Product Description

On Creativity and the Unconscious brings together Freud's important essays on the many expressions of creativity—including art, literature, love, dreams, and spirituality. This diverse collection includes "The 'Uncanny,'" "The Moses of Michelangelo," "The Psychology of Love," "The Relation of the Poet to Day-Dreaming," "On War and Death," and "Dreams and Telepathy."

Customer Reviews (1)

Selection from Freud works.
On Creativity and the Unconscious: The Psychology of Art, Literature, Love, and Religion (Harper Perennial Modern Thought) (Purchased on 05/09/2009)
by Sigmund Freud

One of the best selections I have ever seen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Look for the humor in a negative situation
"Look for the humor in a negative situation" - page 33 in this book.
I can't believe I paid $10.95 for this bs. Ha-ha-ha.
The person laughing, however, is the author - Harold R. McAlindon.

Relatively useful as a quick & simple idea jogger!
The title, The Little Book of Big Ideas, certainly stands out. However, I consider it to be only relatively useful as a quick & simple idea jogger, in the case of readers who are busy professionals & others who just want something simple & yet different to jog their minds during quiet moments. [The crux of creativity is making associations &/or juztapositions.] It is nevertheless packed with inspiring quotations. For first timers who are just starting to embark on their creativity journey, this may not be a good book to start with.

Something old something new
Some old pearls of creative wisdom along with some newer thought provoking insights.Aside from an unfortunate ode to Ken Lay and Enron's creativity in the Forward, it's a worthwhile reference to pick up and ponder.

A humble little book
A big ideas, inspirational quotes, and creative tips this book has much to offer. This book may sit on your desk or in your office, and you may thumb it once a month. At this time, you may receive many inspirational ideas. I use this book frequently in this manner.

The bulk of this book is quotations from writers, scientists, as well as thoughts that have been passed down through time.

You cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do. -Liz Smith

Above all, try something. -Franklin D. Roosevelt

I think the biggest part of creativity in medicine is listening. -Dr. Alexa Canady

At the end of the individual chapters, there are "Creative Actions." These are ideas by the author in order to further inspire creative ideas. These can be helpful. I find them most helpful when I write them down as activities and do them on paper.

Most people may not enjoy this book. It is simple and makes its point clear. This is what I enjoy about the book. I purchased an additional copy of this book for my office co-workers, and I anonymously placed the book in my office area. It is fun to watch person after person, day after day thumb through this book and receive some words of encouragement.

Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try. -Yoda

An important resource for organizations and families
McAlindon's work is an excellent resource for anyone in a position of influence, especially those in supervisory positions including parenting. And, for those who are serious in the personal and professional development of others, who see their role as a responsibility in helping shape the future of individuals and organizations --- this book is a must! ... Read more

Product Description
Parallel Mind, The Art of Creativity is not about how to draw or paint, but how to think like an artist. Aliyah Marr draws from her experience as a teacher, visual artist, poet, graphic designer, and art director to demonstrate how you can change your body, your profession, your relationship, and your life just by changing your thoughts. A powerful reference guide for artists, educators, psychologists, entrepreneurs, scientists, and for those who have an interest in a practical form of self-development.Packed with practical examples and exercises from every medium: visual art, theater, music, video, poetry, scriptwriting, and dance, this book shows you how to use art to first express, and then clarify thoughts and emotions to create whatever you want. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

a savy marriage counselor for the feuding right and left brain
Parallel Mind is not about self-help--it's about self determination.It is immediately appealing as a motivational guide because it does what few self-help books even attempt:it treats the reader as if they had a brain.

A right and left brain, to be more precise.

According to author and artist Aliya Marr, the two halves don't always make a whole.They seem to have conflicting agendas.

"The right brain--intuitive, holistic, and none verbal--is analogous to our definition of the inner child. The left brain--rational,linear and verbal...is the adult persona."As long as the right and left brain bicker for dominance, we're a cat chasing our own tail.Albert Einstein would seem to agree:"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind the faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."

Through specific exercises and provocative insight, this accomplished artist/author empowers us to open up the dialogue between adult and child, left and right.With the kind of mathematical surprise that would have delighted Einstein, she helps us discover that when the two halves work in tandem, one half plus one half equals infinity, and our capacity for problem solving becomes limitless, and, more to the point of this unique guide, joyful!

Aliyah Marr has her own "E=Mc2" equation, and it is this:"Vision + Passion= Manifestation."For those with a vague awareness that something is missing in their lives, she makes a compelling case in this nutritious read that personal change is possible, and the rewards immeasurable, that joy and abundance is a nano-second away.

This ain't for couch potatoes, but Ms Marr isn't asking you to get to work--she's inviting you to come out and play."Creativity is play with purpose."Who wouldn't want to join her?

Not my thing
This book struck me like one of those self-help meetings you promise someone you will go to.You arm yourself with coffee, pen and paper and try to stay awake but sneak away at the first chance.Couldn't force myself to finish it. Never gave it a second thought beyond feeling guilt for not writing a review as promised.I find a good walk or visit to my supply closet works best to access my creativity.

Great reminders about Being Creative
Aliyah shares some great universal wisdom--and in a nice, useable sequence--about how to recognize, enter, and work with the creative mind. She gives us some good reminders about the characteristics of creativity, as well as a synthesis of many threads of ideas that pertain to the creative life.

--Penney Peirce, author of FREQUENCY: THE POWER OF PERSONAL VIBRATION and THE INTUITIVE WAY: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO INCREASING YOUR AWARENESS

Getting in the flow
Aliyah Marr's book goes directly to the heart of the creative experience. She leads the reader to the boundry of un patterned and habitual thought - pure creativity. Aliyah explores many of the different roads and perspectives to inspire your most creative self into being.

