Four creative books you should read this year

Sometimes you just need a good book to get you into the creative spirit. Whether that’s just getting the creative juices flowing or actually learning a new skill.

Creative books in my opinion can often be hit or miss. Sometimes they’re excellent and leave you raring to go, others are just a pile of ‘inspirational’ quotes that leave you anything but inspired. Here are some of my current favourites that are sure to lift your creative spirits.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

If you’ve been around the creative circles a lot you will probably have come across this one. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert quickly became the top book any creative should read. It’s full of honest and reliable advice alongside a lot of personal anecdotes from Elizabeth herself. I last read this back in early 2017 so I do think it’s about time I reread it, then I’ll do a full review for you if you’re interested!

In Progress by Jessica Hische

If you’re into hand lettering you can’t go wrong with Jessica Hische’s book In Progress. Despite being a Jessica fan girl this book really is worth the raving reviews. I first read this back when I started hand lettering and it was really helpful to see a creative like Jessica share her process and tips to improve your skills. I first read a library copy but I’ve since purchased a copy for my own bookshelf as it’s just so handy to have around and return to every now and then.

The book is definitely more helpful for those who are new to lettering but if you’ve been on the block a while I still do recommend having a read. Even just poring over the imagery is worthwhile, all the examples and process sketches are very inspiring to look at.

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

This may be the first book of Austin Kleon's creative series but Steal Like an Artist is a definite need to read for any artist or creative. It’s a quick read, it won’t take you longer than a day unless you want to properly savour it. It’s full of perfect quotes and notes that you’ll want to shove up on your wall for those bad art block days to come.

The other two books in the series Show Your Work and Keep Going are also really good, and I think I do prefer those over the first book in the series but seriously read all three!

Find your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon

This book is all about the process of artistic self-discovery. That may sound a bit mumbo jumbo but really this book is just filled with creative inspiration. Find Your Artistic Voice is set out into seven sections, talking about the what, why and how you can discover your artistic voice. Lisa's words of inspiration is split up with interviews from other artists which I really enjoyed. A great book if you're stuck in a rut or a wee artist block, definitely helps you move forward! I also have a full review of the book in another blogpost if you want to check that out.

Please give me your recommendations if you’ve read any good creative books lately, not that I need an excuse to make my TBR pile larger but please do make it larger for me!

- Sophie

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