An unmissable mega list of inspiration
Coming up with ideas can feel challenging at times.
Sometimes you need to take a break and seek out some inspiration.
But where should you start?
Below we’ve assembled a mix of books, podcasts, websites, twitter handles and more to give you a helping hand.
Spend some time with any of these resources and you’re almost guaranteed to start churning out a raft of exciting ideas.
Biographies
Get inspired by reading about the lives of some of the world’s greatest creative minds.
1. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
2. "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman
3. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
4. My Inventions: The Autobiography Of Nikola Tesla by Nikola Tesla
5. The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World by Randall E. Stross
6. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera
7. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss
8. Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark
9. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
10. The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie by Andrew Carnegie
Other Books
Dive into some of the best books written about creativity and the creative process. Plenty of practical tools and techniques to be discovered.
1. It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden
2. Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
3. Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense by Rory Sutherland
4. One Plus One Equals Three: A Masterclass in Creative Thinking by Dave Trott
5. Do the Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way by Steven Pressfield
6. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
7. Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon
8. The Art of Creative Thinking: 89 Ways to See Things Differently by Rod Judkins
9. The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
10. Ignore Everybody: And 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh MacLeod
Podcasts
Don’t fancy reading? Why not pop in your headphones and go for a walk. These inspiring stories will keep you in good company.
1. How I Built This with Guy Raz
3. Design Matters with Debbie Millman
5. The Unmistakable Creative Podcast
6. The Moment with Brian Koppelman
7. How To Fail with Elizabeth Day
8. O Behave Podcast - Ogilvy Consulting
9. The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish
10. TED Talks Daily
Websites
Scrolling through any of the sites below is bound to spark an idea or two.
2. Springwise
4. Behance
6. WaitButWhy
7. Wikipedia
8. Mental Floss
9. Wayback Machine Internet Archive
10. Jamesclear.com
Brilliant minds on Twitter
On the lookout for bite-sized wisdom? The below accounts are guaranteed to teach you something and generate some thoughts.
2. @naval
3. @rshotton
4. @davetrott
6. @ideo
9. @jamesclear
10. @farnhamstreet
Talks
Make your self a nice hot drink, sit back and enjoy listening to some incredible talks on a range of fascinating topics.
1. Catch Me If You Can - Frank Abagnale Jr.
2. How To Change Your Mind - Micheal Pollan
3. What I Learned From 100 Days Of Rejection - Jia Jiang
4. Do Schools Kill Creativity? - Sir Ken Robinson
5. The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers - Adam Grant
6. 29 Things I’ve Learned - Mr. Bingo
7. Seeing Obstacles As Opportunities - Ryan Holiday
8. How I Overcame Homelessness Twice to Become a Billionaire - John Paul DeJoria
9. Applying Behavioural Science To The Metropolitan Police - Stevyn Colgan
10. Sweat The Small Stuff - Rory Sutherland
Any more for any more? What other sources of inspiration would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