Fantastic Expose on Creativity
Every individual needs a dose of this book. Creativity is the heart and soul of existence and Aliyah expertly explains this concept so that you fully understand and can absorb the message. Creativity is for everyone no matter what you do, who you are or where you dare to tread. ... Read more

Product Description
Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom is a groundbreaking collection of essays by leading scholars, who examine and respond to the tension that many educators face in valuing student creativity but believing that they cannot support it given the curricular constraints of the classroom. Is it possible for teachers to nurture creative development and expression without drifting into curricular chaos? Do curricular constraints necessarily lead to choosing conformity over creativity? This book combines the perspectives of top educators and psychologists to generate practical advice for considering and addressing the challenges of supporting creativity within the classroom. It is unique in its balance of practical recommendations for nurturing creativity and thoughtful appreciation of curricular constraints. This approach helps ensure that the insights and advice found in this collection will take root in educators' practice, rather than being construed as yet another demand placed on their overflowing plate of responsibilities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book has many fascinating qualities.
The following originally appeared in the June/July 1998 issue of BrandPackaging Magazine.

Review of Quantum Creativity, Nine Principles for a Life of Possibility Author: Pamela Meyer Publisher: Yezand Press, Chicago, 1997

If creativity is a key element in developing packaging with impact, then you have to like a book that includes the word "galumphing".However, let's not get to specifics as yet.That is because this book should be viewed, this reviewer believes, as a "helicoptering" tool.It allows one to hover over the popular subject of creativity and observe it from a new perspective. That is one of the book's fascinating qualities.

Pamela Meyer presents a broad scene of creativity, an infrastructure which allows one to see new opportunities.It is a book, therefore, which should be read before you read other creativity/innovation texts.That may be impossible, given the many books already available on the subject.So, maybe it should be read after all those others.Better yet, read it before and after. It's that good.

In her Introduction, Ms. Meyer states "This book is not intended to define a specific experience for the reader. That would be arrogant and disrespectful." That is the type of considerate empathy she has for her readers.Because of this, each chapter can offer something quite personal for each reader's own thoughts, introspection and "re-cognition".That is a fine achievement for a creativity book.

The book presents its holistic overview related, in part, to the author's improvisational theater experiences. Using these and surprisingly understandable quantum physics allusions, Ms. Meyer is able to move the reader away from purely mechanistic and linear thinking.Each of the nine principles - some more immediately accessible to this left brain reviewer than others - serve that purpose.Other readers, I am sure, will find their own insights in their own personally involved principle(s). That is, perhaps, another charm of the book: instant recognition of something quite specific to "lead you back to what you once spontaneously and intuitively knew."

Each principle has its own chapter with its own visually creative symbol/logo.As further aids toward the re-acquisition of the process, toward "re-cognition", each principle is clarified by showing its antagonistic Learned Blocks and how we may progress by Doing Things Differently.At least one principle particularly began to gnaw on this reviewer's many blocks: Embrace Chaos.I have seen elements of this principle presented in many ways by John Cleese, Roger von Oech, Carl Jung ("In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.") and others.Ms. Meyer's Chapter 7 parsimoniously affirms them all.

What is "galumphing"? Exploration just for the fun of it, I think.Galumph through this book then study and re-study the Nine Principles for a Life of Possibility.Whether you are a team member, a manager, a graphic designer, a copy writer, an editor, a printer - whatever -- you'll be rewarded with a whack to the seat of your psyche.

The reviewer is the principal at JFT Studios, a member of the BrandPackaging magazine Advisory Board and an instructor at DePaul University's School for New Learning where he teaches Management for Creativity and Innovation. ... Read more

Product Description
All women are born with creative potential. Using simple exercisses, scientific data, and inspiring real-life stories, Awakening Minerva: The Power of Creativity in Women's Lives provides any woman seeking to understand her own creativity with the tools for such a journey.

"An important and timely work that will mean a great deal to eery woman who cares about the creative life." --Lee Cullum, columnist for Dallas Morning News. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

UNCOVERING THE "MYSTERIOUS FEMININE..."
Doesn't every woman with a pulse harbor a curiosity as to what her creative potential might be? If you answered "Yes, I do" then buy "Awakening Minerva" now. This well-researched, thought-provoking investigation of the female creative process speaks specifically to anyone who has ever pondered the "doorways to the mysterious feminine..." Written in clear, articulate language, the author recounts the sometimes unbelievable real life experiences of over twenty women who honestly bared their souls in the spirit of exploring their essential creative natures. What's most astonishing is the universality of thoughts and attitudes expressed by this multi-cultural cross-section of the female population. Regardless of race, class, socio-economic level and anything else you might imagine would create wildly divergent variations on a theme, these women all sang the same song of femaleness in almost uncanny unison. Clearly, the author's premise that creativity is gender-based--specifically, that it is not androgynous--becomes more and more convincing as the work progresses. "Awakening Minerva" must be read (studied, perhaps) slowly and deliberately, a chapter at a time. For anyone who longs to understand the mysterious magic inherent in female creativity, it's a wisely invested effort.

A Different Approach...
I haven't quite finished the book yet, but it has done a great deal so far in helping me to look at creativity in a different light. Sometimes we categorize creativity as something limited to the arts or crafts, when creativity encompasses much, much more than that. I found this book, as with any book's possibility, a good way to expand your views on creativity, and in essence, expand how you view yourself as a creative being. The mention of Goddesses WHERE applied to each chapter, and examples of the powers of those Goddesses were applied to the women in each individual chapter of how they expressed those particular Goddess traits. Minverva's traits are vast. I would recommend reading it, but if you arent open to this type of thing, or at that place on your path, you wont get it.

