The daily drone can sap the spark of the most creative personality; this sparse, saccharine manual offers a few easy steps to revive creativity and incorporate inspiration into a daily routine. Pek and McGlade (noves: recipes for growth and innovation
) posit that the need to create is a basic human urge that is “not only an evolutionary imperative, but a spiritual one,” capable of mitigating everyday stresses that can lead to burnout. Citing examples of people who have pursued creative satisfaction and attained material success, such as Nike cofounder Bill Bowerman, the authors demonstrate the importance and the rewards of maintaining creative thought processes. Pek and McGlade, a married couple, are very earnest about their program, a series of five habits that can access creative potential: scouting, cultivating, playing, venturing, and harvesting. But for a book about stimulating creativity, the solutions and suggestions—the power of play, the importance of confidence and “spark moments”—are strikingly uninspired. Padded with trite aphorisms and unnecessary illustrations, the slim content is sufficient for a peppy magazine article—not a full-length book. (Apr.)
