Description

Creativity is not a battle, but part of an ongoing process. The War of Art and other leading creativity books assume that there is an enemy and you must fight or die.

 

Chris Orwig offers his perspective firmly rooted in photography. He wants students to make a connection, find inspiration, and follow a creative path to build their own ideas and lead richer lives.

 

With chapter titles like: “You're Using the Wrong Map,” “The Camera is a Life Saving Device,” “Natural Habitat vs. Zoo,” “Sharpen the Tool,” and “Boomerang,” Chris presents each creative concept with an unusual story or anecdote. He then offers a creative leader interview, and provides an exercise or actions steps, so the student is not only inspired but also knows what to do next.

 

The stories and exercises are drawn from Chris’s 12 years as an instructor at the prestigious Brooks Institute as well as his experience leading photography workshops and speaking on global stages. He is well positioned to talk about this subject with authority and offers a unique and inspiring alternative.

 

Creative leader interviews included in each chapter will be with people like: Grant Neiporte, screenwriter; Natalie Long, Nickelodeon and Disney animator; Neil Dana, cofounder GoPro; Rodney Smith, master photographer; and others.

 

Each chapter will conclude with exercises and action steps that will help the student discover how the topic is relevant and meaningful to their own lives. The format will be simple and beautifully designed with images that are connected and visually support the concepts.

 

Chris's previous two Peachpit books, Visual Poetry and People Pictures, were photography books that happened to be creative. This book is about creativity and happens to be rooted in the practice photography.

Table of Contents

Introduction: We’re born creative. What went wrong?

 

1. THE FIGHT IS UNDEFINED

Lost goals and vision blurred

The ladder that leans against wrong tree

Steel and flint

John Muir or Atila the Hun

Debunking the right/left brain myth

Designed for more

Chlorophyll in your veins

The story of the gutter palm

 

2. YOU’RE USING THE WRONG MAP

Four corners of the same piece of bread

The winepress that changed the world

Creativity isn’t weird

This is more ordinary than you think 

The art of riding waves

My dog ate my manuscript

 

3. THE CAMERA IS A LIFE SAVING DEVICE

Focus and blur

Passport

Savor and deepen

The flaw makes the frame

Grit, guts, and resolve

Magnificent in mundane

Uninteresting point of view

Photography is dead

Shutter blink

More beautiful with age

 

4. IDENTITY

Dr. Seuss was afraid of kids

The day my ego died

Humility and low self-esteem

Public persona without an internal frame

Bright red ink

Comparison is a thief

Vulnerable veneer

 

5. NATURAL HABITAT VS. THE ZOO

Heat rocks and tall trees

3 desks and 2 hats

My weakness is books

You can never have too many tools

Surround sound

Basecamp

Mutinous revolt

 

6. SHARPEN THE TOOL

Prime lens

Dull axe is a dangerous thing

Too many nails

Talent versus skill

Gratitude steers the ship

10,000 hours is a lie

Lost at sea

 

7. QUIET

The larger the crowd the smaller our lives

Double doors

Whispers of the divine

Listen before you speak

Mute for a day

 

8. VITAMIN C

Beauty as well as bread

The practice of art is sustenance for the soul

Switch tasking is a disease

Killing birds is unkind

90 to 50 percent

Pursue the light

Worst version of yourself

 

9. BOOMERANG

Broken window

Trash can friends

Heart rate

Your pictures fall short

Tune the guitar before you play

Footage from the front lines

 

10. ITERATE

Inspiration is unpredictable or the fickle muse

The pencil is mightier than the pen

Cultivate curiosity

Make a mess

Discontent isn’t enough

Buy another lens

Those who quiver are the best prepared

 

11. WHAT MAKES YOU TICK

The stringless guitar

Honest and close

Iambic pentameter

Window to the soul

Your heart is a wood burning stove

Small threads connect us all

Your creative license can be revoked

 

12. IMPOSTERS UNITE

Born of risk, refined by fire

Fish that swallowed the key

Harvard of the high seas

Most famous cover band in the world

Uprising tide

Ashes or dust

 

13. SHAME AND REGRET

The unwanted gift

Yo-Yo Ma’s mistake

Too cool for school

Common sense is a con artist

Boredom is blasphemy

Forward lean

 

14. GOING ROGUE

You can’t steer a parked car

Paint your greenhouse blue

Shoot the first frame

Ignite the armchair

Really bad art

Hipsters and pioneers

Two different shoes

Creativity begets more

Author

CHRIS ORWIG is an author, teacher, photographer, and creator of more than 80 courses at lynda.com. His previous books include Visual Poetry and  People Pictures. He speaks on creativity and photography frequently and has been invited to speak at places like the Google headquarters and on the TEDx stage. Whether shooting photographs, speaking, or writing books, he inspires others to become more creative and to lead better lives. Chris is based in Santa Barbara, California.

Reader Review(s)

"I've said it other places and I'll say it again... Chris Orwig's 'The Creative Fight' is absolutely brilliant. I have the book in my hands and am sincerely moved. A complete interrupter. It's a new standard in catalyzing creativity. I could not recommend this more highly." Dane Sanders