Creativity Resources

The Musician’s Way illuminates the inner workings of the creative process. The following resources build on the concepts presented in the book.

Creativity Websites

Creativity articles on The Musician’s Way Blog.

The best question in the world.” A witty slideshow by artist Betsy Streeter.

Avoiding Avoidance” via the The Musician’s Way Blog.

16 Habits of Mind that help us be more creative.

CriticalThinking.org. Critical thinking skills are vital to creativity.

Creativity tips & techniques from MindTools.com.

PowerPoint presentations about creativity, active learning, motivation, cooperative learning, and more from Curtis J. Bonk, Ph.D.

Books about Creativity

The Musician’s Way, by Gerald Klickstein (Oxford, 2009; 19th printing, 2023). Boost creativity in practice, performance, career!

Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Thingsby Adam Grant (Viking, 2023)

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, by Mason Curry (Knopf, 2013).

The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle (Random House, 2009).
The Little Book of Talent, by Daniel Coyle (Bantam, 2012).

The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield (Rugged Land, 2002)

Redesign Your Mind, by Eric Maisel (Conari Press, 2021)
Making Your Creative Mark,
by Eric Maisel (New World, 2013).
Creativity for Life, by Eric Maisel (New World, 2007).
The Van Gogh Blues, by Eric Maisel (New World, 2007). “The creative person’s path through depression.”

Powers of Two: Finding the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs, by Joshua Wolf Shenk (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014).

Mindset, by Carol Dweck, Ph.D. (Ballantine, 2006).
Related article: The Growth Mindset, by Gerald Klickstein.

The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp (Schuster, 2003).

Creative Thinkering, by Michael Michalko (New World, 2011).

The Power of Mindful Learning, by Ellen Langer (Da Capo Press, 1998).

The Inner Game of Tennis, by W. Timothy Gallwey (Random House, 1997).
The Inner Game of Music, by Barry Green (Doubleday, 1986).

Creativity, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D. (Harper, 1997).

The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund & Benjamin Zander (Penguin, 2000).

The Medici Effect, by Frans Johansson (Harvard Business Press, 2006).

Free Play, by Stephen Nachmanovitch (Tarcher, 1991).

Intelligent Music Teaching, by Robert A. Duke, Ph.D. (2005).

Articles about Creativity

How Not to Be Creative.” A humorous article by Gerald Klickstein.

Want to Be Creative?” By Eric Maisel. Psychology Today Blog, 2018.
Getting Started,” by Gerald Klickstein.

What Makes a Musician,” by John Sloboda.

Daring to Stumble on the Road to Discovery.” The NY Times, Aug. 2011.
Positive mood allows brain to think more creatively.” Science Daily, 2010.

The Truth about Grit.” Boston Globe, Aug. 2009.

Need to Create? Get a Constraint.” Wired, Nov. 13, 2011.

Two Is the Magic Number.” The power of collaboration. Slate, Sept. 2010.

The Creativity Crisis.” Foster creative thinking! Newsweek, July 2010.
How To Be Creative.” Strategies that boost creative insights. WSJ, 2012.

Musicians Use Both Sides of their Brains More Frequently than Average People,Science Daily, 2008.

This Is Your Brain on Jazz.” (Science News, 2008).

Videos about Creativity

How to Create Fearlessly. Interview with Eric Maisel.

The Marshmallow Challenge. Tom Wujec describes a potent group exercise that reveals volumes about our creative habits.

Do Schools Kill Creativity? A popular lecture on TED by Sir Ken Robinson.

How great leaders inspire action. A talk by Simon Sinek.

Edward de Bono, M.D. Ways to boost creativity.

Why students don’t learn what we think we teach. Robert Duke, Ph.D., proposes ways to foster deeper learning and greater creativity.

The Musician's Way book cover

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