Image: Wassily Kandinsky, Colour Study, Squares with Concentric Circles. Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau München.
1. Affinities
Visual imagery can be incredibly powerful. Done well, paintings, drawings, sculptures and photos can transcend culture, class and even time. In Affinities, we’re treated to a mesmerising tour through two thousand years of visual history.
Using over five hundred images taken from the public domain, the book reveals tantalising connections, new ways of seeing and a whole world of creative possibilities. From Burmese maps to German illustrations and twentieth century photos to fourteenth century diagrams, the works offer a fascinating look at visual language and the power of imagery. Taken from a huge range of sources, these fantastic works will get your mind whirring and your creative juices flowing.
2. How Art Can Change Your Life
A lot of books for creatives take their inspiration from the external. How Art Can Change Your Life however takes a deep dive into the inner workings of artists themselves. With title chapters that wouldn’t be out of place in a self-help book - ‘Confronting Anxiety’, ‘Learning Empathy’ and ‘Embracing Happiness’ to name but a few – the guide takes a look at how art can help both viewer and artist better understand their emotions.
Filled with inspiring images and insightful words, the book shows how art can help you relieve stress, dissipate anger and find hope. If you’re looking for art inspiration books that can positively impact your life as well as your creative output, this therapeutic work could be perfect.
3. Creative Demons and How to Slay Them
‘To be an artist is to confront some of life’s most fundamental questions… who am I? Why are we here? And where the hell did all my good ideas go?’. If this rings true for you, then Creative Demons and How to Slay Them can help. Drawing on inspirational anecdotes from the worlds of art, philosophy, neuroscience, nature, music and contemporary culture, the book teaches you how to slay your demons one by one.
From the demon of procrastination to the demon of criticism, you’ll find out how to outwit, outmanoeuvre and ultimately defeat the roadblocks that can bring the creative process to a screeching stop. The perfect book to read before you start work on your next literal or metaphorical blank canvas, it’s an essential part of any creative’s library.
4. Make to Know
The relationship between the artist and the creative process can be mysterious, even for the person holding the paintbrush, clicking the shutter or tapping away at the computer keyboard. In Make to Know, we take an in-depth look into the minds of some of the most imaginative people on the planet, whose revelations on the creative journey offer new insight into the act of making.
One of the best books for artists on creativity and the creative process, Make to Know upends popular notions of innate artistic and visionary genius. Instead, it explores the creative journey itself and works to help artists better understand both themselves and the things they make.
Get up close to your creative process with Make to Know.
5. Hegarty on Creativity
As you’d expect from an author who’s also one of the world’s most famous advertising professionals, Hegarty on Creativity has a strong focus on how creative works are seen, interpreted and disseminated by the viewer. The book looks at how artists can create something that has the power to ‘stay in someone’s mind and capture their imagination’, and how taking practical steps, like mixing up your routine and practising your craft, can have a real impact on your output.
Advertising is all about communication and in Hegarty on Creativity, the author looks at what drives creativity, inspires it and sustains it. Hegarty uses his real-world experience to extol the benefits of simplifying, thinking boldly and being undaunted by creative challenges.
