Make Brilliant Work: From Picasso to Steve Jobs, How to Unlock Your Creativity and Succeed

by Rod Judkins

How do we rate work?
It’s good, it’s bad or it’s brilliant.
What response does your work usually get? Be honest.
This book will help you make your work brilliant.

You don’t have to be brilliant to produce brilliant work. Many of the characters you will meet in this book failed at school, lacked natural talent, were not especially gifted or were repeatedly sacked. But their methods produced brilliant work – and they will work for you, too. Make Brilliant Work is the essential book from Rod Judkins, author of the international bestseller The Art of Creative Thinking .

Whether you are a business or an individual, you might find it hard to produce something significant and important. The real-life heroes in this book will show you how to make the transformation from ordinary to extraordinary. From Roald Dahl to Steven Spielberg, and star architect Zaha the figures in Make Brilliant Work will show you how to think for yourself, take risks and persevere to create brilliant work.

Genres: Psychology

336 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2022

About the author

I have written five books on the subject of creativity and innovation. My latest book is 'Make Brilliant Work'.

Reviews

[Arun Narayanaswamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspiring book with tons of short motivational real life stories of people. Would have loved some of these stories to be more detailed and longer, but it could have taken away some theoretical aspects of the book.
It’s certainly worth your time to read this one. It will make you happier and generally inspired.

[Nicky Chalabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is OK to read! It is written in a simple and understandable language. Nevertheless, I believe that it lacks essential content, which includes more concrete examples of success stories. Currently the book is split into small chapters and true that each chapter provides certain content. Nevertheless, the book is somewhat shallow.

[Kalle Wescott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read /Make Brilliant Work: From Picasso to Steve Jobs, How to Unlock Your Creativity and Succeed/, by Rod Judkins.

Here's the publisher's blurb:

"Make Brilliant Work is an inspiring guide to unlocking your creative potential, showing you the methods and techniques that will transform your efforts and help you produce your best ever creative work.

You don’t have to be brilliant to produce brilliant work. Many of the characters you will meet in this book failed at school, lacked natural talent, were not especially gifted or were repeatedly sacked. But their methods produced brilliant work - and they will work for you, too. Make Brilliant Work is the essential book from Rod Judkins, author of the international best seller The Art of Creative Thinking.

Whether you are a business or an individual, you might find it hard to produce something significant and important. The real-life heroes in this book will show you how to make the transformation from ordinary to extraordinary. From Roald Dahl to Steven Spielberg and star architect Zaha Hadid: the figures in Make Brilliant Work will show you how to think for yourself, take risks and persevere to create brilliant work."

This book is different than any other on similar subjects.

It's basically 80 vignettes from the worlds of fashion, advertising/media, and art, on how various figures from Salvador Dali to Damien Hirst succeeded in marketing themselves and despite being terrible students (in those two cases).

[Rohit N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a captivating journey that effortlessly draws you in from the very start. While the initial pages may seem to echo some familiar life lessons, the author masterfully takes you on an exciting ride, weaving together a tapestry of anecdotes and insights from the world of art, music, literature, philosophy, science, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

As you delve deeper into the book, you'll discover a meticulously researched masterpiece that has one singular aim: to inspire and motivate you to create/make brilliant work!

The chapters are so powerful that you'll find yourself wondering if the author is speaking directly to you. The energy and momentum of the book are electric and it will hit you at multiple points, leaving you feeling invigorated and driven.

This book has the power to change your perspective and spark new ideas that will set you on a path toward greatness. It's a no-brainer must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and a renewed sense of purpose.

[Khelath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives tons of anecdotes while dispensing its advice in bite-sized summaries at the end of each short section. I find it more useful to keep tabs or notes on the advice that calls to me more strongly while reading. However, if you want to read more deeply into some of the advice, you’d need to find another book that does so. Treat this as an introductory or starting step to other topics to learn.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for creative inspiration. Meaning, you hear all of these amazing stories of creative types and what they did to actually make it. Thus, the book makes you feel like you can do it too! I listened to it though, and I would say it would be better in physics form as you can write down some of the great advice here that is often given in bullet points. I did like this as a daily dose of inspiration for what can be done in the art world. Pretty good stuff!

[Patricia Lapointe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book! I read 2 chapters every morning while taking my coffee before going to work. I often shared the insights with my colleagues and will be going back to this book from time to time for inspiration.

Highly recommended.

[Meera Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like an inspirational pep talk for living a brilliant, creative life no matter which stage you're at in your journey. It certainly made me start writing and dreaming again after feeling stuck in a rut for months. Thanks, Rod Judkins. 🙏

[Sean Howlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought it was a highly motivating and well-researched read! Very engaging too.

[Refentse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it. Forget the rest, read it

[Ali Ameri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read if you’re keen to develope your abilities further. Short and concise topics have made this book a pleasant read.