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No, No, No, No, No, Yes. Insights From a Creative Journey
No. It is a word that every CEO, entrepreneur and creative professional has confronted. It is a word that both novices and seasoned professionals dread. It is a word that can easily seem like death to a dream.
And yet it is also a word that can point in the right direction. It is a word that motivates us to do something differently, try something else, get better, innovate, keep going. No is a word that looms over every business person's, innovator's, and artist's life. And yet the word is universally met with trepidation and fear because the value of being told No is so little understood.
In No, No, No, No, No, Yes. Insights From A Creative Journey, award winning creator of visionary ad campaigns (Cannes Lions, Clios); ad exec (the Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R agency); cartoonist (The New Yorker); speaker (TEDx); and teacher (School of Visual Arts) Gideon Amichay demonstrates that No is not a barrier to success it s a facilitator. No is not the end, but rather an essential tool for direction, motivation and innovation.
Based on Amichay s best-selling book in Israel (published by Gordon Books in 2011) and 2013 TEDx talk of the same name, No, No, No, No, No, Yes takes the reader on an illustrated journey of the author s own lifetime confrontation, negotiation and relationship with No . Walking the reader through critical No s in his own 25 year career pitching cartoons to the New Yorker, risky ad campaign concepts as head of one of Israel s biggest ad agencies, impossible outdoor ad installations -- Amichay reveals the wisdom that No rarely ends with an exclamation point.
Rather, Amichay demonstrates that No usually ends with a comma:
No comma, we don't have the time . No comma, we don't have the budget . No comma, can we see another option ? By discovering which No comma he was confronting, Amichay shows how No s in fact led him to eventual Yes s -- including the waiting, the rejections, and the revisions and demonstrates that No, forces us to reexamine, to explore, to rethink, to change directions, to get better.
In No, No, No, No, No, Yes Amichay shares the essential revelation that sometimes No can be the best answer to get.
Through illuminating anecdotes from his own illustrious career running the gamut between business and the arts, Gideon Amichay demonstrates unequivocally that No's, whether from colleagues, from clients, from life, or from within have great power, and are simply directions on the map to Yes.
Authoritative, funny, whimsical, wise, and pragmatic, No, No, No, No, No, Yes. Insights From A Creative Journey is the essential companion for every executive, innovator and artist to navigate the unavoidable odyssey of No in order to find the eventual Yes.
And yet it is also a word that can point in the right direction. It is a word that motivates us to do something differently, try something else, get better, innovate, keep going. No is a word that looms over every business person's, innovator's, and artist's life. And yet the word is universally met with trepidation and fear because the value of being told No is so little understood.
In No, No, No, No, No, Yes. Insights From A Creative Journey, award winning creator of visionary ad campaigns (Cannes Lions, Clios); ad exec (the Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R agency); cartoonist (The New Yorker); speaker (TEDx); and teacher (School of Visual Arts) Gideon Amichay demonstrates that No is not a barrier to success it s a facilitator. No is not the end, but rather an essential tool for direction, motivation and innovation.
Based on Amichay s best-selling book in Israel (published by Gordon Books in 2011) and 2013 TEDx talk of the same name, No, No, No, No, No, Yes takes the reader on an illustrated journey of the author s own lifetime confrontation, negotiation and relationship with No . Walking the reader through critical No s in his own 25 year career pitching cartoons to the New Yorker, risky ad campaign concepts as head of one of Israel s biggest ad agencies, impossible outdoor ad installations -- Amichay reveals the wisdom that No rarely ends with an exclamation point.
Rather, Amichay demonstrates that No usually ends with a comma:
No comma, we don't have the time . No comma, we don't have the budget . No comma, can we see another option ? By discovering which No comma he was confronting, Amichay shows how No s in fact led him to eventual Yes s -- including the waiting, the rejections, and the revisions and demonstrates that No, forces us to reexamine, to explore, to rethink, to change directions, to get better.
In No, No, No, No, No, Yes Amichay shares the essential revelation that sometimes No can be the best answer to get.
Through illuminating anecdotes from his own illustrious career running the gamut between business and the arts, Gideon Amichay demonstrates unequivocally that No's, whether from colleagues, from clients, from life, or from within have great power, and are simply directions on the map to Yes.
Authoritative, funny, whimsical, wise, and pragmatic, No, No, No, No, No, Yes. Insights From A Creative Journey is the essential companion for every executive, innovator and artist to navigate the unavoidable odyssey of No in order to find the eventual Yes.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 19, 2014
28 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Gideon Amichay
3 books1 followerGideon Amichay is an award winning ad man, communication artist, writer and TEDx speaker.
