The Creative's Curse: Find the Creative Confidence to Walk with Your Demons

by Todd Brison, JON WESTENBERG (Foreword)

All Creatives are cursed.

And it isn't the sexy kind of cursed like where you turn into a werewolf or something - I think we can all agree that'd be pretty awesome. No, it's the subtle kind of curse. It's the kind you might not notice until you're 46 years old at a desk job wondering why you let the best years of your life slip away. It's the kind that keeps you paralyzed at 18 when you know you have something special to offer the world but everyone says you are too young.

This book is not about overcoming that curse.

It's not about outgrowing the curse.

It's about learning to live with it.

What if loneliness is not something to be defeated, but an incredible source of power and inspiration? What if that vision you have nobody else can see is the very thing which will set you apart from the rest of the world? What if what makes you weird also makes you unique?

The Creative's Curse is real, it's here to stay, and it shows up in all 3 phases of the creative journey:

- Discovery -

When the voices in your head are telling you nothing you create will ever be good enough.

- Discipline -

When you start to taste success, but freeze with the challenge of replicating that success.

- Destiny -

When you feel you've reached your artistic potential... and now have to figure out what on earth to do with your life.

Because the Creative is afraid of success and failure and obscurity and fame all at the same time. She is beautiful and bold and timid and courageous. He is unique to the core, so will never be understood by anyone.

This is the Creative's Curse.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Writing, Design

173 pages, Paperback

Published July 19, 2016

Reviews

[K. Parker Richmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first connected with Todd's writing on Medium and after being consistently impressed, decided to purchase "The Creative's Curse." I wasn't disappointed. This is an easy and quick read, but with enough depth and meat to satisfy. One of Todd's greatest strengths as both a writer and motivator is his ability to be honest about the amount of work--and failure--necessary to succeed in a creative field, while maintaining unflagging optimism. His writing style is humorous, accessible, and a pleasure to read. I highly recommend this book to writers, artists, and other creative folks in need of inspiration and guidance.

[Almuhannad Alkadam · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب جميل و محفز جدا ، طاقة ايجابية تشحنك .

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audiobook is narrated by the author and can be obnoxious at times. There are nuggets in there though and I like to be "cheerled", so, I'm giving it a 3 instead of a 2. You can tell I had to "put it down" for a spell too.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how I first came across Todd's work but getting on his mailing list led to following him on Medium which led to his writing course and now reading his book. The Creative's Curse is a burst of motivation and an honest reflection on what it means to be a creative. Todd writes like he speaks, making it feel like he's a REAL human (which he is) who truly cares about you and your creative ventures (which he does). He details all the doubts you're probably having about writing/painting/doing whatever creative work that you feel called to and gives tips on how to combat your fears of failure, how to brainstorm ideas, and how to deal with success (when it happens, down the road). It's a quick read with short, yet valuable chapters that keep you wanting to read "just one more" and then you realize you finished the book and need to go grab one of his other books or catch up on Todd's Medium stories.

[Sydney Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Via Audio. Took a little bit for me but then it did feed and give pointers to my artistic soul.

[Chris Boutté]

This was a great, short read that I picked up when I bought Art & Fear. I actually enjoyed it more than Art & Fear because it was a lot more casual, and it felt like a creative friend just hanging out and giving you some advice from their journey. I'm definitely going to re-read this book whenever I feel that I'm stuck or in a funk.

2nd read:
As I get back into my creative groove, I decided to read this book again from Todd Brison. It was one of my favorites, and I binged it during my morning walk. Todd manages to have a great blend of kindness, motivation, and tough love. Reading the book again gave me some helpful reminders of the creative process, what to do when I feel blocked, and a few necessary kicks in the pants. It’s a short read, and if you’re a creative of any kind, I highly recommend it.

[Patsy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written!

Todd has a few good things to say, but this book should have been proofread! There are so many writing errors. And Stephen King's name is not spelled STEVEN!

[john Calkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of this book is simply, "Do your chosen work. Now!" Creative people need to be told that until they get so involved in their chosen work that they never think to stop. Or maybe all Creatives flounder now and then and have to be reminded. There are other books that say "Just do the work", including one with that title, but Brison's is more entertaining than most. After reading it for free on Kindle Unlimited I had so many passages high lighted that I bought the book. If I fall back on it often enough I'll probably have most of it high lighted eventually because I'm one of those who slack off and lose the trail at times and have to be reminded to get back to work. Brison covers every slacker's excuse, grabs the reader by the nose, and drags him back to whatever her chosen art may be. He takes no prisoners. Which is cool because the world outside of art can be prison enough.

[Todd · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know I'm not as successful as someone who has 90 Quora answers and freely admit that I may never be that successful, so maybe I'm not qualified to review this. I would like to know, though, why is it that so many people who have "honed their craft" for as long as Mr. Brison still don't know the difference between "less" and "fewer"? Also, aren't analogies supposed to be analogous? J. K. Rowling as an example of how to keep going? "Maybe you won't sell 450,000,000 copies." Huh. Maybe not. I'd like to know who edited this book. I'd suggest that Mr. Brison consider going back to the drawing board for a bit longer.

[Wolf Ostheeren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read and I quite enjoyed it. Even though I find now that I'm not taking a whole lot with me from reading it, as it's mostly "Just keep going!!". Which happens to be what I most needed to hear at this particular point, so that's fine. And there ARE a few nice pointers on the "how", too. Still, a little more editing might have done some good. I remember some typos in the early chapters (these things really distract me from the content...) and that one terrible not-really-a-sentence I just couldn't make sense of... But, I'll repeat that: I enjoyed it anyway.

[Julie Tillman-Amador · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more, but it just never really got there for me. Not that there weren’t some good points and fun humor. But I didn’t find it as inspiring or informative as I hoped. To me it was very a’la Austin Kleon, without the punch.

It’s possible I’m the wrong target for the book, too. If you’re under 25, working a soul-sucking job and you want to make a living with your creativity, maybe this will help you.

[Shofie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focuses more on persistence than going against the grain, which is what the author meant by the creative's curse. "Creation beats affirmation" seems to me to be the main value of the book. Presents affirmation as consequence of creation instead of something that an artist should aim or stress about. Focus on discipline and creation, affirmation will follow.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow your creativity where ever it leads

This book is great to motivate anyone who's creative. There are some good tips on breaking through the creativity block, says to motivate yourself to be creative and is just a constant voice telling you to keep creating. It felt like the author was a personal life coach for creative people.

[Sheila Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational read for anyone feeling stuck in their creative journey. I purchased the Audible version and listened to the narration on my daily walks. Beware, you will find yourself yelling, hell yeah, outloud at the the moments when the book resonates with you. I am looking forward to the next book to accompany my morning walks. Keep writing!

[Justin Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book given to me by a friend. I decided to get the audio and this turn out to be super motivated way a looking at creativity in life and really finding that balance between a business mindset and a creative mindset. Lots of tools in this one. Great for crunching time and getting the important information right out front. I definitely appreciate that.

[Beth Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can and I can do it

Sometimes you just need someone to say they believe. Sometimes you just need someone to remind you of what you knew and know. Simply put and easy to read. An easy conversation but if you listen and do it, easy becomes a nuclear force.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains common and true ideas that are useful for any creative/entrepreneur types. Draws a line between business and creativity that is interesting if not entirely true. Quick and easy to digest. I got a few actionable ideas from it.

[Karma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I expected. It didn't start that well for me. I am a creative but I am very rooted in reality. That must make me an outcast in the field but that's who I am.

I loved the later parts and took a lot of useful tips for me.

[David Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Moments in reading this book I wanted to break down and cry. It reminded me of what I love and need to be doing. Thank you for the guidance and lighting the path a little more.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing points to be made about finding and indulging your inner artist, but I was distracted by the narration; smacking lips, passing cars, and a dog barking in the background disrupted my audiobook experience.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read and a slap in the face. The first couple of chapters had me tearing up - I felt seen, as if it was written just for me. It's all practical advice, shit we should know by now but don't for some reason. The antidote to your mother's voice echoing inside your skull.

[Andrea M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for when you need some motivation to go for your dreams, to keep at it, to never give up.

[Eddieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nice every now and then to have a positive message to those that seek a creative life. I applaud the author for doing so.

[Vivian Adram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really needed this book today. And it delivered. Very short read but one that I will be going through over and over again.

[Bobby P-h · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content is good, recording quality is terrible. Would be at least 4 stars with better recording quality.

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books on being a creative artist that I've ever read. Highly recommended!

[Fanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is a wonderful book. I will listen to the audiobook again for sure.

[Michael]

Judgement reserved

[ANVBS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved both the audio book and written copy. Thank you for the inspiration, Todd.

[Sondoss Aldimasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Audible version is energetic and inspirational. The author’s ideas and tips seemed realistic and straightforward. Would recommend it.