage is that each time you finish a piece you will be rewarded by a dose of dopamine. Each step you complete feels like a triumph and will trigger this pleasure hormone. This has an important evolutionary reason: It gives you energy and the motivation to keep going.
p.20 – The first few strokes of the brush on a canvas can be the hardest, but once you’ve committed to making them, the next strokes will be easier. With writing, it’s typing or scrawling that first word, then another, then another.
p.24 – This is why children are so creative – they have no problems with copying things, and they naturally add their own twist as they play.
4 – Dare to be Bored
p.51 – We make ourselves do all kinds of things all the time, usually leaving very little time for doing nothing. Doing nothing is vital for your head; it recharges you.
“Daydreaming increases the likelihood of you achieving what you want. Daydreaming is also good for creativity, because it lets your imagination run free,” says sleep and dream researcher Victor Spoormaker of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich.
5 – Dare to Commit
p.62 – Doing something creative every day will result in a beautiful collection of your own original and authentic material.
7 – Dare to Be a Kid
p.95 – “Beginner’s mind” is a term Buddhists use to describe a particular state of mental openness. It means that as a beginner you have no expectations, no fixed image of self. All options are open and, therefore, you could go in any direction. You are not restricted by a set idea about what is or isn’t possible, by judgments by or about certain people, or by phrases like “we don’t do things like that.”
p.96 – With a beginner’s mind, you are open to the world and the people around you.
8 – Dare to be Alone
p.109 – In our youth, we enjoyed many empty days – no plans, no presentations, no to-to lists (okay, maybe some schoolwork). […] As adults, we tend to miss out on that luxury of spending time alone. Not only that, we “forget” how to be alone.
p.110 – When we embrace our alone time, the most beautiful ideas appear.
p.116 – When we spend time alone, there’s more space in our heads for new thoughts and more creativity.
10 – Dare to be Mindful
p.141 – Mindfulness can help you live a more relaxed life, but it can also spark your creativity. That’s because practicing mindfulness helps us develop our ability to look and feel with all of our being. Meditation allows you to dive deep, which allows your creativity to blossom.
p.142 – “When you are in the moment, ideas start to flow.”
p.143 – Negative thoughts are deadly for creativity.
11 – Dare to Nourish Yourself
p.153 – If you want to be creative, you need to fill yourself with inspiration. Treat your eyes to visual candy and the thoughts in your mind will begin to fit together in new ways. Make time to visit a bookstore or go to a museum, or sit in a café and people-watch, or ride a bike through your neighbourhood for a different perspective. […] Engage your senses by trying new activities and immersing yourself in different environments, and you’ll begin to discover what inspires you most.
p.157 – Nature and art can give you a feeling of transcendence.
13 – Dare to Team Up
p.189 – You’ve started practicing mindfulness. You’ve boosted your energy levels, gained confidence in your abilities, and started creating. But now you want to find a community of people like you who can appreciate you and your art. You want to talk about your ideas, to sit with a latter in your favourite café and let ideas flow. You want a creative partner.
When you find the right partner, creating is so much easier. They will help you develop your ideas, hone your skills, and master your craft.
p.191 – Creative duos often find each other through their shared interests.
March 18, 2019
I love all their books and the Flow magazine, but I have to admit in this one the little extras like a notebook and frames just got in my way. The little notebook kept falling out while I was reading it and I didn't plan on using it. Fun presentation and illustrations, good down-to-earth advice with a little research.
December 27, 2024
Nothing new for me here regarding the content, but this was such an experience for paper lovers and for visual appreciation. It has many goodies inside!
July 23, 2019
This book is fun to hold, fun to look at, and full of great inspiration. I love the little "paper extras", though they do kind of get in my way while I'm reading (and, ironically, make me even more hesitant to "be creative" with their use as the authors intended, because they're so pretty, I don't want to mess them up!).
February 14, 2019
Creating is integral to my heart feeling happy and my soul being fulfilled. This is another wonderful inspirational publication from the founders of Flow! I devoured the inspiration and all advice applicable to why being creative is important, making time for creativity, and keeping it manageable in busy daily lives. LOVE LOVE LOVE this litte gold mine!!!
March 21, 2019
I love this book! great paper quality and nice to do activity after reading a chapter. Part of me don't want to use the freebies inside coz it's so pretty.Definitely one of those books I'd reread again and again.
August 27, 2019
A fantastic Flow book filled with activities and methods to help you become more creative through mindfulness. It's great for anyone even for those who doesn't seem to seek creativity for now, as mindfulness itself has a lot of benefits for modern people who are always busy.
May 13, 2020
Ame este libro!! Te inspira mucho, te ayuda a salirte de tu zona de comfort, a poner a volar tu imaginación y a irle dando forma a tus sueños o proyectos, es un libro al que siempre regresas para refrescarte otra vez de creatividad.
January 21, 2019
I really loved this book. It offers many suggestions to re-wire your brain to think differently to get the creative juices flowing.
July 23, 2019
I really enjoyed the q and a , the ideas and projects to jump-start your creativity and of course the artwork and cards and mini books that FLOW always does so well.
January 1, 2020
Really, really excellent -- recommended reading for all creatives. The exercises are really helpful -- Do them! Buy two copies of the book if you're a "writing in books" virgin.
Read
May 12, 2020There are a lot of good ideas that I can take to heart!
July 12, 2021
A beautifully thought out book to get the creative juices flowing. For anyone who feels stuck or needs creative inspiration.
July 19, 2021
Not many useful new info.
October 19, 2022
5 -stars
This is another sweet, short but powerful "MUST READ" for creatives like "Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative". It helps you recognized all the obstacles that get in the way (that we ourselves put in the way!) of creativity and productivity and how to overcome them.
This is another sweet, short but powerful "MUST READ" for creatives like "Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative". It helps you recognized all the obstacles that get in the way (that we ourselves put in the way!) of creativity and productivity and how to overcome them.
March 8, 2019
I thought this was a great little book.
It is a book on how to be more creative in a sense that if you read Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way,” and did the soul searching there, “Creativity Takes Courage” then moves you in to application of the skills learned and applying it further. Adding topics like going off line, social media breaks, mindfulness, the usefulness of “failing,” day dreaming and other activities.
It is loaded with tips and the chapters are short with discussions on basic points, some examples, some exercises and then they move on to the next topic. It’s full of goodies. The q&a are done well and relate to the text. I will probably read this again.
It is a book on how to be more creative in a sense that if you read Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way,” and did the soul searching there, “Creativity Takes Courage” then moves you in to application of the skills learned and applying it further. Adding topics like going off line, social media breaks, mindfulness, the usefulness of “failing,” day dreaming and other activities.
It is loaded with tips and the chapters are short with discussions on basic points, some examples, some exercises and then they move on to the next topic. It’s full of goodies. The q&a are done well and relate to the text. I will probably read this again.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews