One of the things I resolve to do in 2010 is to devote substantial amounts of intentional effort towards the development of my creativity. I view creativity as a personal strength, and I think it makes sense to spend considerable time enhancing this asset.  Inspired by my friend Artie Isaac, I am going to engage in a rigorous program to supercharge my creativity.

One way I am going to achieve this goal is read books related to the topic of Creativity.  I know I will make modifications, but thus far my list is as follows:

• The Back Of The Napkin – Dan Roam
• Drive – Dan Pink
• Why Not? – Barry Nalebuff & Ian Ayres
• Mindfulness – Ellen Langer
• Happiness – Thich Nhat Han
• All Marketers Are Liars – Seth Godin
• Black Bodies & Quantum Cats – Jennifer Ouellette
• Presentation Zen – Garr Reynolds
• Thinkertoys – Michael Michalko
• Mastery – George Leonard
• The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
• Orbiting the Giant Hairball – Gordon Mackenzie
• Musicophilia – Oliver Sacks
• The Artist’s Way at Work – Mark Bryan, Julia Cameron, & Catherine Allen
• Rules For Revolutionaries – Guy Kawasaki
• Free Prize Inside – Seth Godin
• Purple Cow – Seth Godin
• The Dip – Seth Godin
• The 80/20 Principle – Richard Koch
• Ignore Everybody – Hugh MacLeod
• Lateral Thinking – Edward DeBono
• Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Finding Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Creativity – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite – Paul Arden
• The Creative Habit – Twyla Tharp
• Simplicity – John Maeda
• The Whole Brain Business Book – Ned Herrmann
• A Whole New Mind – Dan Pink
• Improv Wisdom -  Patricia Ryan Madison
• Emotional Design – Donald A. Norman
• The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
• Blink – Malcolm Gladwell
• Blue Ocean Strategy -  W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne
• Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
• Don’t Think of an Elephant – George Lakoff
• The Now Habit – Neil Fiore
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
• Getting Things Done – David Allen
• Influence – Robert Cialdini

The list is designed to explore multiple dimensions of creativity.  This includes topics such as design thinking, leadership, time management, business strategy, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and motivation – all of which are essential parts of living a creative life.  I am sure other titles will be added as the year rolls on (The new Seth Godin and Garr Reynolds books will definitely be on the list).  I am open to your suggestions too.

I am also going to continue to enhance my Creativity by writing about some of the things I learn from each of these books. This represents a way to improve my writing skills as well as to internalize the concepts conveyed in each book.  Additionally, many of these books contain programs, exercises, and activities designed to enhance creativity, which means that I am going to be spending a considerable amount of time being creative too.  Examples include performing an exercise from the book Creativity Workout by Edward De Bono every day, and writing 3 pages of text by hand each and every morning as prescribed in the book The Artist’s Way at Work.

Ideally all of this results in new adventures, challenges, and accomplishments for me, as I not only develop my creativity, but use it to change my world.