The book “The Creative Habit : Learn It and Use It for Life” by Twyla Tharp is a practical book describing how you can develop a creative habit. I really enjoyed this book, it’s an engaging read, worth the time and effort.
The author, Twyla Tharp, is one of America’s greatest choreographers. She has created more than 130 dances and is a pioneer in melding modern dance and ballet with popular music. In 1993, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and in 1997 was made an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She has received eighteen honorary doctorates.
Overview of the Book
The book consists of twelve chapters, each chapter provides a practical guideline of a creative habit you need to develop to make creativity a habit. Each chapter then ends with a section suggesting exercises you can use to apply the what was described in the chapter.
I Walk into a White Room
This chapter sets the foundation for the book with the premise that creativity is a habit. In the book Twyla state that:
“I’ve learned that being creative is a full-time job with its own daily patterns….. The routine is as much a part of the creative process as the lightning bolt of inspiration, maybe more. And this routine is available to everyone….. Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits. That’s it in a nutshell…… there’s a process that generates creativity – and you can learn it. And you can make it habitual.”
To support her argument she quote’s Mozart who wrote:
“People err who think my art comes easily to me. I assure you dear friend, nobody has devoted so much time and thought to composition as I. There is not a famous master whose music I have not industriously studied many times.”
The bottom line is that creativity is the result of hard work and the development of the appropriate daily habits.
Rituals of Preparation
It’s usually difficult to begin the creative process. To help Twyla recommends that you develop rituals to “kickstart” the process. She says that it’s
“Vital to establish some rituals – automatic but decisive patterns of behavior – at the beginning of the creative process, when you are most at peril of turning back, chickening out, giving up, or going the wrong way.”
These rituals help get the creative process started, using rituals provides a comfortable starting place, starting from a comfortable routine helps to replace doubt and fear to overcome daunting “blank page” faced by many artists.
Your Creative DNA
This chapter talks about the importance of understanding yourself and your unique creative abilities. Twyla states that:
“The better you know yourself, the more you will know when you are playing to your strengths and when you are sticking your neck out. Venturing out of your comfort zone may be dangerous, yet you do it anyway because our ability to grow is directly proportional to an ability to entertain the uncomfortable….. Another thing about knowing who you are is that you know what you should not be doing, which can save you a lot of heartaches and false starts if you catch it early on.”
Harness Your Memory
This chapter explores the benefits of tapping into and using the memories, stories and metaphors stored away in your memory to inspire your creativity.
Before you can think out of the box, you have to start with a box
The ‘box’ that Twyla is referring to is a place to store all her research as she explores, information such as, notes, ideas, articles and clippings, she writes that:
“The box is not a substitute for creating. The box doesn’t compose or write a poem or create a dance step. The box is the raw index of your preparation. It is the repository of your creative potential, but it is not that potential realised.”
Scratching
This chapter discusses the generation of ideas, which Twyla calls “scratching”, ideas are usually generated from reading, conversation, handiwork, mentors, or nature. Ideas inspire you to create and having a good one is important, Twyla writes:
“A good idea is one that turns you on rather than shuts you off. It keeps generating more ideas and they improve on one another.”
Twyla emphasis the importance of combing ideas:
“the unshakable rule that you don’t have a really good idea until you combine two little ideas…. That is why you scratch for little ideas….. Remember this when you’re struggling for a big idea. You’re better off scratching for a small one.”
Accidents will Happen
Creativity requires preparation, a plan and a goal in mind.
“This, to me, is the most interesting paradox of creativity: In order to be habitually creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative, but good planning alone won’t make you efforts successful; it’s only after you let go of your plans that you can breathe life into your efforts”
Creativity is where preparation meets opportunity and luck.
“The key words here are “prepared” and “lucky”… You don’t get lucky without preparation, and there’s no sense in being prepared if you’re not open to the possibility of a glorious accident”
Twyla goes on to warn against over-planning and perfectionism at the start, the wrong structure and the wrong materials.
Spine
Spine is about having a goal or message that underlies, supports and guides your work.
“Spine is the statement you make to yourself outlining your intentions for the work…..It keeps me on message, but it is not the message itself….. Having a spine will snap you to attention quickly and, as a result, will inject speed and economy into your work habits. Energy and time are finite resource; conserving them is very important.”
Skill
Skill is important in any craft or practice.
“Leonardo understood that the better you know the nuts and bolts of your craft, the more fully you can express your talents….. Skill is how you close the gap between what you see in your mind’s eye and what you can produce; the more skill you have the more sophisticated and accomplished your ideas can be”
Although skill is important a passion to do what you love is also necessary:
“Without passion, all the skill in the world won’t lift you above craft. Without skill, all the passion in the world will leave you eager but floundering. Combining the two is the essence of the creative life”
Ruts and Grooves
Twyla explores ruts and how it can trap you and sap your creative power, instead we need to strive to get into a groove.
“When I’m working, I’m always asking, “Is this peace moving forward or staying in place? Am I in a rut or a groove?” A rut is when you’re spinning your wheels and staying in place….. A groove is different: The wheels turn and you move forward effortlessly.”
She goes on to explore how you get into a rut and how to get out of it.
An ‘A’ in Failure
The ability to effectively learn from failure is discussed in this chapter, Twyla notes that:
“Every creative person has to learn to deal with failure, because failure, like death and taxes, is inescapable.”
To learn from failure we need understand the reasons for the failure, she discusses reasons for failure such as, a failure of skill, of concept, of judgment, of nerve, of repetition, and of denial?
The Long Run
You need to be successful in the long run and Twyla writes that:
“There is no long run without devotion, commitment, persistence.”
One way that Twyla is most successful is when she is in what she describes as a creative bubble:
“I eliminated every distraction, sacrificed almost everything that gave me pleasure, placed myself in a single-minded isolation chamber, and structured my life so that everything was not only feeding the work but subordinated to it. It is not a particularly sociable way to operate. It’s actively anti-social. On the other hand, it is pro-creative.”
Summary
The book does a good job of describing how creativity is a habit and provides plenty of guidance as to what it takes to develop a creative habit. The advice offered in the book is insightful and practical. The author draws from her extensive experience to support the application of creative habits discussed in each chapter. The book is well structured, with each chapter ending with a set of exercises that you can use to apply the various habits. The book’s layout and style make’s it an easy, comfortable read.
The book inspired me, I’ve become a lot more aware of my daily habits and how they affect my creativity. It is one of the more interesting and practical books I’ve read on creativity. I recommend this book be read by all leaders and managers a who would like to improve their creativity.
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