50 Books like Creative Calling

Think Like an Artist

by Will Gompertz • 2015

The artist's playbook for any career: turn failure into fuel and ideas into assets.

3.84

2k+

🧱 Creative Practice 🎨 Artist Entrepreneurs 🔄 Failure As Iteration

Think Like an Artist 97%

The artist's playbook for any career: turn failure into fuel and ideas into assets.

by Will Gompertz 2015

3.84

2k+ ratings

🧱 Creative Practice 🎨 Artist Entrepreneurs 🔄 Failure As Iteration

Someday Is Today

by Matthew Dicks • 2022

A creative's guide to reclaiming hours, failing forward, and succeeding without being a jerk.

3.86

1k+

🛠️ Creative Productivity ⏳ Time Management 🔁 Habit Design

Someday Is Today 97%

A creative's guide to reclaiming hours, failing forward, and succeeding without being a jerk.

by Matthew Dicks 2022

3.86

1k+ ratings

🛠️ Creative Productivity ⏳ Time Management 🔁 Habit Design

How Creativity Rules the World

by Maria Brito • 2022

Your best idea will arrive in silence, after a failure, or from someone unlike you.

3.78

251

🎨 Art And Business 💼 Creative Business 🛠️ Creative Process

How Creativity Rules the World 97%

Your best idea will arrive in silence, after a failure, or from someone unlike you.

by Maria Brito 2022

3.78

251 ratings

🎨 Art And Business 💼 Creative Business 🛠️ Creative Process

Feck Perfuction

by James Victore • 2019

Perfection kills more work than criticism ever did. A designer's guide to making things anyway.

4.04

2k+

🎨 Creative Process 🚫 Anti-Perfectionism 💪 Embracing Failure

Feck Perfuction 97%

Perfection kills more work than criticism ever did. A designer's guide to making things anyway.

by James Victore 2019

4.04

2k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Process 🚫 Anti-Perfectionism 💪 Embracing Failure

Never Play It Safe

by Chase Jarvis • 2024

Why the safe route is the biggest gamble, and how to build a life you actually want.

3.86

406

🎨 Creative Business 🧭 Life Design 🎯 Attention Management

Never Play It Safe 97%

Why the safe route is the biggest gamble, and how to build a life you actually want.

by Chase Jarvis 2024

3.86

406 ratings

🎨 Creative Business 🧭 Life Design 🎯 Attention Management

Louder than Words

by Todd Henry • 2015

From imitation to unmistakable: the cycle that builds your creative voice and makes it last.

4.11

457

🎨 Creative Work 🎤 Creative Voice 🎯 Identity And Work

Louder than Words 97%

From imitation to unmistakable: the cycle that builds your creative voice and makes it last.

by Todd Henry 2015

4.11

457 ratings

🎨 Creative Work 🎤 Creative Voice 🎯 Identity And Work

The Creative Habit

by Twyla Tharp • 2003

A choreographer's method for making creativity a daily practice instead of a waiting game.

4.09

42k+

🎨 Creative Practice 🔄 Habit Formation 🌅 Creative Rituals

The Creative Habit 97%

A choreographer's method for making creativity a daily practice instead of a waiting game.

by Twyla Tharp 2003

4.09

42k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Practice 🔄 Habit Formation 🌅 Creative Rituals

Manage Your Day-to-Day

by Jocelyn K. Glei • 2013

Reclaim your best creative hours from email and distraction with one rule that puts the work first.

3.98

28k+

🎨 Creative Workflow 🔕 Attention Management 🔄 Habit Design

Manage Your Day-to-Day 96%

Reclaim your best creative hours from email and distraction with one rule that puts the work first.

by Jocelyn K. Glei 2013

3.98

28k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Workflow 🔕 Attention Management 🔄 Habit Design

The Icarus Deception

by Seth Godin • 2012

The economy no longer rewards playing it safe; it demands you make art, not just widgets.

4.07

19k+

🎨 Creative Work 💸 New Economy 🧱 Creative Resistance

The Icarus Deception 96%

The economy no longer rewards playing it safe; it demands you make art, not just widgets.

by Seth Godin 2012

4.07

19k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Work 💸 New Economy 🧱 Creative Resistance

Creativity for Life

by Eric Maisel • 2007

The creativity coach's manual for making art, selling it, and staying sane in between.

3.93

115

💼 Creative Careers 🎨 Artistic Process 🚧 Creative Blocks

Creativity for Life 96%

The creativity coach's manual for making art, selling it, and staying sane in between.

by Eric Maisel 2007

3.93

115 ratings

💼 Creative Careers 🎨 Artistic Process 🚧 Creative Blocks

The Art of Creative Thinking

by Rod Judkins • 2015

Why artistic breakthroughs come from doubt, inexperience, and happy accidents, not innate talent.

4.00

3k+

🎨 Creative Process 🖌️ Artistic Practice 🧪 Creative Experimentation

The Art of Creative Thinking 96%

Why artistic breakthroughs come from doubt, inexperience, and happy accidents, not innate talent.

by Rod Judkins 2015

4.00

3k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Process 🖌️ Artistic Practice 🧪 Creative Experimentation

Do the F*cking Work

by Brian Buirge • 2019

How to stop waiting for inspiration, survive your own bad taste, and ship work that matters.

3.92

281

🎨 Creative Process 🤬 Profane Self-Help 💥 Embracing Failure

Do the F*cking Work 96%

How to stop waiting for inspiration, survive your own bad taste, and ship work that matters.

by Brian Buirge 2019

3.92

281 ratings

🎨 Creative Process 🤬 Profane Self-Help 💥 Embracing Failure

The Rise

by Sarah Lewis • 2014

Mastery is fueled not by success but by the ache of almost succeeding, again and again.

3.66

1k+

🎨 Creative Process 🏔️ Mastery Studies 💥 Psychology Of Failure

The Rise 96%

Mastery is fueled not by success but by the ache of almost succeeding, again and again.

by Sarah Lewis 2014

3.66

1k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Process 🏔️ Mastery Studies 💥 Psychology Of Failure

Find Your Artistic Voice

by Lisa Congdon • 2019

Voice is built, not born. Daily practice, borrowed influences, and the discomfort most artists flee.

4.05

3k+

🎨 Artistic Practice 🔄 Creative Process 🖼️ Visual Arts

Find Your Artistic Voice 96%

Voice is built, not born. Daily practice, borrowed influences, and the discomfort most artists flee.

by Lisa Congdon 2019

4.05

3k+ ratings

🎨 Artistic Practice 🔄 Creative Process 🖼️ Visual Arts

inGenius

by Tina Seelig • 2012

Why limits spark creativity, and how a single question can change everything.

3.85

1k+

🎨 Design Thinking 💡 Innovation Culture 🔍 Problem Reframing

inGenius 96%

Why limits spark creativity, and how a single question can change everything.

by Tina Seelig 2012

3.85

1k+ ratings

🎨 Design Thinking 💡 Innovation Culture 🔍 Problem Reframing

Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be

by Steven Pressfield • 2022

Your physical location and daily commitment open more doors than talent. Show up where it counts.

4.02

1k+

🧱 Creative Discipline 🌠 Creative Calling 🚧 Overcoming Creative Block

Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be Summary

Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be 96%

Your physical location and daily commitment open more doors than talent. Show up where it counts.

by Steven Pressfield 2022

4.02

1k+ ratings

🧱 Creative Discipline 🌠 Creative Calling 🚧 Overcoming Creative Block

Make Your Creative Dreams Real

by SARK • 2004

Five-minute actions to start creating when procrastination and perfectionism have you stuck.

4.10

1k+

🎨 Creative Practice 👣 Small Steps 💫 Perfectionism Recovery

Make Your Creative Dreams Real 96%

Five-minute actions to start creating when procrastination and perfectionism have you stuck.

by SARK 2004

4.10

1k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Practice 👣 Small Steps 💫 Perfectionism Recovery

We Need Your Art

by Amie McNee • 2025

No permission needed. The tiny daily practice that outruns perfectionism and gets you to finished.

