Hi there! Before we dive into this list of the best books on creativity, let’s pause for a moment to reflect on a simple but powerful question:
What really is creativity?
Is it about doing things differently from others? Or about creating something entirely new?
Is it the discovery of groundbreaking ideas? Or perhaps the art of taking an existing idea and making it simpler, smarter, and better?
The truth is—whatever answer you have in mind, you are right. There isn’t a single, absolute definition of creativity. It can mean different things to different people, and that diversity of perception is what makes creativity so fascinating.
Author and creative director Paul Arden once put it beautifully:
Creativity is imagination and imagination is for everyone!
And that’s the point—everyone is creative. You are, too! The moment you start believing in your own creativity is the moment you begin to unlock its full potential.
If you ever find yourself doubting your creative abilities, don’t worry—the books on this list will help you overcome those doubts, rediscover your imagination, and nurture the creative spark within you.
So, let’s get started with 15 of the best books on creativity that will boost your creative thinking.
1. Creativity, Inc. by Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace
The book “Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration” is written by Edwin Earl Catmull, an American computer scientist and current president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was co-authored by Amy Wallace, an American writer.
In short, the book is about creativity at Pixar Animation Studios. It’s about how those amazing animation movies such as The Incredibles, Toy Story, Cars, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, etc. are actually made.
Catmull explains the creative process that is undertaken while making a feature film. The book is full of great advice on how excellence and creativity can be fostered in the workplace. The story writers, animators, and other employees were given the freedom to develop their own ideas and make mistakes. Catmull had an intuitive sense on how to get the diverse people to work together. And all this helped in making those great movies that we are really thankful for.
One of the most stressed concepts in the book is that great ideas can come from anywhere. Catmull has shared many stories and incidents to support this fact.
This book is not just about creativity but also about leadership. And yeah, the book is not just for people in animation or movie making world, but for anyone and everyone who wants to be creative in life.
2. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
“The War Of Art: Break Through The Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles” is one of the top recommended books on creativity. This book, written by American author Steven Pressfield, was originally published in 2002.
The book highlights the one factor that holds back an individual’s creativity, and that factor is ‘Resistance’ – resistance against doing something creative.
It shows how resistance in different forms comes in the way of artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and other individuals trying to break the creativity barrier and attempting to walk the path of a creatively conscious life.
The book also features ways by which an individual can tackle the resistance that is holding them back. There are many lines in this book that will some way or the other, connect to every individual. Here’s a quote from the book that I could totally relate to:
“It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.
What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.”
3. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
This is definitely one of the best books that I have read so far. It is not exactly a book on creativity, but it will really boost your mind to pave way for creative thinking.
‘Flow’ is basically the state when we are so focused, absorbed, happy, and satisfied doing something we love that we don’t even notice how fast the time has passed.
This life-changing book will not only help you identify those flow states of your life but it will also give you insights on how to get those happy, absorbed and satisfying experiences more often! A must-read book that will fill your life with pleasant moments and positive vibes.
4. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
Written in a very entertaining and conversational style, Steal Like an Artist is a brilliant book on creativity. It is full of real-life experiences and great advice for the creative aspect of any works including writing, drawing, programming, designing and so on. In fact, these advice applies to all facets of life, well beyond artistic pursuits.
It is a short and fun read filled with many engaging pictures, quotes, and snippets of wisdom scattered throughout the pages.
The book is p