Amichay is known as the person who put Israel on the world advertising map. For 18 years he was a partner at Shalmor Avnon Amichay Y&R. As Chief Creative Officer, Amichay led the agency to become Israel's market leader in creativity and innovation. It was one of the biggest ad agencies in Israel and the most successful Israeli ad agency worldwide. For over 10 years he was also a member of the Worldwide Creative Board of Young & Rubicam. Amichay won hundreds of international awards among them 19 Cannes Lions and 9 Clios for advertising and innovation in communication. He also won a Special Award from the UN.
He started his career as a cartoonist, publishing in the major Israeli newspapers as well as in The New Yorker. His work was displayed in Israel in 2011 at The Holon Design Museum. Amichay is an international lecturer at universities including the School of Visual Arts in New York, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University and others. In 2012 he served as the President of the Direct Jury at the 2012 Cannes Lions Festival.
He graduated from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design with honors and earned an MBA from the Berlin School of Creative Leadership.
Gideon Amichay lives and works in NYC.
Amichay is known as the person who put Israel on the world advertising map. For 18 years he was a partner at Shalmor Avnon Amichay Y&R. As Chief Creative Officer, Amichay led the agency to become Israel's market leader in creativity and innovation. It was one of the biggest ad agencies in Israel and the most successful Israeli ad agency worldwide. For over 10 years he was also a member of the Worldwide Creative Board of Young & Rubicam. Amichay won hundreds of international awards among them 19 Cannes Lions and 9 Clios for advertising and innovation in communication. He also won a Special Award from the UN.
He started his career as a cartoonist, publishing in the major Israeli newspapers as well as in The New Yorker. His work was displayed in Israel in 2011 at The Holon Design Museum. Amichay is an international lecturer at universities including the School of Visual Arts in New York, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University and others. In 2012 he served as the President of the Direct Jury at the 2012 Cannes Lions Festival.
He graduated from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design with honors and earned an MBA from the Berlin School of Creative Leadership.
Gideon Amichay lives and works in NYC.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 14, 2015
A very quick read that makes a definite point -- patience and perseverance, along with the willingness to change directions -- can definitely set a creative spirit on the path toward turning "No" into "Yes." Lots of good true stories, and plenty of drawings by a creative author. Most enjoyable.
January 2, 2018
No always has a comma after it
No may not always mean NO! Look for the comma!
That’s where the opportunities come in!
SUPER short, easy read. Not as meaty as I had hoped but a good seed has been planted.
No may not always mean NO! Look for the comma!
That’s where the opportunities come in!
SUPER short, easy read. Not as meaty as I had hoped but a good seed has been planted.
July 27, 2017
Brilliant and insightful
The author is a truly innovative thinker and he makes me think. He will make you think, too. Concise and wonderful.
The author is a truly innovative thinker and he makes me think. He will make you think, too. Concise and wonderful.
November 21, 2021
Delightful wise simple deep little essay with sweet cartoons about a Jewish cartoonist.
November 5, 2014
I was sent the book No, No, No, No, No, Yes. Insights From a Creative Journey by Gideon Amichay to review, and I was immediately intrigued. What is up with that title? I had to immediately dig in and discover more.
The premise of the book is fairly simple. Man has a dream. It is a far-fetched dream–to become a successful cartoonist and publish a cartoon in the New Yorker. For a man who came from a working class background in Tel Aviv, Israel, this seemed a bit of a lofty (if not preposterous) dream. It was not the kind of career his parents had in mind for him. But the dream persisted.
In the mean time, Amichay becomes a successful advertising executive in Israel. He is a partner in a very advertising firm; his position in society is one which would be called very prized. Is this not the definition of achievement, of success? For this man, it is not. His dream, his crazy ambition to become a cartoonist has not died. He makes the bold, audacious step to leave this successful career and follow his dream.
What follows in this book is the story of Amichay’s journey toward his ultimate goal. It is the story of many, many, many people saying “No” to his efforts. How does a person face this negative response over and over? How does this chorus of “No” ever lead to that singular “Yes!”.
This is not a long or difficult read. It is simply written, but to the point. The reader is given a very concrete example of one man’s journey to his ultimate dream, and how ongoing rejection helped shape his journey. It gives you a way to think differently about rejection. How you view your failures, and learn from them, helps you in your path to success. My only criticism of this book would be that it was a bit long on the story-telling aspect, and a bit short on the creative insights end. I would have liked to see a bit more introspection; I think it would have rounded out the latter part of the book well.
If you are looking for some motivation, and a little inspiration, this little book might just be the ticket.
The premise of the book is fairly simple. Man has a dream. It is a far-fetched dream–to become a successful cartoonist and publish a cartoon in the New Yorker. For a man who came from a working class background in Tel Aviv, Israel, this seemed a bit of a lofty (if not preposterous) dream. It was not the kind of career his parents had in mind for him. But the dream persisted.
