Mark Reiter

Twyla Tharp

A guide to unlocking creative potential provides exercises, anecdotes, and advice for evaluating one's creative history, finding creative stimulation through activity, and making time for creative change.

Learn It and Use It for Life

The Creative Habit

One of the world’s leading creative artists, choreographers, and creator of the smash-hit Broadway show, Movin’ Out, shares her secrets for developing and honing your creative talents—at once prescriptive and inspirational, a book to stand alongside The Artist’s Way and Bird by Bird. All it takes to make creativity a part of your life is the willingness to make it a habit. It is the product of preparation and effort, and is within reach of everyone. Whether you are a painter, musician, businessperson, or simply an individual yearning to put your creativity to use, The Creative Habit provides you with thirty-two practical exercises based on the lessons Twyla Tharp has learned in her remarkable thirty-five-year career. In "Where's Your Pencil?" Tharp reminds you to observe the world -- and get it down on paper. In "Coins and Chaos," she gives you an easy way to restore order and peace. In "Do a Verb," she turns your mind and body into coworkers. In "Build a Bridge to the Next Day," she shows you how to clean the clutter from your mind overnight. Tharp leads you through the painful first steps of scratching for ideas, finding the spine of your work, and getting out of ruts and into productive grooves. The wide-open realm of possibilities can be energizing, and Twyla Tharp explains how to take a deep breath and begin...

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Ali Angco

3.5 - Good resource. Less of a book, more like a handbook/workbook when you're in a creative rut. See my full review on Storygraph.

Wenny

Came in expecting something along the lines of Bird by Bird and King's On Writing; instead I found something far better - the ultimate book on the process of creation. Loved every bit of it; a must read for every person who intends to dedicate themselves to the mastery of their craft.

Belle

I'm glad I went back and finished this. I read the first half a couple of years ago, and abandoned it because I didn't feel I was learning anything. This week I was looking for something inspiring about creative work, and this book seemed a perfect fit when I remembered it was half finished.

I guess I was in the right mood for it this time, because I got through the second half in two days and made a heap of highlights.

There wasn't anything ground breaking in this book, but reading it as I'm grappling with understanding what skills and talents I have, and what I want my career to look like in the future, it gave me a lot to think about. It was helpful to have some external ideas and stories to inform my internal questioning.

Xavier Roy

I'm not sure why but I really felt depressed during the time I listened to this book. Maybe it was that I could identify myself doing what I was not supposed to be doing or maybe I was in a dopamine down mode or a rut. I was pretty glad that I was done and surprise, I am feeling fine and things are looking well.

Corey White

This is my second read through, I remember parts of it, but definitely not all of it. I find Twyla has good points, but also writes in a tone I don’t always enjoy. 
I’ll be going back over the things I put stickie notes by to see how I feel. Maybe if I had one creative focus I would find this more helpful.

The Creative Habit Learn It and Use It for Life

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