Creative Careers

In one of the most popular classes at Parsons School of Design, B. Jeffrey Madoff gave students a reality check: "Most of us have had the feeling of 'I could've done that,' whether at an art gallery, watching a performance, or finding a new product or even a new business idea. What's the difference between you and them? They actually did it. You didn't." With Creative Careers, you will learn how to do it, too: use your creativity; have a sustainable, profitable career; and do what you love.

Best-selling author and creativity expert Jeff Goins dismantles the myth that being creative is a hindrance to success by revealing how an artistic temperament is in fact a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Too often, companies and individuals assume that creativity and innovation are the domain of the "creative types." But two of the leading experts in innovation, design, and creativity on the planet show us that each and every one of us is creative. In an incredibly entertaining and inspiring narrative that draws on countless stories from their work at IDEO, the Stanford d.school, and with many of the world's top companies, David and Tom Kelley identify the principles and strategies that will allow us to tap into our creative potential.

Every year, six million companies and more than 100,000 products are launched. They all need an awesome name, but many (such as Xobni, Svbtle, and Doostang) look like the results of a drunken Scrabble game. In this entertaining and engaging book, ace naming consultant Alexandra Watkins explains how anyone - even noncreative types - can create memorable and buzz-worthy brand names. No degree in linguistics required.

These 100 eye-opening ways to create wealth are drawn from the author's successful careers, with many touching personal stories as well as stories and examples from the hundreds of clients these master coaches have advised. This book is chock full of ways to make money, deepen life's pleasure, increase personal wage-earning power, and start fresh entrepreneurial ideas right at home.

Many experts have offered techniques on how to improve your own memory, but not how to influence other people's memory. Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience and cognitive psychology, Impossible to Ignore is a practical step-by-step guide that will show you how to control the 10 percent that your audiences do remember by creating content that attracts attention, sharpens recall, and guides behavior toward a desired action.

In this perennial best seller, embraced by organizations and industries worldwide, globally preeminent management thinkers W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne challenge everything you thought you knew about the requirements for strategic success. Recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written, Blue Ocean Strategy, now updated with fresh content from the authors, argues that cutthroat competition results in nothing but a bloody red ocean of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool.

A business parable about how to create a start-up that won't trap you when you want to sell it. According to John Warrillow, the number one mistake entrepreneurs make is to build a business that relies too heavily on them. Thus, when the time comes to sell, buyers aren't confident that the company-even if it's profitable-can stand on its own. To illustrate this, Warrillow introduces us to a fictional small business owner named Alex who is struggling to sell his advertising agency.

Whether you're starting a new business or you've been trading for a while, Creating a Business Plan for Dummies covers everything you need to know. Figure out whether your business idea is likely to work, how to identify your strategic advantage, and what you can do to gain an edge on the competition. Discover why a business plan doesn't have to be a 30-page document that takes days to write, but can be a simple process that you do in stages as you work through your business concept.  

In Homeless to Billionaire, Andres Pira presents 18 principles for attracting wealth, creating opportunity, and celebrating self-discovery. Inspired by his own massive life changes, Pira details his business journey from telemarketer to one of Thailand’s best-known billionaires. Using his mentors like Bryan Tracy, Jack Canfield, and Bob Proctor, Pira puts proven knowledge into action, innovating along the way, using his own employees and clients; through failure and success, the 18 Principles are forged.

Dr. Joseph Murphy’s classic book The Power of Your Subconscious Mind was first published in 1963 and became an immediate bestseller; it was acclaimed as one of the best self-help guides ever written. Following the success of this work, Dr. Murphy lectured to thousands of people around the world, and millions tuned in to his daily radio program. In his lectures, he pointed out how real people have radically improved their lives by applying specific aspects of his concepts.

Successful leaders of creative teams have mastered the difficult transition from doing the work to leading the work, and this book shows how. Todd Henry picks up where The Accidental Creative left off and provides an indispensable handbook of on-the-ground, tactical advice for new managers of creatives.

In this simple, fast-paced audiobook, you will be learning what it takes to create the life you want. 30 Days is for people who are struggling, wanting to change their lives, but they feel powerless and think change comes from the outside. They also keep doing the same things over and over expecting a different result, which Albert Einstein considered to be the purest form of insanity.

The author of Wishcraft and I Could Do Anything If Only I Knew What It Was..., Barbara Sher became famous for her extraordinary ability to help people define and achieve their goals. What Sher discovered is that some individuals simply cannot, and should not, decide on a single path; they are genetically wired to pursue many areas. Sher calls them “Scanners”—people whose unique type of mind does not zero in on a single interest but rather scans the horizon, eager to explore everything they see.

Connect with affluent customers, create unique experiences through impeccable service, and close the sale.

Without the cooperation of your subconscious - the deep recesses of your inner self - change can be difficult to impossible. You might consciously have tried to lose weight. But if your subconscious mind was fixated on fattening food and how difficult exercise was, the experience was probably a challenge or a dismal failure. Therefore, changing one or more aspects of your life can’t occur until you affect change on your subconscious.

Based on a far-reaching study of thousands of individuals, Finding Flow contends that we often walk through our days unaware of and out of touch with our emotional lives. Our inattention makes us constantly bounce between two extremes: During much of the day, we live filled with the anxiety and pressures of our work and obligations, and during our leisure moments, we tend to live in passive boredom.

The Fearless Organization offers practical guidance for teams and organizations who are serious about success in the modern economy. With so much riding on innovation, creativity, and spark, it is essential to attract and retain quality talent, but what good does this talent do if no one is able to speak their mind? The traditional culture of "fitting in" and "going along" spells doom in the knowledge economy. Success requires a continuous influx of new ideas, new challenges, and critical thought, and the interpersonal climate must not suppress, silence, ridicule, or intimidate.

What is it that made Starbucks an overnight sensation and separated it from other coffee house companies? Why do many products with great product innovation, perfect locations, terrific customer experiences, even breakthrough advertising, fail to get the same visceral traction in the marketplace as brands like Apple and Nike?

We were created by an infinitely creative God to reflect his love and character to the world. One way we do that is by continuing his creative work. In this energizing book, serial entrepreneur and best-selling author Jordan Raynor helps artists, entrepreneurs, writers, and other creatives re-imagine our work as service to God and others, addressing such penetrating questions as: Is my work as a creative really as God-honoring as that of a pastor or missionary? Will what I make today matter in eternity?