Start Ugly: The Unexpected Path to Everyday Creativity

The poet Goethe is credited as saying, "What you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it, and the work will be completed!" If only it were that easy. In any creative effort, the beginning is the hard part, filled with fears and procrastinations, and­­-often most of all-the paralyzing desire to get it right on the first try (which almost never happens). Creativity is evolutionary; it begins with bad ideas and crappy first efforts and the moment we embrace this idea, not eschewing the ugly beginnings but mining them for possibilities, our everyday creativity flourishes. Start Ugly is a celebration of the messy creative process and a call to face the obstacles of that process with mindfulness and humanity. This is a book for anyone who has ever wished they were "more creative." It's a plea to stop looking for the muses and inspiration before you do your best work. Equal parts needed encouragement to dream big and practical advice for getting your hands dirty, START UGLY is a soulful, at times irreverent, reminder that creativity is more the stuff of hard work and courage than it is the stuff of magic. And if there is magic at all to be found, it's in starting.

The poet Goethe is credited as saying, "What you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it, and the work will be completed!" If only it were that easy. In any creative effort, the beginning is the hard part, filled with fears and procrastinations, and­­-often most of all-the paralyzing desire to get it right on the first try (which almost never happens). Creativity is evolutionary; it begins with bad ideas and crappy first efforts and the moment we embrace this idea, not eschewing the ugly beginnings but mining them for possibilities, our everyday creativity flourishes. Start Ugly is a celebration of the messy creative process and a call to face the obstacles of that process with mindfulness and humanity. This is a book for anyone who has ever wished they were "more creative." It's a plea to stop looking for the muses and inspiration before you do your best work. Equal parts needed encouragement to dream big and practical advice for getting your hands dirty, START UGLY is a soulful, at times irreverent, reminder that creativity is more the stuff of hard work and courage than it is the stuff of magic. And if there is magic at all to be found, it's in starting.