Who This Book Is For

You’re reading an excerpt of Creative Doing, by Herbert Lui. 75 practical techniques to unlock creative potential in your work, hobby, or next career. Purchase now for instant, lifetime access to the book.

If you’re reading this, I’m sure you’re a fan of an artist, a field, or a subculture, eager to make your contribution through remixing, interpreting, or creating something.

You could be starting your journey to creating and publishing your work online. You might be working a full-time job in a field unrelated to your creativity, and recently left or are considering leaving. Maybe you want to try a creative hobby outside of your day job.

Maybe you just know that you’ve got something to give to the world that you don’t have a chance to express right now.

Michael Saviello, a manager at Astor Place Hairstylists, was inspired to pick up his paintbrush after he saw his friend and customer Rafael Hines self-publish his book Bishop’s War by writing from midnight to 3 a.m., sleeping until 6 a.m., and going to his full-time job. He resolved to paint during his lunch hour; several months into this habit, he debuted at his local art gallery. He said in an interview with Humans of New York, “My entire life, I’d been saying, ‘I can do that.’ I always knew it. But I finally did it. So now other people know it too.”

In this book, you’ll hear firsthand from Saviello, as well as other acclaimed creatives like Shantell Martin and DJ Dahi, to get a better sense of how they do what they do. That’s the promise of Creative Doing. Whether it’s dull or torturously painful, you are experiencing a block on your creativity, and this book will enable you to unblock it, express it, and get it flowing again.

You’ll find this book useful if you are:

• A content creator online, who wants to rediscover the joy of creativity and connection, find new sources of inspiration, refine your creative process, and deepen your craft.

• A creative independent who wants to restore your passion, rediscover a creative outlet that isn’t commercially driven, and to work through creative blocks.

• A creative hobbyist who wants to figure out your creative purpose, pursue creative excellence, and make time for your creative endeavors.

• An in-house creative who wants to be more creative at work, by finding new ways to solve professional problems and apply your creative skills, developing new technical skills, and getting more comfortable with brainstorming and ideation.

You may find that more than one of these roles describe your situation. Making progress with your creative work will require you to commit essential amounts of time, at least three to five hours per week, in researching, learning, or trying to participate in a form of creativity or art. Maybe you’re already along on your journey, and are spending money each month seeking inspiration, or maintaining your software or equipment for your practice. You’re clearly interested in creative expression, and you’re now encountering some of the other challenges that come along the road—uncertainty in the quality of your work, developing your skills, finding your creative purpose.

I wrote this book to honor and support you, the emerging, competitive, and practicing creators and artists dedicated to exploring your creative potential.