To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas from now through Epiphany and to advocate for the idea of reading books to support New Year projects, resolutions, and goals, I’m writing a series of posts with themed book lists for various popular resolutions. So far…
Day 1: Be More Fit
Day 2: Be Happier
Day 3: Be a Better Cook
Day 4: Be Smarter about Money
Day 5: Be More Purposeful and Get Things Done
Day 6: Be More Creative
Day 7: Be a Better Reader
Day 8: Be a Better Writer
Day 9: Be a Better Gardener
Day 10: Be a Better Photographer
I’m not sure why, but I have this recurring desire to push my creativity toward more visual aspects. I have a small library of books that I’ve collected during those times on digital scrapbooks, art journals, and zentangles. I even take night classes at the Community College every few years on calligraphy or drawing or cartooning. Nothing sticks, though. I don’t get myself to take the time to practice, to get past the frustrating phase.
Still, hope springs eternal. Here are some books that might get me over the hump or get you going on your visual creativity dreams:
Visual Thinking gives great instruction and examples of simple drawings to convey ideas
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. The 4th Edition of the the book that convinced me, close to thirty years ago, that I probably could draw if I took the time to do it.
Visual Thinking: Tools for Mapping Your Ideas by Nancy Margulies and Christine Valenza. This, I think is really what I hope for in an increased visual orientation — better ways of recording, remembering, and working with my ideas.
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, a book I’ve read but want to read again. I learned about it from Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, the Read Along book for this year’s New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge. She wrote about collaborating with an artist for a comics section in The Happiness Project. That apparently fell through, since I don’t see such a section in my copy, but the idea of using comics for communicating all kinds of ideas that I got from that post, and from the book Understanding Comics, really appealed to me.
What books have helped you improve your visual thinking and communication?
If you’re reading books to be more visual in the new year (or for other goals, projects, and resolutions), join us at The New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge!
