The existential psychologist Rollo May published a ton of books while he was alive. I’ve read two: My Quest for Beauty and The Courage to Create. Rollo May helped develop and popularize existential psychology—a branch of therapy that explores universal aspects of human existence, including concepts like death, freedom, responsibility, and meaning. It’s a psychology…
Creative power is Godlike. When we’re on fire, nothing can stop us. Can a boulder block a stream? No. The stream is going to go somewhere whether the boulder is there or not. A boulder can’t stop it. The Deep Creative is the power of that stream and it’s possible for us to harness it….
In alphabetical order, 17 potent, inspiring, and relatively unknown books on the power of art, imagination, learning, and metaphor. (These are books not commonly known, so that’s why some popular books on creativity and imagination aren’t listed.) Enjoy. THE AESTHETIC DIMENSION: Towards a Critique of Marxist Aesthetics by Herbert Marcuse ALONE WITH THE ALONE: Creative…
I once wrote an article with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi about how curiosity and exploration are fundamental to learning. Museums, for example, spark learning by capturing our curiosity with objects and ideas that seem foreign or mysterious. This leads to what he called the “flow state,” where learning feels effortless and intrinsically rewarding because it engages our…
One of my favorite books about art-making and creativity is Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit. Here are a few passages that stood out to me: “…we must get rid of this outside feeling of looking in on art. We must get on the inside and press out. Art is simply a result of expression during…
End of content
End of content