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lisamclemore's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
angekathy232's review
2.0
This one was tough to finish - I largely only finished it because by the time I was fed up with it, I was already about halfway through…and I have a lofty goal for finished books this year.
If you’re already a fan of hers, maybe this book will be more enjoyable. I didn’t know who she was before I started the book. Even so, the beginning of the book was good - I found that I’d enjoyed some of her work without knowing who she was, and some of her principles were valuable. But as the book went on, it seemed to be more memoir than “how to,” which was what I was really searching for. My only real takeaway from the book is to keep working on your skills, and the “luck” will come.
If you’re already a fan of hers, maybe this book will be more enjoyable. I didn’t know who she was before I started the book. Even so, the beginning of the book was good - I found that I’d enjoyed some of her work without knowing who she was, and some of her principles were valuable. But as the book went on, it seemed to be more memoir than “how to,” which was what I was really searching for. My only real takeaway from the book is to keep working on your skills, and the “luck” will come.
avesmaria's review
4.0
The Creative Habit is a self-help book that doesn't really read like one; it's about cultivating a habit of creativity, discipline, and thinking honestly about your work as a path to mastery in the creative arts. It's written by Twyla Tharp, a choreographer who is famous for modern dance and also pairing popular music with choreographic routines ("Hair" and "Movin' Out", eg.). Anyone in a creative or skilled field - music, art, sports - at any stage of their career could stand to read the basic yet necessary advice in this book. The exercises are simple, but effective, and they remind me of the things that your teachers force you to do when you're just starting out at learning something, which is a stage we could all stand to revisit with open minds. The book (at least, my edition) is printed on toothy, matte paper with wide margins, making it perfect for underlining, doodling, and marking up with your own thoughts, which I imagine was intentional. Tharp recounts her own professional development and the lessons she's learned, and also peppers the book copiously with stories and quotes from other dancers, composers, artists, writers, and athletes, which I really liked - to me, it's a sign that a commitment to discipline, practice, and creativity transcends all fields. As my favorite composer, Johannes Brahms, put it - Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.
alihashemah's review
4.0
Woven tales and lessons to be taken for a creative life. Pleasant read, smoothly written prose. Would mean more to someone who knows about Twyla and her work. For me this was an introduction.