Don't judge a book by it's title.
Contents: Preface: Voices Remembered; Introduction: What is Creativity; Generating Life: A Context for Creativity: The Visual Realm: Creative Personalities and Women Artists;Fertile Lives: Heeding the Call of YOur Essential Creative Nature;In HEr Image: Creativity and Gender:She Who Brings Order and LIght From The Darkness: Trauma and Creativity; Time of Emergence: Your Creative Process;The Realm of the Hearth: Influences on the Essential Creative Nature; The Power Within: Awakening the Goddess.Despite the title of this book the Goddess Minerva was only mentioned in passing--the author said her name was good for a title.This book is not about working with Goddesses to increase creativity at all. The Goddesses that are mentioned areAstarte, Gaia, Demeter, Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Hestia.Some of the chapters open with a short description of a Goddess lasting anywhere a half a page to a page and a half.But no attempt is made to link these Goddesses with the stories of the women in the chapter.It seems like the author knows nothing about Goddesses.She links the Goddesses with creativity just by stating that they are without giving anything to back it up.The book consists mainly of interviews with women about creativity in their lives.The stories are interesting to read but i didn't really get anything out of them.The exercises at the end of the chapter are uninspiring.The book is about creativity not only in the arts but in life in general.The authors argument that creativity is influenced by gender is not really convicing--she gives little to back this up.The ideas on creativity in this book seem as though the could by applied to any gender.It was an ok book but not what it pretends to be.

Provocative, inspirational-what a gift to women
I can't believe how much of this book resonated inside of me. I learned so much fromthe stories and the information given by the author. She made so many things clear to me.I am glad I found this book ... Read more

Product Description
Explores the links between anger, rage, violence, evil, and creativity and describes a dynamic therapeutic approach that can help channel anger and violent impulses into constructive and creative activity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Working with the Daimonic
Steven B. Herrmann, PhD, MFT
Author of "William Everson: The Shaman's Call"

Steven Diamond's book is a key to understanding some effective methods and techniques which may clearly delineate how to deal constructively with daimonic anger and rage in psychotherapy and most importantly, how to transform them creatively in the consulting room.The "daimonic" is, Diamond notes, a symbolic concept, one which Rollo May amplified courageously, in the late sixties and early seventies in his books, lectures, and articles, culminating with his seminal paper "Psychotherapy and the Daimonic" (Myths, Dreams, and Religion, New York: Dutton, 1970).May made the paradoxical claim that it is the task of the psychotherapist "to conjure up the devils rather than put them to sleep" (Diamond, 181)The goal is not to repress the daimonic but to activate it, he says, to bring it to full awareness."Great creativity," Diamond adds "is most often an amalgam of many elements, including mental disorder, disease and evil.Herman Melville, in his epic novel Moby-Dick, goes so far as to suggest that great women and men `are made so through a certain morbidness....All mortal greatness is but disease'" (261).The problem of modern psychotherapy, in Diamond's view, is how to transform this basic human proclivity for destruction (including madness) into healthy passion which would include anger, eros, and creativity.In Diamond's view, techniques should "be employed for the express purpose of cultivating the daimonic rather than suppressing, diffusing, or eradicating it" (221, 222) and his use of "cultivating" implies maturation and differentiation."We are, to some significant degree," Diamond says "all responsible for defining that yet obscured way which will lead us to our destiny: not our individual personal and professional destinies, but the collective destiny of this country" (299).Diamond seems never to overlook the personal or the ethical aspects of our profession.He accents the duty that psychotherapists today have to transform the daimonic through social as well as clinical action.This is an important book that I highly recommend.

An excellent contribution to the field!!
Diamond redeems anger in much the same way that May redeemed Anxiety over 50-years ago. A student of May's, Diamond shows an excellent grasp of both May's work and the broader context of exisential and depth psychology. Particularly helpful is Diamond's ability to apply the concept of the daimon to psychopathology and the psychological disorders. This provides for a penetrating analysis of pathology from an existential perspective along with a new approach to the etiology of these disorders.

In this single volume, Diamond shows himself to be one of the leaders in contemporary existential thought. This book should be a must read for contemporary students and practitioners of depth psychology.

An important work
I am a clinical psychologist, and in my list of favorite books, I write this:

Diamond writes:"The volatile emotions of anger and rage have been broadly `demonized,' vilified, maligned, and rejected as purely pathological, negative impulses with no real redeeming qualities.As a result, most `respectable' Americans habitually suppress, repress, or deny their anger-inadvertently rendering it doubly dangerous."He also clarifies, while developing the ideas of Rollo May, how we therapists collude with our clients and culture, thus depriving ourselves of the value and resources of this normal dimension of our being.He integrates psychoanalytic, Jungian, and existential theory under a new rubric of Existential Depth Psychology.As May states, our job is often "not to still the daimons but to wake them."

In addition, I think this is an important, engaging, and well-written work that I wish all my colleagues would read.

a few welcome angles, but
a difficult book to read, stylistically speaking. the sentences are awkward, and 300 pages later i couldn't adapt to the point that theysmoothed out. chapters 2-5, roughly 100 pages, seemed particularly viscous.i went through the entire book without feeling that i really knew what theauthor meant by the term "daimonic." there's a footnote from theintro that gives a hint, another hint on page 65, but after going throughit a third time the best i can do is work backward from terms from freudand jung. diamond provides reasonably informative and entertainingoverviews of noted theorists and brief biographies of creative artists. themost welcome line of the book for me was a quote from rollo may: "thetask of the therapist is to conjure up the devils rather than put them tosleep." no devils, and few other readers, will be particularly stirredup by the book, i'm afraid, but i give it a four for the revelation thatwestern thinkers have arrived at "confrontation therapy" merethousands of years after the orient (a zen master shoved his non-swimmingstudent into a deep pond. as the student thrashed, the master calmly asked,"at this moment, what is your original mind?").

