The Creative Spark: How Musicians, Writers, Explorers, and Other Artists Found Their Inner Fire and Followed Their Dreams

by Michael Shapiro

Smokey Robinson • Barbara Kingsolver • Francis Ford Coppola • David Sedaris • Jane Goodall and other luminaries reveal the secrets to their creative success. Amy Tan talks about how she finds truth by writing fiction. Melissa Etheridge tells us how she channels her fire into her music. Pico Iyer shares how seeking stillness enhances his creativity. And Coppola discusses how he found the courage to make groundbreaking films.

In The Creative Spark, a collection of interviews prefaced by brief biographies, these luminaries join dozens of other voices to create a symphony of inspiration. Lucinda Williams talks about honesty and making every word count; Jane Goodall cites the value of persistence and believing in yourself; and Smokey Robinson heralds the timeless power of love songs.


For more than a decade, award-winning author Michael Shapiro (A Sense of Place) has interviewed many of our brightest creators. In The Creative Spark, musicians, authors, explorers, and chefs speak about what drives them, what helps them see the world in fresh ways, and what inspires them to turn their visions into art.


Shapiro’s work as a music journalist has led to interviews with legends including Graham Nash, Lyle Lovett, Melissa Etheridge, Jake Shimabukuro, Merle Haggard, and Jethro Tull bandleader Ian Anderson. And he’s spoken with creative masters in other fields, such as comedian Joan Rivers and author Frances Mayes.


Yet it’s not simply that Shapiro has had access to so many supremely talented people—it’s that he gets them to go deep. Moments into his penetrating conversation with Lucinda (her fans call her by her first name), she tells Shapiro about how decisions made about her mother’s funeral led to fissures in her family. From this achingly personal conversation, readers can glean fresh insights into why Lucinda has such a devoted following and why her songs open listeners’ hearts.


Unexpected revelations pop up in every chapter of The Creative Spark. Iowa folksinger Greg Brown isn’t a household name, but his fellow musicians revere his poetic compositions. Then there’s San Francisco Giants announcer Mike Krukow, who turns every broadcast into a work of art. Chefs, including SingleThread’s Kyle Connaughton, discuss how they’re transforming the way we approach fine dining and why social responsibility is essential.


Each chapter starts with a short biography of the creative person being profiled, then segues into Q+A. This collection brings together some of the best-known artists of our time with others who may not be as famed but who have valuable insights about living an artful life. The Creative Spark stands as a testament to human achievement, showing how creativity illuminates our world. And how it resides in each and every one of us, just waiting to break out.

Genres: Nonfiction

350 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2019

About the author

Michael Shapiro writes about travel, the performing arts, and environmental issues for magazines and newspapers. A former staff reporter and editor at newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area, he’s the author of The Creative Spark, a collection of interviews with many of the world’s most creative people, and A Sense of Place, featuring conversations with leading travel writers. His stories appear in National Geographic, AFAR, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.

Reviews

[Brad Newsham · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN INVITATION arrives in your mailbox or via your phone or computer or, more likely, it is hand-delivered.

Your presence is requested at a weeklong retreat in a lodge in the mountains or on a bluff beside the ocean. World class scenery. All expenses paid.

Every room in the lodge, you are told, will be occupied by intelligent, remarkable, interesting people, each of them accomplished and recognized in their field: music, storytelling, science, philosophy, sports, comedy, hospitality, philanthropy. You know their music, you’ve read their books, you’ve seen them on stage or screen or in the news — you’ve guffawed or applauded or have been left speechless by their brave or brilliant or oddball takes on life.

During the week, your affable, insatiably curious, insatiably insightful host, Michael Shapiro, leads you around by the hand and oh-so-eloquently introduces you to each of these folks. Most of them are people who, for years, you have fantasized about hanging out with. And now here you are, sharing coffee, meals, drinks, jokes, taking walks in the woods or on the beach, just you and Michael and these public figures who are surprisingly, sometimes shockingly, human.