4.36

2k+

🎨 Creative Practice 👑 Artistic Identity 🧱 Creative Blocks

We Need Your Art 96%

No permission needed. The tiny daily practice that outruns perfectionism and gets you to finished.

by Amie McNee 2025

4.36

2k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Practice 👑 Artistic Identity 🧱 Creative Blocks

Big Magic

by Elizabeth Gilbert • 2015

What if creativity isn't something you summon but something that's already looking for you?

3.96

236k+

🎨 Creative Process ⚒️ Creative Discipline ✂️ Creative Perfectionism

Big Magic 96%

What if creativity isn't something you summon but something that's already looking for you?

by Elizabeth Gilbert 2015

3.96

236k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Process ⚒️ Creative Discipline ✂️ Creative Perfectionism

The Power of Starting Something Stupid

by Richie Norton • 2012

The best ideas sound foolish first. How to start yours before you feel ready.

3.94

848

💡 Unconventional Business 🎨 Creative Risk-Taking 🔨 Anti-Perfectionism

The Power of Starting Something Stupid Summary

The Power of Starting Something Stupid 96%

The best ideas sound foolish first. How to start yours before you feel ready.

by Richie Norton 2012

3.94

848 ratings

💡 Unconventional Business 🎨 Creative Risk-Taking 🔨 Anti-Perfectionism

Keep Going

by Austin Kleon • 2019

Creativity runs in seasons, not streaks. Ten ways to keep making work through the winter.

4.26

18k+

🎨 Creative Practice 📅 Creative Routines 🧘 Creative Solitude

Keep Going 96%

Creativity runs in seasons, not streaks. Ten ways to keep making work through the winter.

by Austin Kleon 2019

4.26

18k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Practice 📅 Creative Routines 🧘 Creative Solitude

The Accidental Creative

by Todd Henry • 2011

Inspiration is optional: the systems that make creative work reliable, not random.

4.06

6k+

🎨 Creative Professionals 🏗️ Structured Creativity ⚡ Energy Management

The Accidental Creative 96%

Inspiration is optional: the systems that make creative work reliable, not random.

by Todd Henry 2011

4.06

6k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Professionals 🏗️ Structured Creativity ⚡ Energy Management

Fearless Creating

by Eric Maisel • 1995

Anxiety kills more art than lack of talent. A guide for starting and finishing creative work.

3.89

366

🧠 Creative Process 🎨 Artistic Practice 😰 Anxiety Management

Fearless Creating 96%

Anxiety kills more art than lack of talent. A guide for starting and finishing creative work.

by Eric Maisel 1995

3.89

366 ratings

🧠 Creative Process 🎨 Artistic Practice 😰 Anxiety Management

The Creative Curve

by Allen Gannett • 2018

Creativity isn't magic. It follows a bell-shaped curve you can learn to ride.

3.99

2k+

🎨 Creative Process 🏋️ Deliberate Practice 🔁 Idea Iteration

The Creative Curve 96%

Creativity isn't magic. It follows a bell-shaped curve you can learn to ride.

by Allen Gannett 2018

3.99

2k+ ratings

🎨 Creative Process 🏋️ Deliberate Practice 🔁 Idea Iteration

Ignore Everybody

by Hugh MacLeod • 2009

Forty rules for creative freedom: ignore the crowd, keep the day job, and build your own audience.

4.08

29k+

🎨 Artistic Sovereignty 💼 Day Job Creativity 🌐 Online Audience Building

Ignore Everybody 96%

Forty rules for creative freedom: ignore the crowd, keep the day job, and build your own audience.

by Hugh MacLeod 2009

4.08

29k+ ratings

🎨 Artistic Sovereignty 💼 Day Job Creativity 🌐 Online Audience Building

Fail Fast, Fail Often

by Ryan Babineaux • 2013

Successful people collect more failures than anyone else. What they do with them.

3.97

856

🚀 Entrepreneurial Mindset 🔄 Lean Methodology ✂️ Anti-Perfectionism

Fail Fast, Fail Often 96%

Successful people collect more failures than anyone else. What they do with them.

by Ryan Babineaux 2013

3.97

856 ratings

🚀 Entrepreneurial Mindset 🔄 Lean Methodology ✂️ Anti-Perfectionism

Coaching the Artist Within

by Eric Maisel • 2005

Manage creative anxiety, sustain mental energy, and show up when conditions are never right.

4.08

390

🎨 Creative Process 🖌️ Artistic Practice 🧠 Self-Coaching

Coaching the Artist Within 96%

Manage creative anxiety, sustain mental energy, and show up when conditions are never right.

by Eric Maisel 2005

4.08

390 ratings

🎨 Creative Process 🖌️ Artistic Practice 🧠 Self-Coaching

Your Life As Art

by Robert Fritz • 2002

Forget fixing beliefs. Change comes from the gap between what you want and what you have.

4.21

131

🎨 Life Design 🖌️ Creative Process 🪤 Self-Sabotage

Your Life As Art 96%

Forget fixing beliefs. Change comes from the gap between what you want and what you have.

by Robert Fritz 2002

4.21

131 ratings

🎨 Life Design 🖌️ Creative Process 🪤 Self-Sabotage

A Whack on the Side of the Head

by Roger Von Oech • 1973

Creativity is blocked not by lack of talent but by rules you forgot you were following.

3.95

3k+

🧠 Creative Thinking 💡 Innovation Methods ↔️ Lateral Thinking

A Whack on the Side of the Head 96%

Creativity is blocked not by lack of talent but by rules you forgot you were following.

by Roger Von Oech 1973

3.95

3k+ ratings

🧠 Creative Thinking 💡 Innovation Methods ↔️ Lateral Thinking

Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk

by Danielle Krysa • 2016

Ten mental blocks that keep you from creating, and the illustrated, pocket-sized ways around them.

3.68

2k+

🧱 Creative Blocks 🗣️ Inner Critic 💪 Creative Confidence

Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk 96%

Ten mental blocks that keep you from creating, and the illustrated, pocket-sized ways around them.

by Danielle Krysa 2016

3.68

2k+ ratings

🧱 Creative Blocks 🗣️ Inner Critic 💪 Creative Confidence

Art, Inc.

by Lisa Congdon • 2014

Turn your art into a business: diversify income, build a brand, and sell without selling out.

3.98

2k+

🎨 Art Business 💼 Creative Careers 🚀 Artist Entrepreneurship

Art, Inc. 96%

Turn your art into a business: diversify income, build a brand, and sell without selling out.

by Lisa Congdon 2014

3.98

2k+ ratings

🎨 Art Business 💼 Creative Careers 🚀 Artist Entrepreneurship

Choose Yourself!

by James Altucher • 2013

Your resume won't save you. Daily routines, ruthless honesty, and idea practice that build a life.

3.82

13k+

🔄 Personal Reinvention 💻 Digital Entrepreneurship 💡 Idea Generation

Choose Yourself! 96%

Your resume won't save you. Daily routines, ruthless honesty, and idea practice that build a life.

by James Altucher 2013

3.82

13k+ ratings

🔄 Personal Reinvention 💻 Digital Entrepreneurship 💡 Idea Generation

Zig Zag

by R. Keith Sawyer • 2013

Creativity is trainable, not magic. Eight habits that turn scattered ideas into finished work.

3.90

375

🧠 Creative Process 💡 Idea Generation ❓ Problem Finding

Zig Zag 96%

Creativity is trainable, not magic. Eight habits that turn scattered ideas into finished work.

by R. Keith Sawyer 2013

3.90

375 ratings

🧠 Creative Process 💡 Idea Generation ❓ Problem Finding

Creative Confidence

by Tom Kelley • 2013

Creativity is a muscle anyone can build: start with empathy, prototype fast, and learn from failure.

