This dinky pocket-sized book landed on my doormat a few days after we had been told to get hold of it and read it during our study weeks. Written by a well-known Graphic Designer, Sir John Hegarty, I was at first unsure how readable it would be due to his obvious gravitation towards creating visuals not words for a profession but it’s written in a punchy manner with ‘fifty brilliant and provocative insights into creativity and the creative process’.
I read this book in just a matter of hours, however it’s the kind of book that would benefit from being picked up now and again as it isn’t telling a story, it spews informative tips at you constantly throughout. I almost felt as if I should be taking notes whilst reading.
Before reading this book it should come with a warning: EXTREME HONESTY THROUGHOUT. I was quite taken aback by the forwardness and honesty about the creative career he believes I will have; not making money, having a short-lived career unless I am ‘fresh’, live in a cold country or have specialized my creativity. Whilst a lot of his points seem trivial, I can only believe that he is talking from years of experience and therefore I did actually find a lot of points extremely useful.
This book did make me feel small. And by small I mean irrelevant. It made me question my creativity and ponder whether this was the right industry for me to enter into. This is most likely going through most reader’s minds, especially reading it at only 18 in my first year of a degree, nowhere near my final career, but it does indeed make me want to try and try to be a successful creative. One thing that I noticeably do that Hegarty encourages is to experience. Already this year I’ve experienced some amazing moments from spending the most incredible week in New York City (a cold city at that), taking photos of anything beautiful or interesting, visiting any exhibition I can, to booking flights to Barcelona (great experience to come). I’ve just generally been a more pro-active and engaged person than I was before starting this degree and I hope this reflects through my creativity and results.
Overall this book is worth reading, even if you only take a few tips away from it. It’s written by someone with years of experience in the creative world and from that, you cannot argue. I liked the format it was written in but at times I found it repetitive. This book would be best suited to anybody with an interest of making a profession out of his or her creativity, but beware, extreme honesty throughout.
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