My 5 Favorite Books To Inspire A Creative Life
I’ve always known I’m meant to live a creative life. The need for creative expression feels like an innate part of who I am. Over the years, I’ve explored what it truly means to walk the path of a creative person and an artist. I’ve learned that creativity is powerful. It’s had a positive impact on my own wellbeing, facilitated moments of deep healing, and reconnected me to my own intuitive gifts. I believe wholeheartedly that the creative path has the power to transform your life, and I’m excited to share the 5 resources I keep coming back to for inspiration.
The Impact Creativity Has On Our Wellbeing
How I View Creativity
When I think about creativity, I think about the ability to let our minds wander down unexplored paths. We all have the capacity to channel creative energy. It’s a practice, not a personality trait. It’s a way to uniquely express ourselves in a world that often demands we blend in.
Creativity requires consistency and curiosity. It asks us to not take ourselves too seriously while simultaneously encouraging us to often walk a spiritual path. I view creativity as an external force with which I can connect and build a relationship. It’s something I can engage with on a regular basis, and the more I give to our relationship, the stronger it becomes.
The Benefits of a Creative Practice
There are so many benefits that come from a creative practice, and really no downsides other than the occasional pesky judgement that is bound to surface. The act of creating and focusing on one task without distraction can help calm our nervous system and allows us to slow things down and retreat from the overstimulating noise of the outside world. Creativity acts as a channel to joy and our inner child, allowing us to take in positive experiences while also acting as a catalyst for healing and deeper self-understanding. A creative path is often aligned with a spiritual one, and can help us connect to a higher power.
Creativity Has A Positive Somatic Effect
We take in so much from the world around us at a pace that isn’t sustainable for our nervous systems. It can be overwhelming and overstimulating. We live in a fast moving and noisy world. Having a creative practice can help you slow down while also calming your nervous system. Making an intentional shift to receive sensory input that is joyful is a way to signal to your body that it’s safe to shift out of survival mode. Focusing on a singular task when we are constantly being asked and encouraged to multi-task is also a way to slow things down. How might you show up if you framed your creativity as an act of self-regulation?
The Act Of Creating Is Often A Healing Process
Writing was a crucial part of my healing journey. I often would sit down to write and not remember anything I wrote. Creative expression can bring about so much healing, and it’s an opportunity to process or release past experiences you may be holding onto. It can help us make sense of who we are and connect us to the truest part of ourselves. Creating is a vulnerable act, and it’s truly special when you are able to allow the tender parts of yourself to be seen.
Art And Nature Are Connected Creativity
Being creative is a great opportunity to connect to nature. Using nature as inspiration can encourage you to slow down and take in your surroundings more intentionally and see the world around you in a new way. If you feel stuck in your routines, this is the easiest way to make a shift. There’s so much beauty available to us at any given time. What might it feel like to take in your surroundings with fresh eyes?
Channeling Creative Energy Fosters A Connection To A Higher Power
There’s a reason why artists often reference a higher power whether it’s God, Spirit, the Universe or some other higher power. The act of creating is a connection point to whichever higher power you believe in. The more you create, the more you might start to notice this connection strengthen. I find this to be true, especially when I’m journaling. In fact, journaling is often the tool I use when I’m trying to channel my inner wisdom.
Why Do I Want To Live A Creative Life?
I’m pursuing a creative life for all the points above, yes, but also because it feels like a calling. It would feel unnatural for me NOT to live as a creative person. I’ve tried ignoring my desire to write, but writing kept coming back to me until I finally decided to answer the call. Learning to embrace this part of myself hasn’t been easy, but having the courage to show has been so rewarding, and I’m genuinely excited to see where writing takes me. Your creativity might not show up in the form of writing, but I would encourage you to answer the call and see where it might lead you.
My Tenets Of Living A Creative Life
As I continue down my own creative path, I look to my north star and my highest commitments as a creative person to guide me. It’s important to understand your own values and the deeper “why” behind what you’re doing. This is what you can look to when you feel stuck or forget why you’re doing what you’re doing. As you build your own creative life, I would encourage you to look at what you’re most committed to and what drives you as a creative being in this world.
Be Consistent
Showing up to my chosen art and my creativity helps me cultivate a deeper connection and better relationship to my creations and the creative force behind them. Being consistent means committing to show up even when I don’t want to, and beginning again after a long pause. That commitment shows my creativity that I'm in it for the long haul and as a result my creativity can show up for me.
Honor My Inner Child
So much of who I am as a writer comes from a younger me who surrounded herself with stories. I loved (and still love) reading and how books can transport you to another world. I’m learning to find that same experience from the perspective of a writer, and each time I do I feel like I connect to that younger version of myself.
Create From A Place Of Joy, Not Obligation
I’ve noticed that when I create pressure on myself to create something, the opposite tends to happen. Creativity isn’t about being efficient or productive. Placing emphasis on the output will only stifle what wants to come through. I create because the process is joyful. Last year, my goal was to fall in love with writing so much that I missed being away from it. What I learned from that goal was that relieving pressure and obligation created space for joy and fun to emerge which are important pillars to creativity.
