5 Books to Spark Your Creative Thinking
Can you teach creativity?
Let me ask you a different question…
How can you teach something that’s already within you?
Yes, you can shape one’s creative thinking or strengthen the habit of practicing creative thinking, but the most important thing to remember is that we all have imagination and that is the starting point for all creative thinking.
If you’re in need of a creative boost, look no further than these 5 books that are the result of imagination aligned with inspiration.
1. THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES, ELIF SHAFAK
I doubt it you’ve ever entered a book store and thought to yourself, “I want a book that gives me a life depiction from the perspective of a fig tree.”
Elif Shafak is a wordsmith who’s borrowed inspiration from multiple cultures, countries and creatures. Reading one of her books is like traveling to the parts of yourself that you didn’t know you left behind in foreign lands. Such is the power of her imagination and her ability to tell the truth with love.
‘The Island of Missing Trees’ will remind you of the little things all around us that make life so special — and the people around them that give extra meaning to being alive.
2. KLARA AND THE SUN, KAZUO ISHIGURO
With the rise of AI and digital innovation worldwide, there are a lot of opposing views as to what it means for the future of humanity.
Is this the end of co-existing and communicating with one another as we know it? Or is this the beginning of the next phase of collaborating and co-creating in the age of “if you can think it, you can make it”?
Kazuo Ishiguro is a Nobel prize winner for a reason. He’s a talented writer, but above all — he’s a transformational storyteller.
‘Klara and the Sun’ is guaranteed to bring warmth to you through an artificial lens that feels more authentic than real life, because in this book the AI speaks directly to the human heart.
3. THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA, SHENAN KARUNATILAKA
If there was ever a book written about death that makes it seem so safe to approach it as a topic, it is this one.
‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ connects life and death, glory and demise, purpose and pain, love and hate, comedy and tragedy, adventure and stillness — all at the same time.
It is a fascinating read that is both beautifully written and rich in ideas that are guaranteed to get you into thinking on a deeper, more creative level the more you dive into the book.
4. 1Q84, HARUKI MURAKAMI
I simply cannot write a list of books that provoke creative thinking without mentioning Haruki Murakami, one of the greatest contemporary novelists.
To finish the ‘1Q84’ trilogy is to experience a mindset reboot on a molecular level. It will confuse you, it will delight you, it will open your eyes to new possibilities, it will make you question your reality, it will remind you that magic exists everywhere we do.
5. BIG MAGIC: CREATIVE LIVING BEYOND FEAR, ELIZABETH GILBERT
According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the secret to creativity is embracing a creative mindset for every single aspect of your life.
This means using your imagination when it comes to decorating your home, preparing your meals, selecting your outfits, curating your ideas, and everything else you can think of!
What is creativity, if not our authentic perspective of the world?
The point of a creative life is to continuously aim to design the life of your dreams down to the smallest of details — a life that makes you exhilarated to wake up and live more of it every single day.