Refreshing, comprehensive, great update of depth psychology
A good orientation, thorough review of the development ofexistential/depth psychology, with a refreshing, updated point of view. Immediate, practical applications for some of today's most pressingisssues.Good for an educated public as well as for mental healthprofessionals.-- Bruce F. Pither, Ph.D., President, American MentalHealth Alliance of California ... Read more

Product Description
MASTER THE ART OF MENTAL ESCAPOLOGY

Explore the life and exploits of a master magician from a unique perspective and create more magic in your own life. This book is not about becoming the next 'Houdini', an escape artist or more versatile magician.

This is a book about being inspired, and becoming inspiring. In this book you'll discover a rich source of inspiration for problem solving, creative thinking, innovation and taking on a challenge.

You'll discover insights from one of the most creative and innovative thinkers of the twentieth century and, with a creative twist, learn principles that will enable you to overcome obstacles, escape from tight spots and do it all with a sense of ease and adventure.

What You Can Expect When You Read This Book...

• Learn a simple trick for being more effective and productive
• Redefine problems so that they motivate you instead
• Discover the key to being more effective, productive and successful
• Feel good more often, have more fun and get more done
• Take your comfort zone with you and safely experience new things
• Build a reputation for daring, audacity and confidence
• 'Do It Anyway' without ever having to 'Feel The Fear'
• Use this simple strategy to eliminate fear of failure for good
• Learn the art of problem solving from 'The Man Who Made The Impossible Possible'
• Make your greatest strength even stronger
• See through your own illusions to get 'unstuck' from 'sticky spots' in an instant

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting and a great self coaching book
Author Tim Kenning has done something I consider to be very clever. On one level The Houdini Principle is an fascinating introduction to the life and work of the enigmatic escapologist, filled with interesting anecdotes, photographs, challenges and newsprint. On another, it uses Houdini as a metaphor for personal freedom and growth. How do we escape from the binds of our lives? What do Houdini's remarkable feats offer as learning to us? The book brings out thought-provoking points about using one's strengths, taking control, changing what one believes about oneself (and about what's possible), making the most of situations and increasing creativity. We're challenged to wonder how unlimited we could each be if we could learn to have unreasonable amounts of self belief for ourselves. In short, it is an excellent book for self coaching.

The idea of using metaphor as a way to express personal development isn't new, but by using such an enigmatic reference, Tim Kenning's book is a more entertaining and enlightening experience than many of the academic personal development books around. By using a real-life reference, the stories and learning comes alive. ... Read more

Product Description
Women, Writing, and Soul-Making: Creativity and the Sacred Feminine moves the reader to quiet depths, affirming what it is to embody and then write down one's truth. At once informative and inspirational, the book reveals its wisdom in layers, inviting the reader to return to it again and again. Millin delivers the profound message that women have access to a feminine approach to writing, one that differs from what they have been taught. When employed, this approach frees them from the fears and "shoulds" that have restrained their creativity. Although written primarily about the feminine and a woman's journey, men and women alike will find the book a guide to writing as a journey of the soul. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Thoughtful and empowering
There is no greater treasure than fully knowing yourself. "Women, Writing, and Soul-Making: Creativity and the Sacred Feminine" is a guide for women in exploring one's own soul and using creative exploration to gain a sense of self that what one truly wants out of their life. Thoughtful and empowering, "Women, Writing, and Soul-Making" is quite the treasure, highly recommended.

A Breakthrough Book for Creative Women
Women do create differently from men, and Women, Writing and Soul-Making brilliantly captures what writing means to women, how women approach the act of writing and how women feel about their relationship to writing. So many writers talk about a woman "finding her voice," yet this is the only book I know that truly examines how this happens and why it is so necessary for a woman -- not only as a writer, but as a growing human being. I am not primarily a writer, I am a visual artist, yet Women, Writing and Soul-Making taught me so much about my own creative process. I recommend this book to everyone.

A Prize Winner and a New Classic
Women, Writing, and Soul-Making is glorious book -- no wonder it just took the 2010 Indie Book Award in Spirituality. I turn to it for guidance when I am happy with my writing, and it is like a understanding friend when writing is difficult. Often, I turn to it for guidance with just living -- there is so much solid, deep, and grounded wisdom throughout its pages. Like Millin, I, too, have lead many writing groups and workshops, and I have always wanted a book like this to recommend to my students. Finally, it's here.

not another "how to"
This book is not another "how to"- it is a "how we must", if we feel that inner voice speaking to us, put our pen to paper and just write.At first I thought the book might be, because of the title, a little too "new age" but Peggy speaks to every woman from every walk of life who wants to put her voice to paper. By honestly telling her own journey I felt I could relate to the struggles she encountered and overcame. I have now begun my own journey. Thanks Peggy for being so fearless!!

A rich and inspiring book
This book provides a fresh and inspired way for women to approach writing.Bursting with the feminine, we should not shy away from who we are when writing, and Peggy's wisdom shows us that we all have something to say.This book inspires the doubtful and provides support and guidance to move forward in the writing process.I really loved the little stories and poems that lead into each chapter which served to enrich the content of the book even further.This book is a must for every blossoming woman writer! ... Read more

Product Description
Inner Knowing illustrates that the human mind possesses the capability to consistently function at significantly high levels of perception, creativeness, and intuitiveness. Indeed, everyone has at one time in his life experienced a sense of mindful clarity that led to a Eureka! moment.In this latest addition to Tarcher's successful New Consciousness Reader series, Helen Palmer, author of The Enneagram, has compiled a collection of writings that explore such abilities and illustrate how they can be developed.Essays on exercising the mind, understanding synchronicity, experiencing "flow," establishing communication between the conscious and subconscious, utilizing the active imagination, listening to the body's feedback, and witnessing psychic displays of walking on fire, clairvoyance, and similar phenomena make up this enlightening, thought-provoking, and fascinating anthology.Contributors include: Bruno Bettelheim, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Sylvia Boorstein, Pema Chodron, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Betty Edwards, Erich Fromm, Daniel Goleman, Aldous Huxley, Carl Jung, Jack Kornfield, J. Krishnamurti, Philip Novak, Charles Tart, Montague Ullman, Frances Vaughan, Mark Waldman, and Roger Walsh.A sophisticated book representing the essence of the NCR series, Inner Knowing offers readers confidence in themselves as they reawaken subtle senses while learning to trust and utilize new ways of perceiving, knowing, and living.Amazon.com Review
Although opinion polls indicate that most Americans believe inthe power of intuition, dreams, and precognition to offer validguidance and information, "we have not yet developed an educationalcontext for developing these abilities," according to author andeditor Helen Palmer. By assembling this stunning collection of essaysfrom leading authorities on perception, creativity, and intuition,Palmer hoped to offer a classic resource for anyone who wants tocommit to developing his or her mental and spiritual powers.Contributors include Bruno Bettelheim, who speaks about fairytales andtheir ability to enhance the link between imagination and innerknowing; Carl Jung, who writes of the I Ching's ability tochart ancient avenues of wisdom; and an interview with Isabel Allende, in which she recounts the prophetic powers ofstorytelling. --Gail Hudson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

great tour through history and practices
This book offers an impressive array of excerpts from many well-known contributors to the fields of non-ordinary consciousness/experience, intuitive/non-linear knowing, experiential spiritual-mystical awareness. It is organized to give a wonderful tour that includes snippets from ancient and indigenous to very much contemporary ways of inner knowing; and also a post-modern socio-historical reckoning with "how we got here" vis a vis these fields of inquiry.Carl Jung talking about the phenomenon of the I Ching! Isabella Allende talking about how she taps her inner knowing as a writer! Excellent essay by Richard Tarnas called "the Passion of the Western Mind". It's really got a vast breadth. If you're looking for entire essays, you might be disappointed, because most are excerpted from longer works. But what is offered is a terrific package, whetting the appetite while providing a grounding in the above fields.

Can't Bring Enough Light to Express the Wonderfulness!
This is by far one of my favorite books.Its condition certainly shows it!

Under the "stewardship" of Helen Palmer, this book covers a wide variety of readings on the topic of Higher Consciousness... .digging into not only what our life is about also how to be your own life anthropologist, so to speak.

It includes readings by some preeminent names in the study of Spirituality, Psychology, Anthropology and other related fields all collected and categorized so that you can simply go to the table of contents and choose what suits you for that particular day.

Included are Jack Kornfield, Sylvia Boornsteain, Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi and Abraham Maslow just to give you a taste.... And hopefully a hunger for more.

With the selections from this book, you simply can't go wrong. ... Read more

Product Description
In this highly readable yet comprehensive book, parents and teachers will find many suggestions for enhancing a child's creativity.

"Understanding Creativity" offers advice on how to plan adventures, value work without "evaluation", set a creative tone, and incorporate creativity values into one's own family or classroom culture.

Readers will learn how to spot talent through a child's behaviors and how to encourage practice. Real-life examples of artists, musicians, dancers, entrepreneurs, architects, and authors are included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Full of cliche anecdotal generalizations
In my opinion the author uses anecdotal information to support sweeping, and oten stunningly cliche, generalizations.Too poorly supported to be considered a scientific text, and two scattered to be a good overview of creativity, this book is largely a stew of factoids.If I had not read a few texts on creativity prior to this one, I would have had a hard time picking out the germain points in the book.A much better overview of creativity can be found in R. Keith Sawyer's 'Explaining Creativity.'

enhancing your own creativity
With extensive scholarship, Dr. Piirto relates a fascinating overview of approaches to creativity, from the mystical to the pragmatic, the psychodynamic and psychometric to the cognitive. She notes that psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi makes a distinction of "Big C" creativity (eminent people making significant contributions to a domain), and "little c" creativity "by which human beings lead their everyday lives."

She cites the work of social psychologist Dean Keith Simonton showing that "creativity is the work of a life... from birth to grave" and "a form of leadership... the creator is a persuader."

For anyone wanting to enhance their creative lives and talents, the book provides a wealth of concrete and practical ideas from experts, such as divergent thinking exercises of the Odyssey of the Mind program, and strategies used by Dr. Piirto in her own classes.

How parents and teachers can enhance creativity
Understanding Creativity is an examination of the psychological impulses that drive the quality in human beings broadly labeled as "creativity," which also covers how parents and teachers can enhance creativity, as well as the cognitive aspect of creative writers, scientists, musicians, and physical performers, as well as ways to assess and train creativity. Author Jane Piirto, a teacher of the College of Education and the Director of Talent Development Education in Ashland University, offers a wealth of research, theory, and a guideline around the Seven I's - Inspiration, Imagery, Imagination, Intuition, Insight, Incubation and Improvisation - to form the foundation of a solid creative process. Understanding Creativity needs to be carefully read by anyone charged with the responsibility of recognizing talent in children, setting a creative tone with children, and encouraging children to utilize their creativity in their personal lives.

Become more creative!
Dr. Jane Piirto has put together one of the best resources for anyone interested in creativity. The biographic examples of highly creative people are fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed this comprehenvie text. ... Read more

Product Description
Over the last decade research into design processes utilizing ideas and models drawn from artificial intelligence has resulted in a better understanding of design -- particularly routine design -- as a process. Indeed, most of the current research activity directly or indirectly deals only with routine design. Not surprisingly, many practicing designers state that the level of understanding represented by these models is only of mild interest because they fail to embody any ideas about creativity.

This volume provides a set of chapters in the areas of modeling creativity and knowledge-based creative design that examines the potential role and form of computer-aided design which supports creativity. It aims to define the state-of-the-art of computational creativity in design as well as to identify research directions. Published at a time when the field of computational creativity in design is still immature, it should influence the directions of growth and assist the field in reaching maturity.
... Read more

Product Description
What exactly is creativity? Why do some people seem to have so much of it? Can their secrets be learned? In this trail-blazing book, internationally renowned business creativity expert Michael Michalko answers these questions and more, bringing life-changing techniques into everyone's reach. Michalko has researched and analyzed over 100 of history's greatest thinkers-from Leonardo da Vinci to Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison to Walt Disney-to show readers how creative people think and how to put their secrets to use. It's no wonder that Entrepreneur magazine lauded CRACKING CREATIVITY as "Required reading for anyone in business." Packed with practical exercises and strategies for stimulating creativity, this original book will literally revolutionize the way you think and open up a world of innovative solutions to challenges that you face every day. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

awesome!
This book is for would-be awesome people. Not for the unchallenging minds. Creativity is life, and this book sharpens the tool to shape your life the way you want it. You will know how to 'create' your own sculpture from the discarded piece of rock life has given you.

AWESOME book
This book is an outstanding read and opens your mind to a ton of creative processes to spur creativity.It should be required reading for all teachers, engineers, marketing people--anybody that needs to understand creativity!

A very irritating and inaccurate book.
This author likes to reference creative people throughout history (Freud, da Vinci, Darwin, Einstein, Bohr, Feinman, Edison, Tesla, Picasso, and many others). These people would be turning in their graves if they read how the author described their thought processes. His descriptions of their thinking is trite and jaw droppingly oversimplified.

All that said, I have to admit I got something out of it. It forced me to sit still and put some ideas on paper and brainstorm. While the vast majority of the exercises were pointless, one or two of them made me think. This book minus many of the author's ridiculous claims could be refined to a good magazine article.

Puts you into a different mind set
I really enjoyed reading this book. This is unusual because I am not an avid reader at heart. The author presents many historical case studies of creativity and demonstrates how they apply to different problem solving situations. My only complaint about the book is that toward the end of the book he repeated his historical examples.This made the book a little repetitious and tedious to read.

The best part of this book is that it emphasized the importance of keeping an open mind! Without an open mind which is receptive to unconventional ideas some of the greatest breakthroughs in the world would have not happened.

For several weeks after reading this book I found myself practicing the author suggested "keeping an open mind". This can be an effective tool. Now I am back to my predisposed, stodgy old personality.

Maybe I should read his new book "Thinker toys" for a fresh injection of creativity.

Didn't I read this already?
I had to read this book for a class called Creativity and Visual Communication. Overall, I do think that there were some interesting observations made in the book. However, I continually had the feeling that I read this already. The author repeatedly used the same examples chapter after chapter. After finishing the book, I felt rather confused because all of the strategies seemed to mush together. I felt like each strategy for coming up with creative ideas was the same... write some things on note cards, shuffle the cards around, pick cards at random, read cards, and volia! Creative answer to problem.

I know many people will not agree with me, I'm not looking for that. I just wanted to say, in my opinion, if you feel you are already a creative person, such as an artist, designer, musician, whatever, I don't necessarily think that you will get much of anything out of this book. As an interior designer, I do not feel like this book has helped me in discovering any new approaches for thinking creatively. ... Read more

Product Description
Although some people believe thatcreativity is an innate skill or quality that cannot belearned or expanded, author and speaker Warren Dittmarfirmly disagrees. He believes that creativity can belearned, and it can be enhanced. In Completing the Wheel: AnAdventure in Creativity and Life, Dittmar shows how therichness and growth that comes from creative expressioncannot be denied and how imagination and creativity can beused to overcome your limitations.Completing the Wheeldescribes how you can awaken your creativity and enrich yourlife.Personal stories, real-life examples, andstep-by-step activities provide a road map for becoming amore creative person. Creativity can be learned and expandedwith exercise and with the conscious decision to engage increative activities such as photography, journaling, anddrawing. Throughout history, humans have expressed theircreativeness through huge cave drawings, intriguing memoirs,abstract paintings, and digital images. In Completing theWheel, Dittmar provides an opportunity to grow yourcreativity through your own medium and experience a wholenew way of seeing life-an engaging adventure through lifeexperiences and creative expressions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Steps to Creativity De-Mystified
This book analyzes and encourages your creative impulses with comprehesive (and simple) exercises.The author uses the experiences from his personal and professional life to illustrate the creative process as well as the growth of a personality.He is refreshingly honest about his own painful life beginnings and the miracle of becoming the loving, caring and creative person he is today. Areas of creativity and of life must be in balance to work properly, and so the image of the wheel that he uses throughout the book works perfectly. Among the zillions of self-help books I've explored, this one ranks among the best. (Alas, it would probably sell better if it had a few recipes.) Even non-believers in self-help books would find this one useful. ... Read more

Product Description
Is human creativity a wall that AI can never scale? Many people are happy to admit that experts in many domains can be matched by either knowledge-based or sub-symbolic systems, but even some AI researchers harbor the hope that when it comes to feats of sheer brilliance, mind over machine is an unalterable fact. In this book, the authors push AI toward a time when machines can autonomously write not just humdrum stories of the sort seen for years in AI, but first-rate fiction thought to be the province of human genius. It reports on five years of effort devoted to building a story generator--the BRUTUS.1 system.