Cultivate Practices That Support My Creativity
Creativity is a little like a garden in the sense that it needs tending to. With gardening, there are clear tasks: tilling the soil, planting the seeds, watering, weeding, etc. With creativity, it’s up to the artist to understand what their unique gifts need in order to thrive. For me that looks like consistent walks in nature, quiet time, and having a clean dedicated space to write. I also like to create a ritual around my writing which can look like lighting a specific candle or making some tea each time I sit down to write. Having known comforts help signal to my brain that it’s time to shift into a different framework and leave behind my other to-dos for a bit. I also like to look at my Human Design chart, specifically my environment to help me curate a space for my creativity to thrive.
The 5 Books That Help Me Tap Into My Creativity
Creative energy exists all around us. I’ve found these 5 books useful when feeling creatively stuck or blocked. They each offer something unique and will help you explore a different aspect of your creative self.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
I remember reading this book while I was in Paris in 2015. At the time I was 5 years into my jewelry business and in the middle of a significant growth phase for the company. I had no idea that reading this book while in my favorite place was planting a seed for a future journey. I felt so seen reading Big Magic. It was the first time someone put words to what I experienced as a creative person.
Elizabeth Gilbert talks about creativity as something that exists outside the self. Our job as artists is to show up to our practice in order to be open and ready to receive the ideas that might want to find us. An artist’s worth is not found in words written or number of paintings created, it’s in the ability to continue to show up to the blank page or canvas day after day. If you’re looking for an inspiring quick read to ignite your creative passion, then you’ll want to give this book a try.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
When this book first came out, I didn’t think I was going to be that impressed by it. My initial judgement was that it was a pretty coffee table book that lacked depth, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Creative Act: A Way of Being is full of wisdom from someone who’s walked the creative path. It’s honest, inspiring, and will definitely get you thinking.
I found myself underlining and wanting to revisit so much in this book. It’s a great read whether you decide to read it cover to cover or prefer to skim over small bits at a time. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to revisit over and over. Oh and it also makes a great coffee table book.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Artist’s Way is a 12-week program for those seeking creative recovery. Julia Cameron weaves together a spiritual perspective with actionable steps the reader can take to rediscover their artist selves. It’s best known for the Morning Pages, a practice of writing 3 pages of stream-of-consciousness every day to get rid of any mental clutter and create a clear pathway for creativity. I’ve attempted to complete the Artist’s Way journey a few times, but I found that I prefer to take bits and pieces from the journey rather than complete it in its entirety.
This book would be great for anyone who is looking for a structured way to reignite their creativity and get to know their artistry on a deeper level. My favorite practices from this book are the Morning Pages and the Artist’s Date. I’ve already mentioned the process for the Morning Pages. The Artist's Date is a weekly solo outing for your inner artist. It can be a visit to a museum, a walk in nature, or trying a new craft. I find these practices to be the most helpful when I’m trying to get out of a creative rut.
Main Character Energy by Jamie Varon
Main Character Energy is Jamie Varon’s debut novel. It’s a lovely contemporary romance written by a writer for writers. While it’s fiction, I think there are still some great takeaways, the most important one being don’t be the person to say no to yourself. The main character, Poppy, has the opportunity to join a prestigious writing residency in the south of France. Reading this book ignited all of my writerly dreams, and by the end I also wanted to run to France to work on my novel.
This book is great for anyone who may have lost their spark and wants to open their minds to what’s possible and allow their dreams to come forward once again.
Conversations With The Z’s (The Audiobook Version) by Lee Harris
If I was stranded on a desert island and could only bring one book, it would be this series. (Okay, technically it’s 3 books, but it’s one continuous conversation so I think it should count as one.) In this series, Dianna Edwards interviews the guides of Lee Harris who call themselves the Z’s. They cover a range of topics over the 3 books as they discuss what’s next for humanity. I love the audiobook version because you get to hear the raw interviews between Dianna and the Z’s as channeled through Lee.
These books aren’t necessarily about creativity but I find myself feeling energized and inspired every time I listen to them. I love getting a higher perspective on what’s happening in society as we evolve, and there’s something special about being immersed in this particular energetic frequency. Whenever I feel like I need to clear my mind, I grab my headphones and listen to these books while I’m walking. I’ve been listening to these books on repeat for years, and I learn something new with every repetition.
I hope this information helps you unlock your creative potential no matter where you are in your journey.
If you’d like to explore what lies ahead for you creatively, you can schedule a clarity reading with me.
If you’re ready to commit to your creative practice, you might join my weekly writer’s circle.
You might tap into the creative energy surrounding you by exploring my favorite tarot & oracle decks and developing your own tarot practice.
Kim Kogane is a writer and intuitive guide helping you navigate the tender in-between seasons. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her dog, Cauchy, and three cats. Learn more about Kim.
