Conscious Creativity was such an interesting read. I feel like that statement doesn’t say enough though, so let me clarify further. I feel like I’ve been in a creative rut lately. Between stuff going on in my life, and being so hyper focused on getting Christmas gifts made in time…I feel like I haven’t been giving myself enough time to other creative outlets. This book helped spark that little fire I had let go out, and that means the world to me.
I love that this book was more focused on making you think than trying to make you sit down and do something at that moment. I think the identity of the artist is very important, but sometimes we get so wrapped up in everything else that we forget that. Forcing us to stop, think, and decide what sort of art and style we want to create? It’s priceless.
That’s not to say that there aren’t suggest art projects in this book – there are. I just felt less pressure about it. It’s clear that the projects themselves were designed to help us formulate our style and way of thinking when being creative, as opposed to being focused on the end result.
There are twelve chapters in total here, going from trying to analyze the type of creative in the reader, and eventually making its way to giving advice on continuing projects. In between those it covers all sorts of art basics, from how to look at art to how to understand the elements behind it all. It was extremely comprehensive.

Come for the inspiration, get lost in the beautiful photography, find yourself experiencing change and appreciate the world around you in new ways. There will always be passionate discussions on the nature of creativity. Whether or not you believe creativity can be taught, I believe that if you pay a little more attention and put some effort into the exercises provided in this book, anyone can grow as an artist or creative.
Let the author lead you gently as you explore the world as perceived by your senses.
Even flipping through the book quickly will change the way you view the world.
This book makes a great gift.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto publishing group for allowing me to read a digital copy. I would love to get a print copy for my shelves and to refer back to in moments of curiosity and enforced (manufactured) boredom. Langeweile.

n a very short time, I read "Conscious Creativity: Look. Connect. Create." by Philippa Stanton and "Awakening Your Creative Soul: A 52-Week Journey to Artistic Discovery" by Sandra Duran Wilson. The two books, while on surface talk about the same thing, could not be any more different.

"Conscious Creativity" is far more general in terms of the target art you want to develop and practice. In fact, it does not talk about the act of artistic creation at all - it is what you do in your "other time". And while many exercises use photography to document (and the book is full of great photography), I would not necessarily limit the book audience just to photographers. The exercises are designed to make you look, see and make sense of the world around. There is no step by step instructions, just ideas, and assignments. There are simple observation tasks, doing, like collage or photography, or even hearing - making it applicable to all arts, is it music or writing or visual arts.

"Conscious Creativity" is a beautifully illustrated book with color photographs and could serve as a coffee table book (if it was not published as the paperback). And some of the photos were clearly taken with an iPhone, showing you that you do not need any special tools to do the assignments in the book, just set out to follow the instruction.

"Conscious Creativity" is simply a great gift idea for a creative (or aspiring to be a creative) person in your life.

Who are you creatively? In this book, the author helps readers to learn how to experience their world through exercises. This book addresses different ways to look at color and texture, light/shadow, how to look at the world creatively, and where to look for ideas when you’re in a slump. Included are pictures to inspire and give readers examples. The author’s narrative is well complement by eye-catching, colorful photographs, Exercises are easy to follow and are interesting. Great for readers who are stuck in a rut or need help thinking creatively. Would make a good addition to collections focused on creativity or as a gift.

Conscious Creativity is a nice book for awakening, exploring, and enhancing artistic creativity. It's beautifully put together and has some interesting ideas to explore. Well done.

Conscious Creativity spends more time on getting ready to create than on teh actual creating.
The book talks you through creating art using your emotions and things around you. There are two sets of questions that are really helpful to help you understand your own thoughts about creating. There is also weekly creating activities but once again it's about getting ready to create. Feel what's around you, see what's around you. This connection to the world is important to creativity but at some point, you just have to actually create. I stopped reading about halfway through.
This might be useful for those who not know how to get started or don't feel teh connection to teh world that is needed to create. But for myself, it wasn't very helpful.

A great guide to daily creativity.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author. All opinions are my own.

This is the book you need when you want to make something but you need inspiration. Many is the day I want to make something but not sure what or I want to incorporate an item I have and not sure of what to do with it. Thanks to NetGalley /author/publisher for this I inspiring book.

