Daily Creative

August 1, 2022

Henry (host of The Accidental Creative podcast and author of a book by the same title) designed this self-help book for people who problem-solve, especially in a professional role where they may need some help to get the creative juices flowing. With each page devoted to a day of the year, Henry presents daily insights, each one different and designed to get readers thinking creatively. Included are questions such as how to find a new skill, how to build a portfolio of passions, or how to really love the process, not just the results. Henry encourages people to read the whole book and then use it as a daily reminder, to spend time each day jotting down ideas around the questions he asks, and to take the time to think creatively. The ideas are good and the questions are challenging and interesting. Whether or not it is possible to commit to the full process is another thing entirely, but even dipping into the book would provide interesting ideas and challenges--not just for professionals, there are plenty of ideas here to use with everyday life experiences. VERDICT With plenty of daily and occasional activities for enhancing one's creative process, this is a solid addition to any collection.--Jane Keenan

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 22, 2022
Henry (Herding Tigers), founder of the Accidental Creative consultancy, delivers a bland guide for finding inspiration. The author provides 365 brief pieces of advice for enhancing creativity accompanied by reflection questions (“Are you too close to any of your work right now?”) that promote discipline, inspiration, and persistence. Henry encourages readers to take their time considering new ideas: “In the moment of creative ecstasy, we sometimes lack perspective. Sit on your idea.” The author draws recommendations from personal anecdotes, telling how his neighbors’ cat passes his window every day while following an established hunting route and urging readers to establish a routine or practice that one can rely on for inspiration. Other suggestions, based on the habits of famous trailblazers, utilize biographical facts too well-known to hold hidden wisdom, as when Henry relates how Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity while working as a patent clerk and warns readers that a job will likely not fulfill one’s creative impulses. The brevity of each section leads to shallow advice and the suggestion-per-day format results in repetition (“When things get difficult, remember this: you can do hard things”; “Persist, friend”). This by-the-numbers manual is a letdown.