6 Books To Read When You Need A Massive Creativity Awakening
A Reading Prescription for When You’re Creatively Stuck in Life...
NOTE: I keep my promise to keep Untangled Free for everyone at all times. I don’t want to gatekeep any value that can better your life, help you grow as a person, and evolve. But, the links to shop these curated book below are affiliate links so I do make a small commission (if you buy them from these links). The books are my personal picks though, I am not getting paid to recommend these books specifically. I appreciate your support!
Ever feel like your creativity has gone into hibernation? Like you’ve got ideas… somewhere, but they’re buried under to-do lists, self-doubt, and the pressure to "get it right"? If you’ve been craving a spark, a perspective shift, or just a good ol’ artistic jolt, this one's for you.
I’ve curated six books that don’t just tell you how to be more creative—they remind you that you already are. From bold reframes on ambition to gentle nudges toward self-expression, these reads are equal parts inspiring and actionable.
Whether you're launching something new or simply need to fall back in love with your own voice, these books are your creative wake-up call. Let's get into it.
Fuck Being Humble, by Stefanie Sword-Williams
Whether it is through our parents, our education, our bosses, our colleagues, or the media we consume, we are constantly told that being humble is essential to our professional success. It's often seen as distasteful or arrogant to shout about our achievements. But in a modern workplace, where the conventional, steady, linear career path is becoming rarer and rarer, this advice seems ever-more obsolete. In the age of flexible working and portfolio careers, it's time to f*ck being humble.
It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be, by Paul Arden
It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be is a handbook of how to succeed in the world - a pocket 'bible' for the talented and timid to make the unthinkable thinkable and the impossible possible. The world's top advertising guru, Paul Arden, offers up his wisdom on issues as diverse as problem solving, responding to a brief, communicating, playing your cards right, making mistakes and creativity, all notions that can be applied to aspects of modern life. This book provides a unique insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom, packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads. If you want to succeed in life or business, this is a must!
The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg
The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be. Desperate to land a key sale at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar, a legendary consultant referred to by his many devotees simply as the Chairman.
Over the next week, Pindar introduces Joe to a series of “go-givers”: a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial adviser, a real estate broker, and the “Connector” who brought them all together. Pindar’s friends teach Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and help him open himself up to the power of giving. Joe learns that changing his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives—ultimately leads to unexpected returns.
Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon
An inspiring guide to creativity in the digital age, Steal Like an Artist presents ten transformative principles that will help readers discover their artistic side and build a more creative life.
Nothing is original, so embrace influence, school yourself through the work of others, remix and reimagine to discover your own path. Follow interests wherever they take you—what feels like a hobby may turn into you life’s work. Forget the old cliché about writing what you know: Instead, write the book you want to read, make the movie you want to watch.
Show Your Work, by Austin Kleon
In his New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon showed readers how to unlock their creativity by “stealing” from the community of other movers and shakers. Now, in an even more forward-thinking and necessary book, he shows how to take that critical next step on a creative journey―getting known.
Show Your Work! is about why generosity trumps genius. It’s about getting findable, about using the network instead of wasting time “networking.” It’s not self-promotion, it’s self-discovery―let others into your process, then let them steal from you. Filled with illustrations, quotes, stories, and examples, Show Your Work! offers ten transformative rules for being open, generous, brave, productive.
Zag by Marty Neumeier
In an age of me-too products and instant communications, keeping up with the competition is no longer a winning strategy. Today you have to out-position, out-maneuver, and out-design the competition. The new rule? When everybody zigs, zag. In his first book, THE BRAND GAP, Neumeier showed companies how to bridge the distance between business strategy and design. In ZAG, he illustrates the number-one strategy of high-performance brands―radical differentiation.