9780134078489

Creativity is not a gift for a select few, but an ongoing process of growth and self-realization available to anyone who puts in the effort to pursue the spark. In this book, Chris Orwig offers a unique perspective on the creative process, showing you how to find meaning in your work, be inspired, and discover the life for which you were designed.

With thoughtful and engaging chapters such as “Keep the Edges Wild,” “Einstein’s Game of Connect the Dots,” and “Grit and Glory,” Chris presents each concept through personal examples—his own and others’—showing how to live a more creative and meaningful life.

Drawn from his 12 years as a faculty member at the prestigious Brooks Institute as well as his experience leading creative inspiration and photography workshops and speaking on global stages, Chris’s stories are designed to teach you how to discover your own creative voice. Each chapter includes exercises to help you incorporate what you’ve learned and connect the topics directly to your own experience.

Features the friendly, approachable voice of Chris Orwig, whose photography, teaching, and speaking have inspired countless aspiring amateurs and professionals alike
Includes exercises in every chapter to help you put the concepts you learned into practice
Offers an elegant design filled with the author’s original photographs captured to visually support the ideas discussed in the book

For resources and inspiration, check out the book's companion site, thecreativefight.com.

Photographer Chris Orwig is an author, teacher, photographer, and creator of over 60 courses at lynda.com. His previous books include, Visual Poetry and People Pictures. He is frequently invited to speak at places like Google headquarters or on the TEDx stage. Whether shooting photographs, speaking, teaching, or writing books, he inspires others to become more creative and to lead better lives. Chris is based in Santa Barbara, California.

Chris says, "While I’ve taught different topics over the years, the feedback always had a common thread. It shows up in comments like these: I thought I was taking a class about Photoshop or portrait photography, and I learned that, but what you taught me most about was life. Or, you have taught me to discover my own creative voice.”

See Chris in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ARBe2JCXw

Introduction: We’re born creative. What went wrong?

1. THE FIGHT IS UNDEFINED

Lost goals and vision blurred

The ladder that leans against wrong tree

Steel and flint

John Muir or Atila the Hun

Debunking the right/left brain myth

Designed for more

Chlorophyll in your veins

The story of the gutter palm

2. YOU’RE USING THE WRONG MAP

Four corners of the same piece of bread

The winepress that changed the world

Creativity isn’t weird

This is more ordinary than you think

The art of riding waves

My dog ate my manuscript

3. THE CAMERA IS A LIFE SAVING DEVICE

Focus and blur

Passport

Savor and deepen

The flaw makes the frame

Grit, guts, and resolve

Magnificent in mundane

Uninteresting point of view

Photography is dead

Shutter blink

More beautiful with age

4. IDENTITY

Dr. Seuss was afraid of kids

The day my ego died

Humility and low self-esteem

Public persona without an internal frame

Bright red ink

Comparison is a thief

Vulnerable veneer

5. NATURAL HABITAT VS. THE ZOO

Heat rocks and tall trees

3 desks and 2 hats

My weakness is books

You can never have too many tools

Surround sound

Basecamp

Mutinous revolt

6. SHARPEN THE TOOL

Prime lens

Dull axe is a dangerous thing

Too many nails

Talent versus skill

Gratitude steers the ship

10,000 hours is a lie

Lost at sea

7. QUIET

The larger the crowd the smaller our lives

Double doors

Whispers of the divine

Listen before you speak

Mute for a day

8. VITAMIN C

Beauty as well as bread

The practice of art is sustenance for the soul

Switch tasking is a disease

Killing birds is unkind

90 to 50 percent

Pursue the light

Worst version of yourself

9. BOOMERANG

Broken window

Trash can friends

Heart rate

Your pictures fall short

Tune the guitar before you play

Footage from the front lines

10. ITERATE

Inspiration is unpredictable or the fickle muse

The pencil is mightier than the pen

Cultivate curiosity

Make a mess

Discontent isn’t enough

Buy another lens

Those who quiver are the best prepared

11. WHAT MAKES YOU TICK

The stringless guitar

Honest and close

Iambic pentameter

Window to the soul

Your heart is a wood burning stove

Small threads connect us all

Your creative license can be revoked

12. IMPOSTERS UNITE

Born of risk, refined by fire

Fish that swallowed the key

Harvard of the high seas

Most famous cover band in the world

Uprising tide

Ashes or dust

13. SHAME AND REGRET

The unwanted gift

Yo-Yo Ma’s mistake

Too cool for school

Common sense is a con artist

Boredom is blasphemy

Forward lean

14. GOING ROGUE

You can’t steer a parked car

Paint your greenhouse blue

Shoot the first frame

Ignite the armchair

Really bad art

Hipsters and pioneers

Two different shoes

Creativity begets more

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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The Creative Fight Create Your Best Work and Live the Life You Imagine

The Creative Fight Create Your Best Work and Live the Life You Imagine

0134078489

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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