Do you think of yourself as a creative person? That's great, congratulations. But that means that this book isn't meant for you.
This book is targeted at people who have a hard time finding their creative strength, its focus is on finding a way to channel the idea you have, and getting it from to a finished result. Mrs. Stanton suggests that through observation of the world around you and learning to find the beauty in the ordinary things, you can find inspiration for the drive you feel, a fairly interesting theory on its own. Through exercises, she wants to take the fear you feel about being creative away from you.
Mrs. Stanton's writing is easy to consume and understand, her point is never lost and the text keeps your attention all the way through. The photography it's accompanied by is beautiful, highlighting her point in the best way possible.
I found the book interesting, engaging, and quite helpful. I think it's great for people who don't think of themselves as creative souls as it does it's best to convince you otherwise. I recommend it.

Gorgeous photographs and excellent text help you pay better attention to the world around you, noticing textures, patterns, and colors. As a writer, I loved gazing at the vividly colorful photographs. This book took me out of my artistic comfort zone to think more broadly about artistic composition and patterns. This would be a terrific gift book for the creative people in your life!

I cannot get protected pdfs to download, and I don't know until after I request them that they are pdfs.

Perhaps it is just me, as I see plenty of strongly supportive reviews, but I struggled to get into this book. It breaks the creative process into logical sections, but then a lot of exercises, which seemed like quizzes to me, that I did not see a connection with how to be creative. Tended to skim after awhile, and lost interest in the process. The concept is interesting, but not what I was looking for.

This book was not what I supposed it should have been, but it was so much better! The mindfulness through your creativity, that doesn't need to be particularly crafty of able to paint but it is a force that you just have to let flow so it may bring you to free your spirit. I liked the words of the author and the illustrations so much, that I am going to recommend this book to a lot of person, there is such a need of finding the beauty in the little things n this big scary world!

Questo libro non era come l'avevo immaginato, era molto meglio! Il processo di Mindfulness attraverso la creativitá, che non deve per forza essere solo di chi sa disegnare o cucire, ma é una forza che basta lasciar fluire in modo da liberare la nostra capacitá di vedere il bello in tutte le piccole cose, che é ció di cui credo ci sia un gran bisogno attualmente. Inoltre le foto sono bellissime e anche le parole dell'autrice che le accompagnano.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Conscious Creativity by Philippa Stanton
Look. Connect. Create.

As I finished looking through and reading this book I looked a second time to see what the purpose of the book was meant to be and found two paragraphs that summed up the goal, I believe, of the author:

Look, Connect, Create
How often do you notice the texture of a painted wall or the scent of a friend’s house and, importantly, how they make you feel? Connect your observations and your emotions and transform your creative practice with this essential toolbox packed full of exercises, tips, stunning images and personal experiences from dynamic artist Philippa Stanton.

Written as a guide or springboard towards developing your own creativity in a very conscious way, a way of utilizing all your senses and everything around you. There are no hard-and-fast rules, secrets or techniques to unlock your full creative potential, but there are definitely exercises that can help you to look at and see what surrounds you in a different, deeper and more meaningful way.

The photographs are evocative and beautiful. The exercises and questions are insightful and thought provoking. The feeling I left the book with was that I will look for the beauty that surrounds me then use what my senses experience to try to create beauty in my life daily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Leaping Hare Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Another fantastic book to get your creative juices flowing!
This book is not only nice to look at. More importantly it is packed with great information and you will work through the exercises, set goals, observe, learn about your fears, look at colors, learn about composition and more.
The photographs throughout are absolutely beautiful and make you want to grab your own camera and start exploring your surroundings.
I especially loved the first chapter about "What creative type are you?" You get to think about and answer 40 questions and this made me think so much about my own creative path and what I want to express and achieve.

I can recommend this book to any creative person and artist from beginner to advanced.

Thank you so much NetGalley for granting my wish!

t

The world has become a dark and frightening place, very day we are besieged with stories of death and destruction and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Now more than ever, i feel the need to reconnect with the natural world, to be able to slow down and focus on the small things that bring me joy. Stanton’s book is all about teaching us how to do that, from finding out where your creative spirit lies to actually creating something beautiful for yourself, this book is all about finding an inner peace. Just reading it brought my blood pressure down a few points

This book was really intriguing as it focuses on creativity and not how to perform a specific art in itself. Therefore, the angle is totally different from usual art books and I like that a lot. The beginning of the book is really interesting as it is helping you to understand which creative person you are and explain what are the usual blocks interfere with creativity. Each theme, usually centered with a sense, also includes a practical exercise. I really liked reading this book that can help you if you are a creative person.