In the mean time, Amichay becomes a successful advertising executive in Israel. He is a partner in a very advertising firm; his position in society is one which would be called very prized. Is this not the definition of achievement, of success? For this man, it is not. His dream, his crazy ambition to become a cartoonist has not died. He makes the bold, audacious step to leave this successful career and follow his dream.
What follows in this book is the story of Amichay’s journey toward his ultimate goal. It is the story of many, many, many people saying “No” to his efforts. How does a person face this negative response over and over? How does this chorus of “No” ever lead to that singular “Yes!”.
This is not a long or difficult read. It is simply written, but to the point. The reader is given a very concrete example of one man’s journey to his ultimate dream, and how ongoing rejection helped shape his journey. It gives you a way to think differently about rejection. How you view your failures, and learn from them, helps you in your path to success. My only criticism of this book would be that it was a bit long on the story-telling aspect, and a bit short on the creative insights end. I would have liked to see a bit more introspection; I think it would have rounded out the latter part of the book well.
If you are looking for some motivation, and a little inspiration, this little book might just be the ticket.
Read
October 12, 2014This book has had an amazing impact on me personally. All my life I have struggled with the word NO. I dislike it. As a child, I thought it was the worst word in my mother's vocabulary. As an adult with children of my own, the word drove me to distraction. This book taught me that No can help you rearrange your thinking and planning. It lacks the same power for negativity for me after reading Mr. Amichay's book. We need to focus on why we are hearing no and find ways to hearing yes. Please be aware this is the first book in the series, I personally intend to read them all.
June 21, 2015
Amazing Creative Entrepreneur's Journey
If you're wondering where all the door slams in your face, rejection letters and heart breaking rejections are getting you, read this book. I'll skip the cliche "you will laugh, you will cry," because you will. Take the moment to join this author on the journey he's inviting you on. Starting with how he plants the seeds of artistic "what if" in a field of so much doubt, the pages will fly by even as they capture the essence of years patiently tending the crops. Share this classic hero's journey of artists.
If you're wondering where all the door slams in your face, rejection letters and heart breaking rejections are getting you, read this book. I'll skip the cliche "you will laugh, you will cry," because you will. Take the moment to join this author on the journey he's inviting you on. Starting with how he plants the seeds of artistic "what if" in a field of so much doubt, the pages will fly by even as they capture the essence of years patiently tending the crops. Share this classic hero's journey of artists.
October 2, 2014
I was glued to this book. I have been discouraged lately, doing cold pitches, and this was exactly what I needed to renew my drive. This book is full of great advice that will help you understand that no does not necessarily mean no. No is simply a detour, an opportunity to step back and reevaluate the situation, to open your mind to a way to get around the no and find the yes.
October 5, 2014
This book can apply both to your business life and personal life.
The book is a great lesson in determination, and not taking NO for an answer.
If you need some inspiration or guidance, this book is a good read.
The book is a great lesson in determination, and not taking NO for an answer.
If you need some inspiration or guidance, this book is a good read.
January 4, 2015
I recently received this book as a holiday gift and am thrilled to be able to add it to my library. I work every day with a creative team and so very much appreciate creative genius of an artist like this author. Great copy, great illustrations, great marketing insight and a great message.
April 29, 2015
Fantastic! Funny! Thought provoking.
This is one of those books I will read again and again. It is funny and thought provoking. There is no fluff or unnecessary repetition to make the book longer - just the main point hammered in with lots of humorous stories about the author.
This is one of those books I will read again and again. It is funny and thought provoking. There is no fluff or unnecessary repetition to make the book longer - just the main point hammered in with lots of humorous stories about the author.
August 29, 2015
No is our Friend
This brief book is full of inspiration and insightful information about changing our relationship with No. Without this insight we would be hindered from our creative imagination of persistent achievement and advancement.
This brief book is full of inspiration and insightful information about changing our relationship with No. Without this insight we would be hindered from our creative imagination of persistent achievement and advancement.
December 24, 2016
Delightful and different
A very quick read that leaves you feeling as if you're traveled with the author for an eternity! Insightful and recommend read for anyone, especially creatives.
A very quick read that leaves you feeling as if you're traveled with the author for an eternity! Insightful and recommend read for anyone, especially creatives.
October 23, 2015
to read my review, please go to: http://wp.me/P23AlC-vt
June 18, 2014
This book is nothing short of a MUST- READ for every creative spirit out there. One of a kind. I loved it.
July 17, 2014
Inspiring
Inspiring
I give this 5 stars because I needed to hear what this,book had to say. I see,myself reading it repeatedly.
Inspiring
I give this 5 stars because I needed to hear what this,book had to say. I see,myself reading it repeatedly.
Read
November 14, 2015Ok, I read it!
April 20, 2015
Sort of inspirational
May 2, 2017
What is your relationship with "No"?
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews