NEW ON THE BOOKSHELF
The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together– Twyla Tharp
Choreographer Twyla Tharp follows up her bestselling book, The Creative Habit – which we would list below in “classics” if we weren’t already mentioning it here – with a slim volume on lessons learned from collaborations with Jerome Robbins, Mikhail Baryshnikov, David Byrne, Richard Avedon, Frank Sinatra, and many, many more.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
A memoir by one of Japan’s most famous contemporary novelists, What I Talk About (new in paperback) is only nominally about running. Murakami uses in-depth descriptions of his marathon training as a vehicle for talking about his writing practice, and ultimately for an inspirational treatise on the value of discipline, focus, and endurance.
Inside the Painter’s Studio – Joe Fig
Artist Joe Fig digs deep into the painter’s creative process as he describes the daily routines of 24 painters using text, photographs, and miniature models. So what do Chuck Close, Mary Heilmann, Ryan McGinness, Dana Schutz, Fred Tomaselli, and more all have in common? They work incessantly, and follow rigorous daily routines.
Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Life, Your Business, and Maybe Even the World -Warren Berger
Berger sets the subtitle bar high with this ambitious how-to book, which draws heavily on the wisdom and insights of Bruce Mau. Chapters riff on concepts from Mau’s “Incomplete Manifesto” – with titles like “Go Deep,” “Ask Stupid Questions,” and our personal fave “Begin Anywhere” – as Berger puts forth case studies of IDEO, OXO, and Apple as well as Yves Behar, Lee Clow, and Dean Kamen.
Unclutter Your Life In One Week – Erin Doland
“Being overworked, overbooked, and overwhelmed is passé,” says Erin Doland (aka The Unclutterer). Covering everything from your desk to your closet to your schedule, Dolan breaks down how to get closer to zen in just seven days. A good option for new year’s resolutions about getting more organized.
Art/Work – Heather Darcy Bhandari & Jonathan Melber
Written by a gallery director and an arts lawyer, Art/Work is a clear-eyed look at what happens outside of the MFA bubble. The authors – who interviewed over 100 curators, dealers, and other arts folk – dig into the nitty-gritty of the gallery system, from negotiating contracts to dealing with studio visits to packing and shipping your artwork.
NEW FROM 99U FRIENDS & FAMILY
Designing Obama – Scott Thomas
Progressive to the core, Obama for America Design Director Scott Thomas – a speaker at last year’s 99U conference – raised money for the first run of his new book using the new crowd-funding platform Kickstarter. Beautifully laid out by Thomas, Designing Obama chronicles the design and grassroots artwork that fueled a historic campaign.
We Feel Fine: An Almanac of Human Emotion – Sep Kamvar & Jonathan Harris
Since 2005, the website We Feel Fine has collected over 12 million feelings, using complex alogorithms that comb the Internet for blog posts with the phrases “I feel” and “I am feeling.” Rich with imagery, provocative blog snippets, and loads of infographics that break down our collective emotional landscape by type, gender, age, weather, time of day, and more.
Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision & Reality – Scott Belsky
Though it’s not quite off the presses yet, we thought we’d give you – dear 99U reader – advance notice on Behance founder and CEO Scott Belsky’s new book due out in April 2010. A distillation of six years of research at Behance and the 99U, Making Ideas Happen illustrates how to harness organization, communal forces, and leadership capability to push ideas forward.
TRIED-AND-TRUE CLASSICS
Designers Are Wankers – Lee McCormack
“Making the transition from design student to successful creative often involves a lot of reassessment, adaptation, and resignation,” says Lee McCormack in this pragmatic (and clever) book on what you need to know about becoming a professional designer. Includes interviews with Neville Brody, Karim Rashid, Paul Smith, and others.
The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
“Art begins with resistance – at the point where resistance is overcome.” So said Andre Gide. Half warrior field manual, half self-help treatise, Steven Pressfield’s slim book offers easily digestible insights on overcoming the Resistance to turn daydreaming into doing.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Groundbreaking at the time of its release, and no less impressive today, Csikszentmihalyi’s bestselling book outlines the psychological conditions required to achieve “flow,” a state characterized by intense focus, a lack of self-assessment, and loss of time awareness. Anecdote-heavy, Flow offers great incentives for altering your priorities and mindset.
The Laws of Simplicity – John Maeda
Written with simple language and great wisdom, this compact book outlines 10 laws of simplicity for design, technology, business, and life. Ranging from basic to intermediate to deep simplicity, Maeda’s insights apply to everything from arranging your living room to designing a visionary product.
How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul – Adrian Shaughnessy
Despite its title, this book – which contains an intro by Stefan Sagmeister as well as interviews with other major designers – is not just for graphic designers. Rather, it outlines need-to-know basics and tricks of the trade that will pertain to small creative studios of all kinds. From finding new work to managing persnickety clients, How to Be gives a straightforward breakdown of the commercial design business.
Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott
Less a how-to book than a reality check for aspiring authors, Bird by Bird humorously outlines the trials and tribulations of the writer’s life. Not surprisingly, Lamott reveals that getting published isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, so you’re best off if you enjoy the process.
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What books have offered you new insight into the creative process, or led you to a watershed moment? Tell us your favorites in the comments.