3.97

14k+

👥 Human-Centered Design ✍️ Creative Practice 😨 Fear Of Failure

Creative Confidence 96%

Creativity is a muscle anyone can build: start with empathy, prototype fast, and learn from failure.

by Tom Kelley 2013

3.97

14k+ ratings

👥 Human-Centered Design ✍️ Creative Practice 😨 Fear Of Failure

Making Ideas Happen

by Scott Belsky • 2010

The reason creatives don't finish projects isn't talent or ideas; it's the lack of a workflow.

4.10

29k+

📋 Task Management 🎨 Design Thinking 🧑‍🎨 Creative Professionals

Making Ideas Happen 96%

The reason creatives don't finish projects isn't talent or ideas; it's the lack of a workflow.

by Scott Belsky 2010

4.10

29k+ ratings

📋 Task Management 🎨 Design Thinking 🧑‍🎨 Creative Professionals

Creativity Rules

by Tina Seelig • 2017

Most ideas die between imagination and launch. A four-part cycle fixes that.

3.64

421

🧠 Design Thinking 🔧 Innovation Frameworks ⚙️ Idea Execution

Creativity Rules 95%

Most ideas die between imagination and launch. A four-part cycle fixes that.

by Tina Seelig 2017

3.64

421 ratings

🧠 Design Thinking 🔧 Innovation Frameworks ⚙️ Idea Execution

The War of Art

by Steven Pressfield • 2002

Procrastination is not a flaw but an enemy. The only weapon is daily, professional discipline.

3.97

120k+

🧱 Creative Block 🪤 Self-Sabotage 🛠️ Artistic Discipline

The War of Art 95%

Procrastination is not a flaw but an enemy. The only weapon is daily, professional discipline.

by Steven Pressfield 2002

3.97

120k+ ratings

🧱 Creative Block 🪤 Self-Sabotage 🛠️ Artistic Discipline

Make Your Own Rules

by Andrew Huang • 2024

A working creator's guide to making a living from art without burning out or selling out.

4.27

319

🎨 Creative Careers 💼 Creative Entrepreneurship 🎯 Redefining Success

Make Your Own Rules 95%

A working creator's guide to making a living from art without burning out or selling out.

by Andrew Huang 2024

4.27

319 ratings

🎨 Creative Careers 💼 Creative Entrepreneurship 🎯 Redefining Success

Imagine

by Jonah Lehrer • 2012

Why cities, outsiders, and arguments produce more breakthroughs than solitary genius ever does.

3.98

55k+

🔬 Creativity Research 🔄 Creative Process 👥 Group Creativity

Imagine 95%

Why cities, outsiders, and arguments produce more breakthroughs than solitary genius ever does.

by Jonah Lehrer 2012

3.98

55k+ ratings

🔬 Creativity Research 🔄 Creative Process 👥 Group Creativity

Hunch

by Bernadette Jiwa • 2017

Breakthrough ideas start with noticing what others overlook, and that is a skill you can train.

3.51

490

🎨 Design Thinking 💡 Everyday Innovation 👀 Opportunity Spotting

Hunch 95%

Breakthrough ideas start with noticing what others overlook, and that is a skill you can train.

by Bernadette Jiwa 2017

3.51

490 ratings

🎨 Design Thinking 💡 Everyday Innovation 👀 Opportunity Spotting

Creative Quest

by Ahmir Thompson • 2018

Questlove on noticing more, curating what sticks, and making failure a collaborator.

3.94

4k+

🔄 Creative Process 🧠 Creative Cognition 🤝 Creative Collaboration

Creative Quest 95%

Questlove on noticing more, curating what sticks, and making failure a collaborator.

by Ahmir Thompson 2018

3.94

4k+ ratings

🔄 Creative Process 🧠 Creative Cognition 🤝 Creative Collaboration

Big Dreams, Daily Joys

by Elise Blaha Cripe • 2019

The productivity book for people who refuse to hustle: fewer tasks, more white space, bigger dreams.

