The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice Paperback – August 27, 2013

Unlike some other books like Thinkertoys, this book isn't so much about the mechanics of creativity (you won't find an encyclopedia of techniques like you will in that book) as much as it's about the kinds of practices that support and enable it.A fair amount of the things in this book are things that probably should've been obvious to me but I was somehow missing. A lot of it also seems initially counterintuitive and/or countercultural. Actually, a lot of his points were all of the above. For example, the author strenuously argues that overbooking yourself dramatically interferes with our creativity. He especially focuses on tasks that give us a short-term gain or "win" at the expense of long-term productivity (e.g. checking email compulsively to respond slightly faster instead of focusing on an important project or squeezing in "just one more" meeting). Our culture has glorified that kind of behavior - the assumption seems to be that if you're not exhausted, you're probably not working hard enough (and whoever's the most exhausted and overscheduled wins). (Brene Brown talks about the same phenomenon in "The Gifts of Imperfection"). We're so busy frantically trying to keep our heads above water with the daily tasks that the bigger picture of excellence and innovation get lost in the shuffle.He warns about sacrificing effectiveness on the alter of efficiency and short-term gains. Creativity often requires doing tasks that seem inefficient at first glance; for example, he advocates spending an hour a week just thinking, and spending time with play and developing relationships. (Not to give it away but he advocates spending time on a very specific kind of relationship, the kind that can challenge us to do our best work). It also requires us to manage our energy well; for example, can you REALLY manage on 5 - 6 hours of sleep?In a way, I was initially disappointed that he didn't just give me the "quick techniques" that would help me start being more creative right now. Actually, he argues that that kind of instant gratification and quick fix thinking is part of the problem. Yes, you really do have to prune things from your life. He takes you through discovering what your goals really are and identifying activities that are no longer helping you. This was really helpful to me actually because I tend to start doing activities that are helpful and continue to do them long after they're not helping me move forward; I currently have 3 - 4 commitments in my life that aren't helping me move forward but I'm afraid to let go of. (In some cases, I've held on to things that were actively harming me simply because I was afraid to let them go). Or, in some cases, you may even end up abandoning things that really are good and helpful in favor of things that are even better for you.My big takeaway is that creativity happens to the prepared. This isn't a book where you can implement a few quick tips and carry on with your life as you were living it. Odds are, you really will have to prune your schedule some and be more selective in what you take on. You might have to get more sleep and do a better job managing your energy. You'll probably have to examine what's really important to you in your job and in your life as a whole. But if you do what he suggests, you'll be prepared.

Maintaining focus during a career is not easy. Todd Henry provides practical guidelines to do so. I'll address just a few of his guidelines.Before reading his book, I felt that the three main limiting factors in life and career were time, money and energy. Of the three, I thought that time was the largest constraint. Mr. Henry argues that energy, and its preservation and deployment, is the constraint that requires the most careful consideration. While considering his arguments, I found them persuasive.He further contends that separation of career and personal life is a false dichotomy. Each aspect of one's life requires time, money and energy. Since these resources are limited, expenditures in one area of one's life, whether career or personal, limits the availability of these resources for deployment into other areas of one's life. The book considers the necessity of balancing one's personal life and career. This is a challenge that I, and I suspect many others, experience regularly.The author argues that what one puts into your life affects the creative potential of what you will be able to produce. Or, to put it another way, what goes in will heavily affect what comes out of your career endeavors. He argues for pursuing broader intellectual interests as this might allow unexpected creative insights.A certain amount of courage is required to avoid mediocrity. Inherently, risk accompanies traveling unfamiliar paths. Read the book to understand the author's mantra of "die empty."I would not generally be considered a creative, but I found the author's approach readily applicable to the career that I have pursued. I found his suggestions and arguments, which are far more than I have discussed above, to be thoughtful and provocative. Many business books consist of 20-30 pages of useful material repeated 5 or 6 times (or more) with some variation in the information presented so there are 150 or more pages so the publisher has a book and not a magazine article to publish. Mr. Henry avoids this fault, provides useful guideposts for life and career and for these reasons I assigned 5 stars to the book. I encourage you to read it..

As a Creative Design Professional for over 45 years, I must say; "This is it" !Todd Henry has clearly honed in on what the Creative Worker and Lifestyle is.There are numerous informative anecdotes which illuminate the on-goings of of the Creative Life.Henry is very clear and correct to urge readers to NOT jump ahead to later chapters in to book - but to "Take the Journey" from beginning to end".I listened and was greatly rewarded by doing so.I did stop along the way to make note of the many "greats" in the field to make reference and see which books I already had on my shelf - which were many.Todd's exercises are not only valid, more importantly, they are "doable" ! . . . I did them all.At the end of the day, if you are currently involved or planning a career in a "Creative" field - This is a Must Read Book.On a personal note, and in complete agreement with the author; A life as a Creative is not for everyone !Compared to any "time-clock-punching" job, being a creative has no checkout time - the creative process is part of your life, and there are significant sacrifices involved, as well as immeasurable rewards.Todd Henry dives deep into these commitments and explains thoroughly how to detach and "have a life"I highly recommend this book to everyone in any creative field and to anyone who "takes their work home with them" !

If you've read  The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich  or similar books you will have been caught by the inspiration they contain to live life differently. Like many others though the ideas in books like these often lie in the back of your mind gathering dust amongst the other things in life you're just waiting for the time to do.The Accidental Creative is the solution to all of these great ideas it is the how to of  Poke the Box  and getting things done. It lays bare the requirements for living a fulfilled and satisfied life, aligning all the parts of your life so they work together no matter how busy you may be. Unsurprisingly the key to success is in the planning, being honest with yourself and creating boundaries.Todd Henry is an inspirational writer with practical, implementable, real-world ideas we can all benefit from. Not just for entrepreneurs, not just for creatives, but for anyone who would like to achieve a lot more with their time.All you need to do is know how to give yourself permission to achieve. The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New RichPoke the Box

As a creative agency owner, I found this book so helpful in both reinforcing things I'd recently learnt and giving me inspiration for lots of new ideas. Currently implementing many of my learnings that will no doubt benefit me, my agency and my team. I am armed and ready. Thank you Todd.

good good book... very insightful, full of good and helpful hints to help creatives and other to be more productive. Easy to read and good all the way to the end. This is a book I will be dipping into again and again!

Brought for my daughter as she will find this very helpful for uni.

A great insight into breaking down the barriers we all have to just getting down to creative work.