Creativity is getting new attention in today’s America––along the way revealing fault lines in U.S. culture. Surveys show people overwhelmingly seeing creativity as both a desirable trait and a work enhancement, yet most say they just aren’t creative. Like beauty and wealth, creativity seems universally desired but insufficiently possessed. Businesses likewise see innovation as essential to productivity and growth, but can’t bring themselves to risk new ideas. Even as one’s "inner artist" is hyped by a booming self-help industry, creative education dwindles in U.S. schools. Anxious Creativity: When Imagination Fails examines this conceptual mess, while focusing on how America’s current edginess dampens creativity in everyone. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Anxious Creativity draws on current ideas in the social sciences, economics, and the arts. Discussion centers on the knotty problem of reconciling the expressive potential in all people with the nation’s tendency to reward only a few. Fortunately, there is some good news, as scientists, economists, and creative professionals have begun advocating new ways of sharing and collaboration. Building on these prospects, the book argues that America’s innovation crisis demands a rethinking of individualism, competition, and the ways creativity is rewarded.

In his decades as a psychotherapist and creativity coach, Eric Maisel has found a common thread behind what often gets labeled "writer's block," "procrastination," or "stage fright." It's the particular anxiety that, paradoxically, keeps creators from doing, completing, or sharing the work they are driven toward. This "creative anxiety" can take the form of avoiding the work, declaring it not good enough, or failing to market it -- and it can cripple creators for decades, even lifetimes. But Maisel has learned what sets successful creators apart. He shares these strategies here, including artist-specific stress management; how to work despite bruised egos, day jobs, and other inevitable frustrations; and what not to do to deal with anxiety. Implementing these 24 lessons replaces the pain of not creating with the profound rewards of free artistic self-expression. * Practical insights and proven techniques for overcoming the challenges and fears that plague creators of every kind * Teaching tales that convey effective approaches to creating fearlessly and abundantly

'I always keep a copy of Art & Fear on my bookshelf' JAMES CLEAR, author of the #1 best-seller Atomic Habits 'A book for anyone and everyone who wants to face their fears and get to work' DEBBIE MILLMAN, author and host of the podcast Design Matters 'A timeless cult classic ... I've stolen tons of inspiration from this book over the years and so will you' AUSTIN KLEON, NYTimes bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist 'The ultimate pep talk for artists. ... An invaluable guide for living a creative, collaborative life.' WENDY MACNAUGHTON, illustrator Art & Fear is about the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. Drawing on the authors' own experiences as two working artists, the book delves into the internal and external challenges to making art in the real world, and shows how they can be overcome every day. First published in 1994, Art & Fear quickly became an underground classic, and word-of-mouth has placed it among the best-selling books on artmaking and creativity. Written by artists for artists, it offers generous and wise insight into what it feels like to sit down at your easel or keyboard, in your studio or performance space, trying to do the work you need to do. Every artist, whether a beginner or a prizewinner, a student or a teacher, faces the same fears - and this book illuminates the way through them.

Being a creative with a job-to-pay-the-bills is not easy. Between the lack of consideration from society in general, the ever-growing costs of living, and the demands of adulthood, it is more and more difficult to find time and energy to create.Have you ever been super excited for a project, only to lose all motivation before you finished? Have you felt so tired that you could not bring yourself to do anything artistic? Have you felt so down on yourself about not doing anything that you started to doubt you had any talents in the first place?I know these feelings, because I've had them too! I am a writer, and all along my career I've tried to find a good balance so that I could keep writing while earning a living. It was a difficult battle. I've had day jobs in several different industries, from science to theatre. I've been so burned out at times that I didn't write for months. I've felt so low about my writing that I didn't perform well in my job. I've had so little free time that I neglected my relationships and my mental health.Thankfully, these years of struggle have taught me a lot, and I decided that I should share that knowledge and experience with other artists. This is why I have decided to write this book, The Part-Time Artist.In my book, I talk about my experience and all the lessons I've learned on my path to becoming a writer. I strongly believe that these lessons can be valuable to all of you. It doesn't matter if you are a writer like me, or a painter, or an actor, or a musician, or a designer, or any other type of artists. I know we all face the same struggles!When you get a copy of the book, here are some of the things you'll get: * An easy way to build productive habits to do more art on a daily basis* The common myth about the tortured artist, and why you don't have to be one* A step-by-step guide to build a business plan for your artistic career* The best way to set goals for your creativity* A strategy to make your day job work with your art (instead of the other way around!)* And much more!Not only that, but you will also benefit from several resources and useful tools, such as a weekly planner, a budget tool, a business spreadsheet and a FREE workbook

