Zen Pencils--Creative Struggle: Illustrated Advice from Masters of Creativity

by Gavin Aung Than

Gavin Aung Than, creator of the innovative Zen Pencils, shares his passion for creativity and reveals how you, too, can live a creative life.

Zen Pencils: Living a Creative Life is a call to wake up the creative spirit inside you. Through Zen Pencils cartoon quotes on creativity from inspirational artists, musicians, writers, and scientists, you'll discover what inspired each of the subjects to reach the full potential of their creativity. In each comic, the speaker of the quote is the character in the story. Imagine cartoon versions of Albert Einstein, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mark Twain, Isaac Newton, and Vincent van Gogh revealing the spark that ignited them to achieve their dreams!

• ISBN10: 144948722X
• ISBN13: 9781449487225
• Publish Date: 22 February 2018
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 148
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Zen Pencils: Creative Struggle from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Zen Pencils: Creative Struggle is a wonderful compilation of stories about real people, all of whom were visionaries of their time. The focus isn’t just on their successes however, but on how they persevered or their viewpoint on how to get through a writer’s block or find their inspiration. The stories included are: Vincent van Gogh (The Blank Canvas), Albert Einstein (Life is a Mystery), Leonardo da Vinci (Step Away from the Canvas), Mary Shelley (Teenage Dream), Marie Curie (Our Happy Place), Creative Pep Talk #1, Ludwig van Beethoven (Art Has No Limits), Stephen King (the Desk), Akira Kurosawa (the Notetaker), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (In the Mood for Work), Creative Pep Talk #2, Nikola Tesla (Visions of the Future), John Coltrane (the Power of Music), Frida Kahlo (Heroine of Pain), Ernest Hemingway (A Lonely Life), and Creative Pep Talk #3.
What I truly loved about this book is just how inspiring it is. I believe any artist (or writer, musician, composer, anything creative you can think of) should read this book when they find themselves struggling. Seeing other people, real people that we’ve grown up idolizing, be in the same position? Well it certainly puts a new perspective on things, to say the least.
I think everyone has felt like they’ve fallen into a creative rut at some point in their life, even if they wouldn’t personally consider themselves to be terribly artistic, and that is why I think reading empowering stories like this is so important. I know I certainly felt a bit better about my creative blocks, both past and present.

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