Don’t Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again

Bestseller Kleon (Steal Like an Artist) draws inspiration from his kids’ freewheeling approach to making art for these cheery, upbeat lessons on creativity. He writes that having rigid expectations of what art should be amplifies self-criticism and stymies creativity; readers would be better served abandoning those hang-ups and embracing a beginner’s mindset. (“When you don’t know what you’re doing but you’ve decided to do it anyway.... You fail a lot, but occasionally stumble into brilliance.”) He also expounds on the benefits of not being afraid to make decisions that seem strange or foolish, since they can open the door to “our most wild, daring creative work”; embracing curiosity; carving out plenty of unstructured time to “play” instead of working toward a specific goal; and imbibing a steady stream of books, movies, and other “intellectual nourishment” as inspiration. Full of fun, wryly witty wisdom (and quotes from such artists as John Cleese, Ray Bradbury, and Doris Lessing), this serves as a charming—if not wholly novel—reminder to let go in order to tap into one’s freest creative self. Artists who feel stuck will savor it. Illus. (June)