AND THEN toward the middle of the week the most bizarre and comforting and confronting thing happens. You realize that you, yes you, you belong here at this retreat! This was no accident — all along you suspected that you might belong, and hearing these noted people talk about their lives, about their ups and downs and breakthroughs and despairs, you realize that you’re a lot like them and they’re a lot like you! You’ve got a rich life of your own, and you do, dammit, yes you do have precious gifts to contribute to this swirling question of life as a homo sapiens during the most fascinating period planet Earth has ever known: right now! Not only do you belong here, you and your wisdom are in fact needed. Each of these people has said or implied or led you to think exactly that...

When, sadly, the week comes to an end you head home with your soul full to the brim and you are thinking, Okay… Okay… I get it… So, What am I going to do Now? Ordinary people can create pretty much anything they want to create. Okay… Where does that leave me? What am I going to do Now?

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about human creativity and one that will get you thinking about writing in a new way. As a conservative, I occasionally took a dim view of some of the environmental and political issues but there is so much to like about this book that any criticism is only background noise to the mastery of Shapiro's interviews with legendary characters.

[Jacqueline Yau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so moved by the introduction I read it twice. That was a good omen. Reading The Creative Spark is like sitting down with friends and getting delightful insights into their creative process and values. As I read the book, yes, I was able to pocket away some great tips, ideas, and inspirational nuggets to aid in my own creative process. But, I also loved getting to know these innovators on a deeper level. Each profile is a satisfying portrait of one of the 32 people interviewed in the book; some of whom I probably wouldn't have met without diving into this book. Each new section is a like a different tasty treat. I'm not sure yet what I'm getting but I know it'll be delicious. I was originally drawn in by the writers and explorers of the group like Sylvia Earle, Jane Goodall, David Sedaris, Barbara Kingsolver, Pico Iyer, and Amy Tan but I found myself so appreciative of getting know musicians and songwriters like Smokey Robinson, Melissa Etheridge, Dave Alvin, Jake Shimabukuro, Graham Nash, and Sharon Jones. The curiosity and deft questioning by the author helped bring each artist to life. As a writer, reader, traveler, and citizen of this world, I'm grateful for the collective wisdom in this book. I look forward to rereading this gem and going over my highlighted passages!

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Creative Spark, Author Michael Shapiro seeks to address the age-old question of what triggers a person’s creativity and how to foster and maintain that creativity.
Michael seeks to address this and many more success secrets through direct tete-a-tete with numerous world-renown luminaries across the spectrum, including writers, musicians, artists, and even a world-famous zoologist by way of probing and piercing interviews.
His book makes for an inspiring read for anyone who wants to learn about nurturing creativity from the most successful people in the business, including, and this is barely scratching the surface because there are dozens more, Pico Iyer, Jane Goodall, and Smokey Robinson. I could not recommend this book highly enough for anyone who aspires to be more creative or just wants a closer glimpse into the inspirations and lives of those who could be considered critically acclaimed artists.

[Lynn Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Shapiro is a master interviewer and his new book is pure inspiration! I was drawn to read the book for the musician's interviews, but I found myself really "sparked" by Jane Goodall, Phil Cousineau, Sylvia Earle and Dervla Murphy. (All of the interviews are exceptional!) Michael, through his kind and generous spirit, brings all of his interviewees into three dimensional accessibility. This book is a gift to all of us, freely given. I hope there will be more from Michael Shapiro!

[Joseph Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's genuine voice carries you along an amazing journey throughout the world, introducing you to some really inspiring people. Every time I picked it up I quickly came to a better mood, energized to work more on my own projects and dreams. I'd send it to every address if I could - thank you Mr. Shapiro!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This interesting book is made up of a series of interviews with [mostly] writers and musicians. Pico Iyer, Barbara Kingsolver and a dozen others refkect on the creative process and on how they see their work. The good thing about the author's chosen format is tha this book can be read over a series of weeks, one interview at a time, Don't forget to read his introduction, which makes some very thought provoking points about the varieties of creativity.

[Patsie Uchello · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a professional artist, I was dismayed to see no fine visual artists Interviewed by an author searching for the creative spark. What a glaring admission. So I picked through the interviews, reading about David Sedaris, Kyle Connaughton, Graham Nash, and Joan Rivers. I enjoyed reading them, but do not feel especially enlightened. So much more could have been done with this topic. I was disappointed.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not get into this book. I was hoping it would be about fine artists or crafty people. It was a gift and sadly, the book just bored me.