10 Meaningful Creativity-Related Books

By Kathryn P. Haydon

Books We Love, Grow Your Creativity

Which Books Matter to You? 

Recently, author Daniel Pink surveyed his 170,000 email subscribers, asking them to share the books that have mattered most to them throughout their lives. The survey was free-response, meaning respondents didn’t select from a given list but wrote in their favorite book titles independently. 

Pink received responses from 2,117 readers and removed votes for his own books. See his readers’ faves on the image below, The Bible coming in as the number one most meaningful book and To Kill a Mockingbird as number ten. This is a stellar list of books and contains a number of my  top books as well. 

My readers have always loved a good book rec list, and I’m inspired by this one to share ten of the most meaningful creativity-related books that I’ve read. Following in Daniel Pink’s footsteps, I’ll exclude my own. However, I will NOT exclude Pink’s own book, A Whole New Mind, which was one of the first that inspired me on this topic! Here are my faves, in order of when I read them from earliest to most recent. 

1. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink (2006)

2. Stand Up for Your Gifted Child: How to Make the Most of Kids’ Strengths at School and at Home by Joan Franklin Smutny (2001)

3. Making the Creative Leap Beyond by E. Paul Torrance and Tammy Safter (1999)

4. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica (2009)

5. How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum by Keri Smith (2008) 

6. Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World by Tony Wagner  (2012)

7. World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students by Yong Zhao (2012)

8. Creativity is Forever by Gary Davis (2004)

9. Louder than Words: Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice by Todd Henry (2015)

10. Breakpoint and Beyond: Mastering the Future Today by George Land (1992)