Unthink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius

I attended my first Erik Wahl presentation, or better described as my first Erik Wahl experience, in 2007 and have been a believer in Wahl's creativity philosophies ever since. After reading a bound galley copy of Erik's new book UnThink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius, the reasons for my devoted following of Wahl's teachings were quickly reinforced. This book is a must read and UnThink now tops my list of recommended readings for anyone looking to rekindle their creativity, imagination and problem solving capabilities not only in the workplace but life in general.

The layout of the book is simple: Then (Who You Were), Now (Who You Are) and How (Who You Can Still Be). Section One (Then) describes the curiosity and creativity we all had in our early childhood and the endless energy we exhibited discovering the unknown. As children we were uncalculated risk takers having no boundaries and could care less about the disapproving scrutiny placed upon us by the `adult world'. We were curious about all that surrounded us and habitually pushed the limits of our reality which was constantly being redefined. As children we experienced, interpreted and interacted with the world through our right brain, the hemisphere that, as Wahl puts it, "...embraces new and unconventional ideas, the part that is fascinated by surprise, and the part that doesn't need everything to be neat and tidy and perfectly defined in order to find value."

Section Two (Now) describes our development into adulthood and how the left side of our brain, the side where analytical and rational thought and logic are housed, begins to dominate and suppress right brain traits of imagination, exploration, creation and spontaneity.Read more ›

I bought this book in the airport bookstore, after "confirming" it was worth the read by viewing the five-star reviews on Amazon. A lot of the intro resonated with me, and so I was really looking forward to getting into the book because "I knew" it was going to be a great book. Turns out the book has little substance and application, is not well-written, and is largely fluff. I am sorry I bought this book and at the airport price at that. This isn't to say there is zero merit to the book. There is a kernel of material in the book that would make it worth the read--except it is probably stuff you have heard already or would be better off getting in the context of a more substantive book. In all fairness, probably one of the most useful things I will take away from the book is the reminder that "you don't need to produce a Mona Lisa in order to add creative value" and "you don't need perfection to make progress". At best this book would be justified as a quick blog post. It is a short 200 pages but it is hard reading that many pages of filler. I had to keep convincing myself to read it and to give it a chance. By and large book goes to the regret pile.

I can't recommend this book enough. As someone that has followed Erik and his Art Drops, it's amazing to see how he came up with that idea. This book walks you through the process of rediscovering your creativity! Erik doesn't tell you to quit your job in this book, what he does is encourage you to find your passion, then he shows you how to do that! When is the last time you could spend $15 for a blueprint on how to achieve a better life? If you are stuck in a rut, this book will help you get out of that rut! Don't just buy 1 for yourself, buy at least 1 more to give away to a dear friend, I did, in fact I bought 10 to give to camp counselors!!!!!!!!

If you wait to buy this book until you finish reading this review you have waited to long!!! UnThink is underrated at 5 stars, it deserves far more! As a business owner, and the owner of a "creative" agency, I realized quickly how far from creative we really are! It's time to take a step back and reinvent ourselves to become the artist that we already are inside! Erik's ability to teach us exactly how to do that is a treasure in itself! Just the stories behind about "Art Drop" that Erik shares in this book are reason enough to buy it! I finished the book in 2 days, and I have it in my schedule to read each year to be sure that I am achieving the most that I can in my business! Erik's message has changed my life, and this book is just one additional piece of of "art" that Erik has shared with the world, and me, to ensure that I can be better than I am today! I intend to purchase this book as Christmas gifts and you should too!