This book was written for three general reasons. The first theoretical reason for investing time, money, and talent in the quest for a truly creative machine is to work toward an answer to the question of whether we ourselves are machines. The second theoretical reason is to silence those who believe that logic is forever closed off from the emotional world of creativity. The practical rationale for this endeavor, and the third reason, is that machines able to work alongside humans in arenas calling for creativity will have incalculable worth.
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Customer Reviews (7)

A few useful ideas, lots of hype
This book discusses the issue of computer programs that can generate stories, with particular emphasis on a program which the authors claim can do so.

The first part of the book discusses philosophical issues regarding artificial intelligence, in attempt to answer the question, Can a computer generate stories which are indistinguishable from human-written stories.

One can see why the authors make modest claims here: if one examines carefully the algorithm presented in the second half of the book, one notices that at certain strategic points the program needs "help," i.e. human intervention.So, humans still have to do the hard part; without this, the program fails.The program can only do the "easy" parts.

Notwithstanding this and the hypey technobabble that permeates the book, this book does present useful research and references on the parts of storytelling that can be automated at the present time, which are significant.

From the back cover: "Computers can play superlative chess, diagnose disease, guide spacecraft, power robots that can deliver mail and (soon) clean hoses, etcetera.But can computers 'originate' anything?Can computers be genuinely creative?This is the toughest question that those sanguine about AI face.This book reports on a multi-year attempt to engineer a blueprint (BRUTUS) for a computer system that can hold its own against literarily creative humans, and on the first incarnation of that blueprint (BRUTUS.1)."

A prelude to automated novel writing.
Machines that can summarize documents are commonplace, as well as machines that can extract words and lines from paragraphs and rearrange them to possibly form something useful or interesting. But can a machine write a short story, or even a full-fledged novel with complex characters and themes? That such ability is not only possible for machines but is actually present in some of them is the subject of this book, and if one ignores the philosophical rhetoric on the "strong AI" problem, the authors give a fine overview of their project to create a "story-telling machine", which they have designated as BRUTUS.

The authors claim that their book "marks the marriage of logic and creativity", a claim that will raise the eyebrows of many a philosopher, literary critic, or novelist. But the intuitive dissonance that many in these professions may have regarding the reduction of the free-play of the imagination to the rigors and organization of logic should not dissuade others from believing that such a reduction is not only possible, but has actually been accomplished. Ironically, the authors early in the book assert that there are no examples of machine creativity in the world. Of course, this assertion depends on one's notion of what creativity is, and to what degree this creativity may have depended on the assistance of machines. Machines that create new mathematics, scientific theories, music, or novels do not yet exist, the authors claim, but they do take pains to express their optimism regarding future developments in "machine creativity".

The authors are incorrect in their belief that there are no machines now that can currently develop new and interesting results in a wide variety of different domains. In addition, their notion of intelligence is too anthropomorphic, too tied to what human intelligence is, or is not (and one could argue that machine intelligence is even better understood than human intelligence). The authors though have written a book that gives the reader much insight into what is involved in building creative, thinking machines. Most refreshingly, the authors do not want to settle the question of machine creativity from the comfort of their armchairs, but instead from the laboratory by actually building artificial authors. Philosophical speculation is for the most part eschewed, and is replaced by the rigors and sometimes frustrations of laboratory experiments.

According to the authors, BRUTUS exhibits "weak" creativity rather than "strong", with the latter being compared to the creation ex nihilo, examples of this being non-Euclidean geometry and the Cantor diagonalization method from mathematics. Weak creativity on the other hand, is a more practical notion, and according to the authors is rooted in the "operational" one developed by psychologists. In the development of BRUTUS, the authors wanted to create an automated story generator that satisfied seven requirements: 1. The machine must be competitive with the requirements of strong creativity. 2. The machine must be able to generate imagery in the mind of the reader. 3. The machine must produce stories in a "landscape of consciousness." 4. The machine must be capable of formalizing the concepts at the core of "belletristic" fiction, with the example of "betrayal" being emphasized the most by the authors. 5. The machine must be able to generate stories that a human would find interesting. 6. The machine must be in command of story structures that will give it "immediate standing" in the human audience. 7. The prose developed by the machine must be rich and compelling, not "mechanical". BRUTUS they say meets all of these requirements, but no doubt some critics will think otherwise. The authors do make a sound case for their assertions that it does, and it is the belief of this reviewer that they have, and that BRUTUS is one of first automated story generators. With optimism toward the future developments of BRUTUS and artificial intelligence in general, they state that "a machine able to write a full, formidable novel, or compose a feature-length film, or create and manage the unfolding story in an online game, would be, we suspect, pure gold. "

They are right.

