3 Books to help you stay motivated and creative
Lately, I’ve been feeling low on motivation, continually self-doubting myself and feeling like an imposter.
But as I have told you before, I decided to do something about it. Besides forcing myself to break out of apathy and write more blog posts’ ideas, I also bought a couple of books that were on my wishlist for some time. And believe it or not, these helped me out immensely so maybe they will help you too.
Damn Good Advice (for people with talent!) by George Lois
Apart from David Ogilvy, George Lois is a huge name in the advertising world. He was even called the “original Mr. Big Idea” by Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine.
Besides being curious to read this exceedingly praised book I was hoping to get solid advice on how to deal with unexpected shit at work. I was in for a surprise, both in a good and in a bad way too.
Firstly I imagined Lois writing more generically so when I realized that almost every single example was from his work, I was a bit disappointed.
Secondly, I was expecting him to be more humble or, at least, ironic. To me, it just came across as a bit snobbish and egocentric. And yes, you can say that he reached a level in his career that he can be all of those, but I think it’s bulshit. There’s nothing wrong with being down to earth and helpful.
Regardless, it’s one of those books that reads well and pushes you out of your comfort zone. Is if you can almost hear Lois pointing at you and daring you to have the next Big Idea.
It’s not how good you are, It’s how good you want to be by Paul Arden
Paul Arden is another genius that needs no introduction. He worked as an executive creative director for Saatchi & Saatchi and managed the accounts of names like British Airways to Nivea, Toyota, and Fuji.
Contrarily to the previous, this book was what I was expecting it to be.
It gave me solid advice on how to stay grounded and develop confidence in myself and the work that I produce. I guess that the ones that stuck with me the most were “Accentuate the Positive. Eliminate the Negative” and Don’t be afraid of Silly Ideas.”
Failed It! by Erik Kessels
Last but not least, this Phaidon book was entirely unexpected for me. By far was the only one that made me smile and is the most creative of the bunch.
Everything is cleverly presented. From the examples that illustrate each idea to the inverted book cover; it’s an ode to embrace failures and learn to celebrate and be proud of them.
In Kessels’s perspective, instead of tossing things away, we should look at them from a different point of view and be amazed by how much we can accomplish when we’re not afraid of looking like idiots.
Despite liking the third book the most, I think I learned something from each one of them, and they sure helped me put my insecurities in perspective.
So if you’re looking for some light reading books that can also help you to stay motivated an on top of your game, these are perfect.