4.39

1k+

🎯 Goal Setting ⏰ Time Management 🧘 Anti-Hustle

Big Dreams, Daily Joys 95%

The productivity book for people who refuse to hustle: fewer tasks, more white space, bigger dreams.

by Elise Blaha Cripe 2019

4.39

1k+ ratings

🎯 Goal Setting ⏰ Time Management 🧘 Anti-Hustle

Insight Out

by Tina Seelig • 2015

Four stages carry an idea from imagination to impact. Skip the first, and nothing else follows.

3.78

432

🔧 Design Thinking 🔄 Innovation Frameworks 🚀 Entrepreneurial Mindset

Insight Out 95%

Four stages carry an idea from imagination to impact. Skip the first, and nothing else follows.

by Tina Seelig 2015

3.78

432 ratings

🔧 Design Thinking 🔄 Innovation Frameworks 🚀 Entrepreneurial Mindset

How to Sell Your Art Online

by Cory Huff • 2016

Replace the starving artist story with a sustainable business, half creation and half marketing.

4.07

389

🖌️ Art Business 📧 Audience Building 📖 Brand Storytelling

How to Sell Your Art Online 95%

Replace the starving artist story with a sustainable business, half creation and half marketing.

by Cory Huff 2016

4.07

389 ratings

🖌️ Art Business 📧 Audience Building 📖 Brand Storytelling

The Complete Artist's Way

by Julia Cameron • 2007

Three longhand pages each morning, a weekly solo date: two habits that cure creative paralysis.

4.30

2k+

🧱 Creative Blocks 📝 Creative Practice 🌅 Morning Routine

The Complete Artist's Way 95%

Three longhand pages each morning, a weekly solo date: two habits that cure creative paralysis.

by Julia Cameron 2007

4.30

2k+ ratings

🧱 Creative Blocks 📝 Creative Practice 🌅 Morning Routine

Make Good Art

by Neil Gaiman • 2013

When your career, heart, or world falls apart, you have one creative option.

4.28

10k+

🎨 Artistic Process 💼 Freelance Life 💪 Creative Resilience

Make Good Art 95%

When your career, heart, or world falls apart, you have one creative option.

by Neil Gaiman 2013

4.28

10k+ ratings

🎨 Artistic Process 💼 Freelance Life 💪 Creative Resilience

Creative Strategy and the Business of Design

by Douglas Davis • 2016

The business and strategy skills that move designers from order-takers to trusted partners.

4.00

392

🎯 Creative Strategy 💼 Business For Designers 🏷️ Brand Strategy

Creative Strategy and the Business of Design Summary

Creative Strategy and the Business of Design 95%

The business and strategy skills that move designers from order-takers to trusted partners.

by Douglas Davis 2016

4.00

392 ratings

🎯 Creative Strategy 💼 Business For Designers 🏷️ Brand Strategy

The Writers Journey

by Petros Eshetu • 2020

Every unwritten book begins with self-doubt. This is the system for writing yours anyway.

4.63

✍️ Aspiring Authors 🧱 Writer'S Block ⏰ Creative Habits

The Writers Journey 95%

Every unwritten book begins with self-doubt. This is the system for writing yours anyway.

by Petros Eshetu 2020

4.63

8 ratings

✍️ Aspiring Authors 🧱 Writer'S Block ⏰ Creative Habits

Turning Pro

by Steven Pressfield • 2012

Amateur to pro is a daily choice, made fresh each morning, especially the bad ones.

4.15

14k+

🧱 Creative Discipline 😨 Creative Fear 📅 Daily Practice

Turning Pro 95%

Amateur to pro is a daily choice, made fresh each morning, especially the bad ones.

by Steven Pressfield 2012

4.15

14k+ ratings

🧱 Creative Discipline 😨 Creative Fear 📅 Daily Practice

Refuse to Choose!

by Barbara Sher • 2006

You're not scattered. You're wired for variety, and there's a career model that actually fits.

3.97

5k+

🎨 Career Design 🧩 Multipotentialites 💡 Creative Polymathy

Refuse to Choose! 95%

You're not scattered. You're wired for variety, and there's a career model that actually fits.

by Barbara Sher 2006

3.97

5k+ ratings

🎨 Career Design 🧩 Multipotentialites 💡 Creative Polymathy

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