Selmer Bringsjord tells tall tales in the guise of logic
Unfortunately, Selmer Bringsjord is very able with the form of logic but not with its substance -- he "proves" false statements and "disproves" true ones. He applies his sophistry vigorously in the service of his anti-computational agenda. But it isn't just a matter of bad faith promotion of an ideology -- true incompetence is involved. Bringsjord is famous for denying a statement that followed from a statement he claimed to be agnostic about and yet not abandoning his agnosticism. When the contradiction was pointed out to him, he wrote a paper in which he "argued" that the claim of a contradiction was fallacious by offering a bogus "inference rule" that supposedly was required, and then showing that the "inference rule" that he himself offered was fallacious. Of course, that one should not hold that not Q and at the same time be agnostic about P, when it is known that P implies Q, is not something that any competent thinker would deny, let alone publish such a paper against, a paper that could be considered the defining example of a straw man argument.

cuts across disciplines
Here at Ohio State you just as likely to find this book in hands of a philosopher as a computer scientist.It covers the "big" questions (How smart can computers get?Can they ever be truly creative? etc.), covers the logical and mathematical issues in computational story generation, and also, of course, talks about how the Brutus system was engineered.In sum, I guess the book exemplifies cognitive science.One caveat, though:the authors aggressively take a logic-based approach to AI, and pan non-symbolic (e.g., neural net-based) approaches.If you're not a fan of logic, then you'll probably want to read this book because it's the best challenge going to your point of view.If you're a logic lover, this will be your cup of tea.

I'll still have my job!
I expected to find a book that predicts creative writers will soon be replaced by machines, but what I found was -- thank goodness -- the exact opposite.The authors argue that literary fiction cannot possibly bereduced to computation -- but that formulaic fiction may be another story. Brutus is a machine master of formula.Let's just hope that I'm right thatmy own novels (which are mentioned in this book) *are* belletristic! ... Read more

Product Description

"Albert Rothenberg has devoted the major part of a distinguished career to a broad program of research on creativity. In his excellent, concise volume, he reports his current views on this fascinating subject... It is well-argued and judicious and, therefore, a useful introduction to the domain of creativity research." -- Journal of the American Medical Association

Customer Reviews (3)

Interesting insights about creativity
I found Rothenberg's insights about the characteristics of creativity the most meaningful ideas in the book.He has learned several methods of those who are creative, and these are helpful anyone wanting to be creative or help someone else like a child become creative.

He does a good job debunking some of the myths that associate creativity with mental illness by showing several cases of mentally ill creators.He shows that their creative times did not coincide with the severe bouts of mental illness.

He profiles a few artists, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, Eugene O'Neil, and JOhn Cheever among others.It is interesting to read how these successful people dealt effectively or ineffectively with mental illness.

The author offers his conclusions about creativity and its association with mental illness.Whether they are ultimately conclusive, the reader can decide.He is a thorough researcher and writer, so this is a book worth reading if you are interested in the subject matter.

Rothenberg's false prophecy
Rothenberg's 1994 book claims to have supposedly "debunked" the "myth" between creativity and madness based on his "new findings and old stereotypes" that many geniuses such as aristotle have proclaimed a link between the two for thousands of years.He states that previous studies linking bipolar disorder to creativity were biased and a link to schizophrenia is nonexistent.He bases this on sketchy evidence with nobel laureates where there responses to a creativity test called a word association test had a slightly different response style then psychotics.He then comes to the narrow conclusion that creativity is mostly based on juxtaposition and homospatial thinking which he contends is the part of the test that nobel laureates have scored high in and psychotics didn't based on the results of his word association test.

However, since then a rigourous longitudinal study has come out in a book called "The Price of Greatness: Resolving the Creativity and Madness Controversy" found that Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia like psychosis, and other disorders are Much more prevalent among creatively eminent people then they are found in the general population.Studies by Hans Eysenck and others have also shown that psychopathology (or personality traits that predispose to psychosis) is much higher in creative people then in non-creative people in the general population.Also relatives of people with mental disorders are on average more creative then in the general population.To top it all off a study done by Peter Jordanson and colleagues has found one of the biological basis to creativity, which is that creative people score low on measures of latent inhibition which measure one's openness to novel stimuli or new possibilities.People with mental illness, particularly Schizophrenics, also score low on latent inhibition showing they have a trait that is essential for creativity, and that creative achievers also have.Of course Rothenberg obviously wasn't open to this possibility (which has now been scientifically proven), when he wrote this book.While at the same time other creativity researchers were (go figure).While Rothenberg's theory does have some truth in it such as obvious facts that creative achievement and insanity aren't the same thing and in fact that insanity in itself can be destructive to creative achievement; or that not all mentally ill people necessarily become eminent creative achievers.His main premise of the book that there is no link between creativity and madness has been proven false and it is clear that he was probably the one who was biased against any association between creativity and madness to begin with.

Then again psychiatrists, which are in the same profession as Rothenberg, often note that there is some truth in every delusion.Which I suppose means that even though "new findings and old stereotypes" has disproven Rothenberg's "delusion" (or false belief) of their not being any link between creativity and madness, his "delusional theory" should not be thought of as not being true at all.As he does make some (although mostly obvious) points about the subject in his book.

A Psychiatrist Looks at Creativity
Rothenberg looks at creativity from the perspective of a scientist.He examines psychological ideas- Freudian, depression, bi-polar, schizophrenia; linguistic trends- use of alliteration, metaphors, rhymes;personality characteristics- motivated, determined, and able to organizeone's ideas; and relates them all to his search for answers to why some cancreate such wonderful works of art. He dispells myths aboutcreativity being some mystical birth-right that only the chosen fewpossess, and implies the conclusion that creativity is more the product ofan aware mind and feeling human being than tormented genius.Good book,quick read. ... Read more