The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life

What makes someone creative? How does someone face the empty page, the empty stage and making something where nothing existed before? Not just a dilemma for the artist, it is something everyone faces everyday. What will I cook that isn't boring? How can I make that memo persuasive? What sales pitch will increase the order, get me the job, lock in that bonus? These too, are creative acts, and they all share a common need: proper preparation. For Twyla Tharp, creativity is no mystery; it's the product of hard work and preparation, of knowing one's aims and one's subject, of learning from approaches taken in the past. It's a process undertaken every day. It's a habit. The Creative Habit is not merely a look inside the mind of a remarkable show more woman with remarkable skills, but a programmatic, inspiring, encouraging guide to help each of us achieve our fullest creative potential. show less

I have to start with the fact that I disagree with what I see as the basic premise of this book. Twyla Tharp makes the case that, for a person to be creative, they must build a structured environment, develop a pattern of habits, and adhere to specific steps. It reminds me of a presentation on creativity I saw a number of years ago where the presenter stated, "To be successfully creative you must exactly follow these five steps."

Creativity does not lend itself to being put in a bucket, locked in a box, or sealed in an envelope. I agree that creativity must become a habit, but to build such strictures around the approach can limit the effectiveness of such creativity.

I say this realizing full well that Ms. Tharp's creativity cannot be show more questioned. She has not received her dance world accolades without an incredible amount of talent, skill, and...creativity. And that is why I have to temper all comments with the realization that no one approach to creativity works for every person. My disorder, disarray, dissonance, and disorganization will not work for everyone. Neither will Ms. Tharp's structured approaches.

And, I have to realize that, in spite of how I was put off by the beginning of this book, I came away with a number of good ideas on how to approach and drive creativity. Spoiler Alert! This review is going to end with the recommendation that you read this book.

But, to start, I was so put off by the beginning of the book that I almost didn't continue. What was the problem? Well, skipping the fact that the second chapter was titled "Rituals of Preparation" (based on my previous comments, you can see how I might be rankled by such a title), following are some of the off-putting quotes from the first chapter.

"I've learned that being creative is a full-time job with its own daily patterns. That's why...the most productive [writers] get started early in the morning , when the world is quiet..." I agree with the first sentence. The second is a gross generalization. I know many writers need a daily pattern. But some use mornings, some use afternoons, some use evenings, some use rum, and some waste time until the muse strikes – any moment, any time. Morning can be a good time to get work done. But that does not mean it is the best time to accomplish creativity.

"The routine is as much a part of the creative process as the lightning bolt of inspiration, maybe more." The habit of instilling creativity is a good thing. But "routine" – even a routine to develop creativity – does as much to inhibit creativity as drive it. The basic meaning of routine implies rote practices and repetitive processes. Here's a definition of routine taken from dictionary.com. "Regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure." These are not the building blocks of creativity. I recognize that Ms. Tharp is trying to emphasize the habits of creativity, but an emphasis on routine may be more detrimental than beneficial.

"I will keep stressing the point about creativity being augmented by routine and habit...It is the perennial debate...between the beliefs that all creative acts are born of (a) some transcendent, inexplicable Dionysian act of inspiration...or (b) hard work. I come down on the side of hard work." I agree that creativity is augmented by routine and hard work. And it is definitely true that no one can succeed without training, learning, foot-pounds of energy spent at the typewriter/computer/canvas/instrument like Nemo blasting away at the Toccata and Fugue. But hard work and habits are not the answer. You can't sell me that particular piece of swamp land. Part of the process, yes; but not the answer.

Here is my problem with what I call "Structured Creativity". I am fine with developing patterns that help you reach your creative center. What I am not fine with is when someone believes that is the only way creativity will work. When you delve into how ideas are formed, some of the best arrive in situations away from normal work/thought/creative environments. It is about letting synapses connect when you least expect it. Serendipity, when allowed its head, strikes at the darnedest times.

But, in spite of all my ranting, my raving, my beating of breast, my cries into the wilderness, I think this is a book anyone interesting in creativity should read. [The crowd shies away, aghast at the inferred duplicity of the writer.] In fact, I recently gave a presentation on creativity and ended by including this book on the suggested reading list.

How, after all my castigations, can I suggest you read this book? Because within are some really good ideas about how creativity can be driven. And, while I don't agree with the formulaic approach Ms. Tharp promotes, I do believe people have to develop a certain "habit" of creativity which will help it occur without really thinking about it.

There are some good ideas in here – tools and techniques and suggestions that can invigorate creative processes. And that leads to my final recommendation – go for the tools and techniques and ideas, and ignore the overall structure. In other words, don't make her habits your habits, but wantonly steal her ideas. show less

I’ve read a LOT of books on creativity, and I’m always hoping for something fresh when I pick up a new one. I want something that feels like a conversation with someone who gets it. Twyla Tharp delivered on this in many ways, even if she took some detours that didn’t quite land for me.

Tharp is big on the idea that creativity isn’t some magical gift bestowed by the universe, and I couldn't agree more! Creativity -- and in particular, work in a creative field -- boils down to the skills you develop through discipline, preparation, and showing up consistently. She makes the case that rituals and routines are your best friends when it comes to building a creative habit, and that part made me want to stand up and cheer.

Now here's the show more thing: Tharp opens the book by saying it’s not about dance, but, well, it's most definitely about dance. A lot about dance. To be fair, dance is her life’s work, so of course, it’s the lens through which she views creativity. But for someone like me, who knows next to nothing about choreography, the constant dance analogies were often more confusing than enlightening. There were moments where I could see her trying to make the leap to other creative fields, but she didn't quite get there.

That said, the book wasn’t a miss for me. Far from it! I highlighted and annotated 63 distinct quotes as I went along, which speaks volumes about the quality of the ideas Tharp is sharing. What really worked for me were the universal truths buried in her personal anecdotes. The stuff about persistence, overcoming blocks, and finding inspiration. It’s just that some of those lessons take a little effort to untangle from the dance-heavy context.

Overall, The Creative Habit is a solid, practical guide to building discipline in your creative life. It’s not perfect, but it’s packed with useful ideas and plenty of inspiration. Just be prepared to wade through a lot of dance talk along the way. show less

A self-help book I'm not ashamed to have sitting around, which is saying quite a bit. It's essentially a guide to organizing one's creative life. Tharp draws on her long experience as a choreographer, but does an admirable job of making her ideas practical and accessible to those in other artistic disciplines. (This book was a gift to me from my sister, a dancer, and I've found it a help to my photography.)

Twyla Tharp believes creativity is not something you are just born with. It shouldn't be considered a gift. Instead, it is a craft to be honed. It should be cultivated and tended to just like a garden. There is a deliberate effort to creativity. While I didn't participate in any of her exercises, her methods were clear.

I'm really enjoying this! I've been reading it bit by bit on my lunch breaks. It's helpful in terms of thinking through your own creative process and also hearing about someone else's. I think creativity is one of those things people don't reflect on very much and aren't aware of.

Great book on art, work and learning. One of the most useful and practical points of view on creativity, told in a very demystifying way by a great dancer and dance director. There's much to think about here. Also, meny exercises.