2024 Reading Challenge for Creatives: Suggested Book List
After I shared the 2024 Reading Challenge for Creatives last week, a couple of people asked for a list of suggested books. Here they are! (Please note: this post contains affilate links)A couple of caveats: the term "creative" covers people who do a wide range of activities in a myraid of ways, so the books below are about general creativity or aimed at a generally creative audience. I will be seeking out books that are more specific to the kinds of things I like to do and make, and I encourage you to do the same for your craft(s) too if you want. This list is also a working list for my own reference and contains some titles that I have yet to read but that look interesting/useful, so I can't vouch for all of them :) Finally, the latter months of the year are a little thin right now as it's still early days. I will add more titles related to those themes as I (re)discover them.What are you planning to read this year? Leave a comment and share your suggestions! Alternatively, you can follow along on Instagram and share your favourite reads there.
January: Creative Identity
- Create Anyway - Ashlee Gadd
- The Crossroads of Should and Must - Elle Luna
- It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again - Julia Cameron
- The Gift - Lewis Hyde
- A book about an aspect of your creative identity (this could include memoir, biography, poetry, advice, etc.)
February: Health and Self-Care
- Atomic Habits - James Clear
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace - Nedra Glover Tawwab
- Burnout - Emily Nagoski
- Resilience - Mark McGuinness
- A book about an aspect of self-care you’d like to focus on this year
March: Working Environment
- The Creative Habit - Twyla Tharp
- Stolen Focus - Johann Hari
- A book about making your working environment as appealing and productive as possible
April: Time and Energy
- 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals - Oliver Burkeman
- The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working - Tony Schwartz
- Mind Management, Not Time Management - David Kadavy
- Find Your Unicorn Space - Eve Rodsky
- Essentialism - Greg McKeown
May: Community and support
- Belong- Radha Agrawal
- Steal Like an Artist - Austin Kleon
- Show Your Work - Austin Kleon
- The Artist’s Way - Julia Cameron (N.B. this is a guided 12-week course)
June: Daily Routine
- Manage Your Day-to-Day - Jocelyn K Glei
- The Power of Daily Practice - Eric Maisel
- Daily Creative - Todd Henry
- Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey
- From Chaos to Creativity - Jessie Kwak
July: Mindset
- The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
- The Long Game - Dorie Clarke
- Turning Pro - Steven Pressfield
- Overcoming Creative Anxiety - Karen C. L. Anderson
- Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert
- Start Ugly - David duChemin
- Motivation for Creative People - Mark McGuinness
August: The Past
- The Power of Regret - Daniel Pink
- The Creative Cure - Jacob Nordby
- Why Smart People Hurt - Eric Maisel
- A book of your choice related to an aspect of your past and/or creative experience
September: Growth and Learning
- Finish What You Start - Peter Hollins
- Make Your Art No Matter What - Beth Pickens
- Mastery - Robert Greene
- A book of your choice based on improving your craft
October: Money
November: Life Outside Your Creative Work
- The Listening Path - Julia Cameron (N.B. This is a six-week programme)
- Dare to Lead - Brené Brown
- A book of your choice about whatever you feel drawn to (apropos of this month's theme, it doesn't have to be related to your creative work)
December: Reflection and Planning
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash