Wellness Guide — Creativity & Wellness

A powerful journey from star athlete to sudden paralysis to creative awakening, award-winning science fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor shows that what we think are our limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths. Nnedi Okorafor was never supposed to be paralyzed. A college track star and budding entomologist, Nnedi's lifelong battle with scoliosis was just a bump in her plan--something a simple operation would easily correct. But when Nnedi wakes from the surgery to find she can't move her legs, her entire sense of self begins to waver. What Nnedi discovers during her confinement would prove to be the key to her life as a successful science fiction author: In science fiction, when something breaks, something greater often emerges from the cracks. From Frida Kahlo to Mary Shelly, she examines great artists and writers who have pushed through their limitations, using hardship to fuel their work.

Because life is calling.   Put down your phone, close the lid on your laptop, and get back in touch with the wonders of the world around you. With thousands of ideas for simple, beautiful things to do instead of scrolling down the rabbit hole of cyberspace, this healing little book offers the opportunity, 5,203 times, to slow down, look up, and rediscover what makes you feel nourished and grounded as a human being.

Based on a growing body of scientific literature, Elkhonon Goldberg points to several brain structures and processes that are involved in the creative process: the frontal lobes, the right and left hemispheres and their respective contributions, subcortical structures, various biochemical systems, and intricate neural network processes that work in concert for the creative act to happen. To that end, he discusses the brain mechanisms of deciding what is important and what is not; of confronting cognitive novelty; and the marshalling of previously acquired knowledge to generate new insights culminating in a creative product. An active researcher neuroscientist and clinician neuropsychologist, who also has a keen interest in history, Elkhonon Goldberg offers an original account of how multiple brain mechanisms come together in order to culminate in the creative act. While a large body of scientific material is discussed, the book offers much more than a mere review. It presents a novel understanding of how the creative process takes place, and is full of original insights challenging current assumptions and theories.

Nearly all of today's major innovation workshops and programs call on organizations to drive innovation. What they miss is that innovation comes from the personal creativity of individuals. And creativity doesn't require an advanced education or technical skills--all employees can be creative. Often, all they lack is a fitting mindset and the right tools. The Creative Mindset brings how-to advice, tools, and techniques from two master innovators who have taught and worked with over half of all Fortune 500 companies. Jeff and Staney DeGraff introduce six essential creative-thinking skills that can be easily mastered with limited practice and remembered as the acronym CREATE- Concentrate, Replicate, Elaborate, Associate, Translate, and Evaluate. These six skills, sequenced as steps, simplify and summarize the most important research on creative thinking and draw on over thirty years of real-world application in some of the most innovative organizations in the world. It's time to rethink the way we make innovation happen. As the spirit of chef Gusteau proclaims in the Pixar classic Ratatouille, "Anyone can cook."

Creativity is the engine that drives personal self-fulfillment and business innovation. The busier and the more complicated life gets, the more difficult it is to relax and let creative ideas flow. Idiot's Guides: Unlocking Your Creativity helps readers get past the barriers that keep them from being creative at work and in their daily lives. Helpful success stories are also included.

Creative writing is arguably the ultimate form of self-expression. Ideal for anyone interested in writing (student or not), Idiot's Guides: Creative Writing helps readers master the basics of crafting compelling fiction and nonfiction stories. Various genres, including novels, short stories, plays and screenplays, poetry, book-length and article-length narrative nonfiction, memoirs, and more are covered. Content includes the fundamental elements, such as plot, character, point-of-view, setting, dialogue, style, and theme. And readers will be able to hone their writing skills and boost their creativity with writing prompts and exercises.

Become more than so-so at sewing! Whether you want to make a quilt, re-upholster a chair seat, or fix a hem, sewing is one of the most essential and useful skills you can master.

Music theory is often considered to be one of the most difficult subjects to learn. Idiot's Guides: Guitar Theory breaks down music theory for guitar and other fretboard instruments in very simple and easy-to-understand lessons. Content includes everything a budding musician needs to know about notes, guitar tablature, rhythm, chords and scales, and more.

Do you have what it takes to live tiny? Do you dream of simplifying your life, freeing up your financial resources, and ditching all of the clutter that's weighing you down? Learn the nuts and bolts of what it really takes to achieve this dream of designing, building, and living in a tiny house of 400 square feet or less!

A big part of the artisanal/DIY movement is about authenticity and quality, with a return to simplicity, real values, genuine materials, and careful craftsmanship. Leather is one of those authentic materials, and while it has always been used for handbags and gloves, it's also enjoying a resurgence in the field of crafts. Simple objects elegantly made of leather are featured everywhere on maker blogs, photo-sharing sites, tutorials, and craft marketplaces. Idiot's Guides®: Leather Crafts offers 20 projects (illustrated with copious step-by-step photos), ranging from beginner to advanced, each one building on the skills that have been taught in prior projects.

3D printing allows just about any user, artist, or engineer to design, create, and "print" their own parts, artwork, or whatever else can be imagined -- all at very reasonable costs. Idiot's Guides: 3D Printing explores this new revolution by explaining all of the basics of materials, parts, software, modeling, design, and finishing. The book then takes it to the next level by teaching readers how to take their new skills and print some simple, fun projects.

This book teaches riders of all levels how to maintain and repair their own bikes for years of top performance and enjoyment. With coverage for both road and mountain bikes, readers will learn from seasoned technicians not only how to perform all of the most basic (yet essential) maintenance, but also how to perform common repairs on all areas of the bike including the frame, suspension, cranksets, derailleurs, brakes, gears, pedals, shifters, and much more

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.

The legendary comedian, actor, and writer of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and A Fish Called Wanda fame shares his key ideas about creativity: that it's a learnable, improvable skill.

From the brilliant mind of Michaela Coel, creator and star ofI "I May Destroy You" and "Chewing Gum," comes a passionate and inspired declaration against fitting in. When invited to deliver the MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Michaela Coel touched a lot of people with her striking revelations about race, class and gender, but the person most significantly impacted was Coel herself. Building on her celebrated speech,Misfits immerses readers in her vision through powerful allegory and deeply personal anecdotes--from her coming of age in London public housing to her discovery of theater and her love for storytelling. And she tells of her reckoning with trauma and metamorphosis into a champion for herself, inclusivity, and radical honesty. With inspiring insight and wit, Coel lays bare her journey so far and invites us to reflect on our own. By embracing our differences, she says, we can transform our lives. An artist to her core, Coel holds up the path of the creative as an emblem of our need to regard one another with care and respect--and transparency. Misfits is a triumphant call for honesty, empathy and inclusion. Championing "misfits" everywhere, this timely, necessary book is a rousing coming-to-power manifesto dedicated to anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.

From the 2-time Tony Award-winner and the star of TV's Younger, funny and intimate stories and reflections about how crafting has kept her sane while navigating the highs and lows of family, love, and show business (and how it can help you, too).

The classic study of the creative process from the bestselling author of Flow Creativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi ("The leading researcher into 'flow states.'"  -- Newsweek) reveals what leads to these moments--be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab--so that this knowledge can be used to enrich people's lives. Drawing on nearly one hundred interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists, to politicians and business leaders, to poets and artists, as well as his thirty years of research on the subject, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous flow theory to explore the creative process. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the "tortured genius" is largely a myth. Most important, he explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world.

Discover what the musical mind has to teach us about innovation in this fascinating book, featuring interviews with Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, T Bone Burnett, Gloria Estefan, Imogen Heap, and many more.