____________________________ We can all be more creative. John Cleese shows us how. Creativity is usually regarded as a mysterious, rare gift that only a few possess. John Cleese begs to differ, and in this short, immensely practical and often very amusing guide he shows it's a skill that anyone can acquire. Drawing on his lifelong experience as a writer, he shares his insights into the nature of the creative process, and offers advice on how to get your own inventive juices flowing. ____________________________ 'Humorous and practical ... Whether you're hoping to write a novel or paint a masterpiece, you're sure to feel inspired' OK Magazine 'His candor is endearing ... An upbeat guide to the creative process' Kirkus 'A jovial romp ... Cleese fans will enjoy, and writers and other artists will breeze through, picking up a few nuggets of wisdom along the way' The Festival Review 'A sincere and thoughtful guide to creativity, and a very useful book' Graham Norton 'Wise words on the serious business of being silly' Sunday Business Post

Anxiety is perhaps the defining psychological malady of our age, whereas creativity is seen as an almost unassailable good, its importance heralded and promoted in a range of disciplines and domains. A number of diverse thinkers and researchers have tried to unpick the relationship between anxiety and creativity, and this short book explores and connects some of their ideas and findings. Drawing on psychoanalysis and neuroscience, existential psychology and mindfulness, literary studies and philosophy, this book places a range of different disciplines in dialogue. It explores how creativity and anxiety might impact one another, and argues for the importance of establishing a diverse and inclusive cultural space which everyone can draw from and contribute to.

Over time, our anxiety builds up; it either implodes or explodes. My anxiety has gotten me to that point several times. I'm Tiisetso Maloma and I am an Anxious Entrepreneur. Through the years I have stumbled across, and even formulated, some anxiety-defusing techniques. Entrepreneurship is nerve wrecking, especially when things are not going according to your plan. This is probably most of the time.This is because entrepreneurs, rightfully so, are always focused on achieving certain goals. We pursue opportunities we have always thought to be lucrative and this creates great expectations. We pine over visions, we obsess about how to reach those goals and even go as far as imagining how many units our products will sell. The funny thing is, nobody has control over reality and things don't always pan out the way we had envisioned them. Subconsciously, we are shaken when our expectations are not met and this gets us anxious and at times depressed. It should not come as a surprise that entrepreneurs are more prone to mental pains than the general population. A study entitled, "Are Entrepreneurs Touched with Fire", by Dr Michael Freeman, surveyed 242 entrepreneurs; 174 (72%) of them had mental health concerns, 118 (49%) had one or more lifelong mental health condition and 13 (5.4%) of them were suicidal - the numbers are rounded off. If you are doing the math right now, you will realise that some of them fell into all three categories. In contrast to entrepreneurs, the world's lifetime depression prevalence, as measured by the World Health Organization, ranges from 3% to 17%. I am the top-dog at being anxious and to make it worse, I dabble in a couple of projects all at the same time. Some call that Parallel Entrepreneurship. It is crazy. I am always anxious about multiple things. Anxiety plays out like this...It invades our productivity and therefore our goals. All it takes is to not see progress in a day, then a week or a month. The next thing you know, you are standing at the peak of the highest anxiety hill, depressingly recalling your record of failures and doubting your future.Well, this book tells of several anxiety-causing incidents, set in different situations, which you are likely to relate to. This book does not concern itself with defining anxiety or depression or any other mental disorders. It is not an academic journal either. It is fun. It is a collection of anecdotes, emotions, feelings, frustrations and philosophies that will show you that, when anxiety is removed from your entrepreneurial process, creativity reaches its optimum.You cannot be anxious and creative at the same time. Anxiety and creativity cannot coexist, so one must give way for the other. Anxiety trumps creativity and creativity trumps anxiety.The Anxious Entrepreneur is for aspiring and start-up entrepreneurs. It will get you in tune with the ventures you love and introduce you to robust ways of pursuing them. It will at best encourage you to look at new ways to deal with anxiety and at the very least provide you with some perspective.Unintentionally, this book is also about marketing and branding, which remains a headache for entrepreneurs, especially start-ups. It is also about:* Ways of coming up with unthought-of opportunities * Keeping you going with the bare essentials and making progress with limited resources * Tapping into your potential and making good ground * How to gain the hustle and refuel it* Testing business ideas without committing massive resources* How not to let the fear of 'failure reputation' stop and throttle you* Tactful networking