Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelley, David Kelley Published by Crown Business on October 15th 2013
Genres: Business
Pages: 288
Goodreads
IDEO founder and Stanford d.school creator David Kelley and his brother Tom Kelley, IDEO partner and the author of the bestselling The Art of Innovation, have written a powerful and compelling book on unleashing the creativity that lies within each and every one of us.
Too often, companies and individuals assume that creativity and innovation are the domain of the "creative types." But two of the leading experts in innovation, design, and creativity on the planet show us that each and every one of us is creative. In an incredibly entertaining and inspiring narrative that draws on countless stories from their work at IDEO, the Stanford d.school, and with many of the world's top companies, David and Tom Kelley identify the principles and strategies that will allow us to tap into our creative potential in our work lives, and in our personal lives, and allow us to innovate in terms of how we approach and solve problems. It is a book that will help each of us be more productive and successful in our lives and in our careers.
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I’ve included Creative Confidence in my gift guide for this year, before finishing it. From chapter one it was clear to me that everyone can learn something from this book. Brothers David and Tom Kelley now run the d.school, a school focused on giving any of its students the creative confidence they need to succeed in their areas. The best thing about this book is that it will spark creativity in everyone, no matter what branch you work in. And creativity can be used in non-creative industries as well. Developing your creativity will help you to improve how you work and the quality of your work.
The chapters are divided in the phases one would go through in learning about design thinking, gaining creative confidence and putting it into practice. David And Tom use examples and academic studies to support their theories surrounding creativity and focusing on your passion. Even when you don’t know where your passion lies, they can guide you towards finding it.
I agree with their approach to solving problems (design thinking): thinking outside of the box, getting to the root of the problems and following a human-centered solution. They use many different anecdotes as examples of their methods. Most anecdotes show that a human centered approach was needed. Companies (and their people) usually start thinking from their product or service and how to improve it, but switching it around and looking and talking to customers reveals what’s actually needed to move forward.
At the end of the book are assignments to train your creative muscle and gain creative confidence. They are perfect to do with a multidisciplinary group within a company or a group of students and also help you to improve teamwork and getting to know each other. These exercises can be done once, but doing them multiple times will train your creative muscle. It’ll become easier to think of unconventional solutions.
This book is definitely recommended for anyone who wants more creativity in their lives or needs a new perspective on their job. Take your time reading it and think of how you can make a difference in your world.
