Five Star Mind

Broadway, 1995. Paperback. Used: Acceptable. Now this is an interesting book! It describes how YOU can be more creative. Maybe you think you're not? Well, according to this book creativity is a process you can learn. And I must say that after having read this book I now understand why I sometimes are very creative and sometimes not. For instance, I play the guitar and are sometimes in a very spirited mood for writing new songs. This usually occurs after having spent a few weeks listening to new albums. When I don't - I rarely come up with some new and exciting riffs. You have to have the urge to get these impulses, but then again you need the impulses. I think both the title and the subtitle (games & puzzles to stimulate your creativity and imagination) are a bit misleading. The focus is on the process and the author divides this creativity process into 8 "phases", drawing a metaphor to cooking food: Appetite - hunger for ideas, gather - collect ideas, cut - analyze ideas, mix - combine ideas, cook - concentrate on ideas, spice - season ideas, taste - evaluate ideas, digest - assimilate ideas. Within each of these he gives you valuable tools you can use. It seems to me that when you gather information (e.g. listen to records or research a specific topic) you unconsciously cut and mix it with data and knowledge you already have, and thus forming new patterns which become new ideas. Knowing the process you can also do this deliberate. How wonderful! There are lots of other books which describes methods for collecting thoughts and ideas (and does that better), but no one I have read or heard about describes the process as good as this one. Just think about what kind of preparation you should impose on your colleagues before they enter your next brainstorming session... Paperback - 1995 - good condition - - .