The ability to think and act creatively is underdeveloped
or even dormant in many people.

Inspiration: recommended reading

These books explore many of the ideas used in Creative Pathways workshops (they are all available now at Amazon.com)

A Whole New Mind:
Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age

Daniel H. Pink. (2005) Allen and Urwin: Sydney

Using the limiting “left brain”, “right brain” model, this book nevertheless explains that we move from an age of information to a conceptual age.

Pink suggests six essential skills we need to be professionally successful and personally fulfilled, and includes a series of hands-on exercises to help readers sharpen their own abilities. Available at Amazon.com

 

The Arts and the Creation of Mind

Elliot W. Eisner. (2002) Yale University Press

An academic, Eisner suggests that learning in and through the arts develops complex and subtle aspects of the mind.

He describes different approaches to teaching the arts and shows how these refined forms of thinking are valuable in our daily lives. Available at Amazon.com

 

The world cafe

Juanita Brown and David Isaacs (2005) Berrett-Koehler Publishers

This is a great example of how an understanding of conversation as an art form, through power of story, may be used to reach into our immediate communities and transform our worlds.

Available at Amazon.com

 

The Creative Habit:
Learn It and Use It for Life

Twyla Tharp (2003) Simon and Schuster Paperbacks

Twyla Tharp, a leading and innovative choreographer, makes the point that creativity is less a matter of genius than of disciplined work habits.

She inspires readers to move into the creative zone and do the work essential to being a professional artist. Available at Amazon.com

 

The Artists Way at Work, Riding the Dragon

Mark Brydon and Julia Cameron

This is a "12-step" guide to uncovering creativity and is aimed at everyday life.

Some people will be particularly interested in the idea of "morning pages" to initiate change. Available at Amazon.com

 

Drawing on the right side of the Brain

Betty Edwards (1979) Harper Collins

Even though it is based on the outmoded idea that the left and right hemispheres of the brain process information in different ways, this book is still useful in explaining how we function.

The book continually refers to the right-side concept and focuses on the “how and why” behind the mental process of drawing, rather than simply demonstrating the techniques. Available at Amazon.com

 

A WHACK ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD:
How You Can Be More Creative

(1998) Roger Van Oech. Warner Books

Written in 1983, revised in 1990 and reprinted every year since then, this book reveals the 10 mental blocks that stop us from being creative.

It is light hearted but offers a simple four-fold approach to generating ideas. Available at Amazon.com


 

 

How To Have Kick-Ass Ideas:
Get Curious, Get Adventurous, Get Creative

Chris Barez-Brown (2006) Harper Collins

This is another approach to generating ideas. Slightly wacky and playful, it makes good sense and uses the basic principles we need to act creatively.

Available at Amazon.com

 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R. Covey (1990) The Business Library

This set of inspirational and aspirational standards is based on values of integrity and humanity, and contrasts strongly with the process-based ideologies of earlier management theories.

It is even more relevant as the business world becomes more attuned to humanist concepts. Available at Amazon.com

 

Flow:
The Psychology of Optimal Experience

Mihaly Csikzentmihaly (1996) Harper and Collins

Flow is an informative study of what engagement is: “How to live life as a work of art, rather than as a chaotic response to external events..."

Written from a psychological study of the elements of happiness, it outlines what we need to develop harmony with our surroundings. Available at Amazon.com

 

The Learning Revolution

Gordon Dryden and Dr Janette Vos (1997) The Learning Web

Based on new understandings of how our brains function, this book looks at several techniques and strategies that explain how we learn.

It also suggests ideas that give Creative Pathways’ methods new relevance. Available at Amazon.com

 

The Story of Art

E.H.Gombrich (1950 –currently in 16th Edition) Phaidon

Gombrich tells the story of art "as the story of a continuous weaving and changing of traditions in which each work refers to the past and points to the future".

His love of and deep respect for art infuse this easy-to-read book. This is a seminal art history for anyone wanting to learn more about the visual arts. Available at Amazon.com

In the Press

Paint a picture of your workplace
Stimulating positive outcomes for your company means seeing obstacles and challenges as learning opportunities. They're a way of building on and improving the strengths and aspirations of the people who already make up the fabric of your business.
NZ Herald August 20, 2008 By Val Leveson PDF Version

The art experience
To deal with constant challenges and rapid change, we need to break out of our narrow definitions of the world, says David Kayrouz. Art-based learning helps make us aware of how we might tackle more complex issues.
Employment Today July 2008

When art and business collide
Put a paintbrush in their hands and people recover some of their childhood creativity, says David Kayrouz. Now businesses are discovering they have much to gain by helping employees unleash their creative intelligence.
Employment Today June 2008

Harnessing the power of our imagination
The Creative Pathways workshops introduce people to creative intelligence and encourage teams to apply lessons in art to other situations.
NZ Herald: Monday April 14, 2008 By Gill South PDF Version