I Know You Will Love These 5 Books to Inspire and Nurture Your Creativity

 I love reading about fashioning a creative life — these books fill that want and more.

Photo by Héctor J. Rivas on Unsplash

We are all creative beings. Yes, even you. Don’t deny it. You were born that way.

Right now, my creative outlet is writing on Medium and publishing almost daily. I also have this blog where I write and publish a weekly post.

I’ve had my blog since the end of December 2018 and began writing for Medium in January 2021.

Without further chatter, here are my all-time favorite books on creativity:

1. The Artist’s Way — by Julia Cameron
2. Big Magic — by Elizabeth Gilbert
3. Bird by Bird — by Anne Lamott
4. The War of Art — by Steven Pressfield
5. The Sound of Paper — by Julia Cameron

The Artist’s Way

Twenty-plus years ago, I finally decided to ignore that my father told me I had no artistic talent and find out if I did.

Based on the book, I signed up for the Artist’s Way course at the local community college. This was a 12-week dig into uncovering our creativity.

That book and those 12 weeks changed my artistic life.

I did indeed discover that I am creative.

By the end of the twelve weeks, I signed up for watercolor classes, which led to additional acrylic painting and sketching courses, and my heart opened up to the joy of art.

This book is a pure delight, and I have reread it several times — completing the required exercises each time.

Buy the book; you can do it without a facilitator — no need to take a class. However, community education classes and local colleges offer it nationwide if you prefer guidance.

Big Magic

This book reminds us to have Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity. There is a chapter on each of these attitudes and qualities as they are the cornerstone of our creativity.

Elizabeth Gilbert is a gifted writer and teacher — you will learn to embrace your fears and creativity.

I love this book and have read it twice, and each time, I was newly inspired and motivated to continue on my creative path.

Bird by Bird

Anne Lamott is one of my favorite authors and one of my favorite people. Her book is primarily about writing but can be adapted to fit whatever genre is your thing.

Anne is one of the funniest people I know, and her book does not disappoint. It is filled with personal anecdotes and stories and is highly motivating and encouraging.

The War of Art

Procrastination, resistance, fear? Who me? Yes, me and maybe you?

Steven Pressfield knows all about what stops us from being creative. He shows us how to blast through all of it and come out the other side full of commitment, inspiration, and, yes, even courage.

I will reread this book as soon as I finish another Julia Cameron work.

The Sound of Paper

The same author that gave us The Artist’s Way brings us this work. Julia Cameron is a teacher, writer, musician, playwright, and composer. This book fits all those modalities.

However, I see her primarily as a writer, and this book has inspired me to be a better one.

Julia helps push us through our artistic struggles and reminds us to take gentle care of ourselves.

She has been inspiring and guiding artistic folks for over 50 years and is still creating into her 70s.

Whether you are a seasoned artist or hoping to discover that you may have a creative side — these books will help you uncover what may be hidden underneath your timidity. Be ready to find a treasure within.

We are never too old to create magic and thank goodness for that.