The Accidental Creative; Book Review

 The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry // The Book Review

Never in my life did I think that I would be doing a college-style essay for fun. Holla at Quaid and Larson for the book report practice.

One of my New Years Goals was to read 12 books, a.k.a. ONEbook a month. To many of you this may seem ridiculous because you fly through a book a week.  To me, it was a reasonable, achievable goal and it has been perfect for my attention span and free time that I can direct towards reading.

The first book I chose to pick up this year is a non-fictional “self-help” book (for lack of a better word), by Todd Henry called The Accidental Creative.  Lauryn Evarts (of The Skinny Confidential Lifestyle blog) recommended it in one of her podcasts. 

Side note: I take vigorous notes when I listen to podcasts and then go back and assess action points.

In 2018 this has been the best investment of my personal free time thus far.  Above anything that I have done to propel my business. Above anything I have done in the gym, for my family, for my health, etc.

Why?

When you subject yourself to the thoughts, observations, and conclusions of someone who has more experience, closure, and knowledge than you… you are able to make strides SO much bigger than you could if you had set out to come up with these deductions yourself.

In the same way that I take podcast notes, I underline anything that stands out when I read.

I’m going to review the best parts of the book and hopefully help you understand why it was SO essential to my progress in January of 2018.

“To be successful tomorrow, you must begin today” p viii

This is key.  I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this.  Seems so simple but it rings true in SO many areas of my life.

“It’s not what you know that matters, it’s what you do” p5

In a recent Tim Farriss Podcast, Tim mentions a story that concludes with—sometimes the more you know, the accuracy of your conclusions stays the same, but your confidence skyrockets.  “Knowing more” about everything you see, may not mean that you will make better decisions about what you think, do, or discover.  You can read 10000 books, but if you don’t implement something you learned into your life… you’ve just stored more in the back of your brain.  What’s the use in that?

“You must be purposeful and intentional. You own your growth.” p5

I’ve realized this with my recent business ventures more than ever.  Going out of your way to go the extra mile ALWAYS pays off in some way, shape, or another.

“Every area of your life affects every other, and a lack of engagement in one area will quickly infect the rest” p6

It’s crazy how when you do something so simple as to start eating healthy… so many other areas of your life start to glow in a new light.  Wouldn’t you agree?

“The more quickly you can focus your mind on what you’re really trying to do, the faster you can gain creative traction” p83

 “You want to work strategically, not desperately” p13

This reminds me of my first few months in blogging.  I was SO concerned with popping out “something new for my readers to take in” that I forgot to focus on things that make me tick.  It’s funny, my target readers are just like me… so it makes sense that I should focus on things I LIKE and then maybe they’d like it too!

“By acting we make things concrete; action breeds motivation, not the other way around” p104

 “To be prolific means that you not only have great ideas, but that you actually do something with them” p13

Amen.  Ideas are shit, amiright?

“There is the persistent myth that creativity results only from complete lack of boundaries and total freedom.  The reality is that we are not capable of operating without boundaries.  We need them in order to focus our creative energy into the right channels” p16

One of the examples that Todd Henry makes in this book is in reference to a creative who quits his day job to pursue his side gig full time… finding that he was more productive when he scheduled time for it while working full time, than having complete and utter free time every day.  I totally resonate with this.  If I didn’t have a place to go and accountability to get my a$$ out of bed every day… I would be dinking around until noon every day like I find myself doing Saturday mornings.

“There is so much ineffective work because there is often a lack of clarity around what we’re really trying to do.  In order to create effectively, you need a clear and concrete understanding of your objectives” p21

As soon as I defined myself as a blogger, I started to get creative traction.

As soon as I defined myself as a content creator, I started to get business.

As soon as I defined myself as a gym rat, I got to the gym a wholeeee lot more.

There is something about assumed consent, even in our own mind.  If you act like you are the person you want to be, doing the things you want to do, you won’t want to let yourself down!

“…there are two critical elements of any successful relationship: intimacy and generosity” p96

“Your circle can give you perspectives and insights…pushing you to look in places you may otherwise miss” p101

 “If you want to thrive, you need to systematically engage with other people” p21

As soon as I read this, I immediately called up my 2 close blogger friends and asked if they would be interested in meeting up with other Portland bloggers or drinks and community.  They agreed that it would be fun and beneficial for all.  This book helped me realize that networking within a group of like-creatives with slightly different views, experiences, and goals, could really help propel each one in the group in a new way.  I’ll make sure to blog about what I learn next Thursday at the meet up!

“You have permission to think big about your projects, to dream and to innovate” p23

This is something that is hard for me.  Everyone finds road blocks… but it is hard not to let go of the bigger dream.

“We do less than we’re capable of because we don’t want to deal with the consequences of disapproval at the end of a process” p39

Sometimes posting your thoughts and experiences gets REALLY personal and there is always the opportunity to be judged.  Sometimes it hurts, but I’ve just had to really train myself to detach from that criticism and use it to make me better.

“We make things very complex in order to mask the reality that, deep down, we’re very confused about our true objectives” p48

I’m tellin’ ya.  As soon as I wrote out my true objectives for each creative feat in my life… I started making progress.

“You must also get comfortable with eliminating things in your life that are getting in the way of clarity and focus” p49

Enough said.

A few more amazing quotes:

“…brilliant creative work is always the result of risks” p55

“the people who succeed are often those who do the little, everyday things that others won’t” p65

“…establish your game plan to center your activities around the most crucial priorities” p70

“You shouldn’t be ashamed of drawing inspiration from other sources and applying them to your own work” p102

With blogging, I used to feel SO bad about “stealing” looks or compositions or little nuisances from other bloggers.  The funny thing is, when I put my own twist on it… it just led me closer to the designer and creator that I actually am. 

 “There is nothing more critical to your success than the people you surround yourself with” p111

“The most difficult thing to do in the early stages of a project is to gain traction” p117

“Remember that creativity craves structure” p126

“Though it’s counterintuitive, the solution to feeling overwhelmed or crunched for time is often not to remove something from your life, but to add something that raises your level of effectiveness in those activities you’re already doing” p163

 “In many ways, you are defined by what you say no to” p130

“What’s not there will impact your life much more than what is” p130

Last year Trevor and I spent A LOT of time drinking, out with friends, experiencing down town.  The opportunity cost of that is.. well, I didn’t write many blogs, I didn’t read many books, and I spent a LOT of money.  It’s amazing how the lack of those things in my life really affected it in a negative way.

“It’s almost as if we gain a sixth sense about problem solving once we are deeply immersed in relevant stimuli” p141

I’m super excited to read my next book Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday.

“Remember: the goal of taking notes is to extract potentially useful connections and ideas” p154

 “If you want to know what’s important to you, take a look at your bank statement and your calendar” p166

So, so true.  Had to share.

“…you need to plan checkpoints at specific intervals in your life to ensure that you are still o

n the right course..” p181

Because of this book, I’ve also realized that I need to do a YouTube video at the end of each month, talking about my progress on each of my 2018 goals.  Click here to see what they are.

“When you choose to default to comfort, you are choosing to be less effective in your life” p203

“They develop a loyal audience rather than a fickle one that turns away…” p215

Overall, I have drawn so many great notions from this book.  Personally, I’m making strategic changes in my schedule to ensure that my output is the best it can be.

You can buy the book HEREor ON AUDIBLEor check out another great book (next after next on my list to read) Die Empty.  Also, Todd Henry has a site to help creatives create brilliant work. 

If you end up reading it, let me know your thoughts!

Xo

Chelsea