The 12 Secrets Of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor

The 12 Secrets Of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor

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3.73 of 5 stars 3.73  ·  rating details  ·  288 ratings  ·  33 reviews
Sparked by her long search for inspiration in her life and work, Gail McMeekin has worked closely with some of today's most highly creative women for her one-of-a-kind guide to maximizing creative energy. "For many women," she writes, "breaking free of our societal and psychological chains is a prerequisite to truly creating a life that expresses our genuineness and unique...more
Paperback, 236 pages
Published February 1st 2000 by Conari Press
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Teresa
I am currently re-reading/re-viewing this book. With special attention to "Secret 3" ... Following Your Fascination. It is basic but essential to have affirmation in the midst of creative pursuits.

Quoting from 37: "It takes courage to follow your fascinations, wherever they may lead. Yet, creativity demands that you trust and stay on the path despite obstacles. The good news is that it's possible."

This chapter presents "Taking Courageous Risks" ... being willing to try and fail as part of the...more
Becky
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Lindsey Duncan
Liberally filled with thoughtful quotations and illustrative stories, this book tackles the subject of making space in your life to pursue creativity - in terms of time, physical space, mental energy, privacy and many other aspects. Although the author asserts that the contents apply to anyone who wants to access their creativity, the book's slant and the lion's share of the miniature biographies focus on women who pursue creative work as a career. Still, I think it can be validly helpful for th...more
Lynn
A very nice book.

What you shouldn't expect when you get this book are pictures - there are none. It is a very text-heavy book ("portable mentor") that features interviews, tips, tricks, questions to answer. In fact, it is more of a workbook than it seems at first sight! You can answer the questions and do the exercises as shallow or deep as you want to - I'd recommend deep, they are quite good!

If you don't want to read a coffee-table-book that has pictures you can adore, but if you look for so...more
Mary Radmacher
when my friend shared this book with me last summer...last summer when i was doing a creative juggling act between large numbers of unrelated projects...she suggested this book might help me. guess what? it did! first of all - the parts of my self that i saw reflected in the patterns identified in gail's book lifted my spirits and validated what i knew. hey! whatyda know? and then...there was a ton of stuff that these smart women model that i took the lead from. excellent for any creative lass w...more
Webfrau
I gave this book 2 stars on the basis that it has some good quotes in that I liked but overall I didn't find it helpful or useful in any way. It's just not my style, far too "new age" and "touchy feely' for my liking. It really is a huge compilation of anecdotes from creative women but really they're just snippets of their experiences without showing any significant depth to the way they dealt with them or any real point. Maybe I just missed the point?
Amanda
I read this book in tandem with "How to Think Like a Millionaire" -- it was an intention meets creativity combo!

"12 Secrets" is a book about women tapping into their authenticity and utilizing their creative forces. If you really do not know where to start, this book is an excellent guide/workbook. Otherwise, this book is simply another reminder on actualizing your best self.
Therese Gilardi
i really like this book - the 12 secrets are very clever. i enjoyed how open the interviewees were, and the poetry thrown in to the book near the end. the only small complaint i would have is that the typeset was a bit off which i found distracting.
Tricia
Jul 12, 2010 Tricia is currently reading it
This book is inspiring straight from the top. There are challenges throughout the book that I'm working through, slowly (which is why I can manage reading this book and two other books at the same time!) Growth takes time, ya kno?
Cynthia Neale
Many "how-to" books about the creative life easily assist procrastination, but this book should be at the bedside of every woman, young and old. I immediately decided to order a few copies to give as gifts to my women friends. Along with many profound quotes and candid anecdotes, there are exercises that challenge women to fulfill realistic dreams.
Danita Reynolds
This book is an excellent book for encouraging creative women to empower themselves with strength to become successful in their profession.
Honore
May 23, 2009 Honore is currently reading it
Ran across this title on one of the blogs I read. This is second time it's landed on my reading shelf ~ never actually read several years ago. TBC...
Georgann Nugent
Very inspirational. Chapters on the creativity process by successful working artists, dancers, authors, actresses.
Audrey
We used this book in a journal class I took.... I like the chanllenges....they brought up things which I had buried
Allison Cooper
Looks like a lightweight at first glance, but it contains some valuable insight.
Miranda Hersey
A must-read for all creative women.
Brenda
This book was not as helpful as I had hoped.
Gloria
Nothing new here that one hasn't heard already. (Make time, make space, etc.)

Cool quotes in the margins of the pages-- but otherwise, it rapidly became one of those books you "scan" through.
drozda
a keeper
Juliezs
This was a great book that I got a lot out of. There were a lot of ideas in here that I've encountered in other reading, but this was like an in-depth seminar in a book. Really good prompts and questions to ask yourself and write about. I would recommend it to any woman that is struggling with making the change from being a creative person to being a creative businessperson. Very practical advice, with real-woman interviews and ideas from women in different fields, arts, writing, etc.
Kate
I flipped through this and decided it was too self-helpy, never even left the library.
Pamela Harac-Hardy
--Interesting to read about other women's creative hurdles---I could relate to many of the shared stories.
Tammy
Feb 24, 2008 Tammy rated it 2 of 5 stars
Shelves: art
A somewhat interesting but not engaging read. The bits and pieces and quotes from each of the artists the author interviewed are not of enough depth to learn or be motivated by them. There are other more inspiring books for developing creativity such as Danny Gregory's "Everyday Matters" or "Creative License"
Gemma
Learning alot from this book and the other bookbloggers who are reading this.
Gina
This book was pretty good. It was full of writing exercises and great quotations about the creative process. It seemed like pretty much anyone would be able to gain something from this book; it's not applicable just for a certain group of women.
amy gretchen
I liked it and found some great quotes, but I was really hoping it would be more original. I feel like if you've read one book about finding your creative self you've read this.
Krissy
Oct 04, 2008 Krissy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Women, Mothers/Daughters, Creative Women
Recommended to Krissy by: Self
A good read while I was young! Although perhaps hard to stick with, this book has great points when you need encouragement! Great read for mothers and their daughters!
Emily Deaver
This book came at the perfect time in my life! If I have a daughter this will be one of the first books I add to her library (for when she's old enough to read it)
Allison
Think maybe I had different expectations. More personal insights of the various writers than I wanted to read. Still a great topic. Just too much 'talking'.
Suzanne
This is pretty darn engaging...seems to be many usable exercises for all kinds of creative "situations".
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The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor (Hardcover)
The 12 Secrets Of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor (Kindle Edition)
The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor (ebook)
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I have been in the personal empowerment business since 1976 and feel grateful everyday to have had the opportunity to inspire and guide clients navigating the challenges of change for over 25 years. I began as a child and family therapist with a strong commitment to prevention programs. I then became fascinated with the concept of “why do so many people hate their jobs?” This question prompted me...more
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