The title and cover of this book totally drew me in, though I wasn’t sure what to expect. Whilst at first I found the content interesting overall I did get a little over loaded with the example stills. Nonetheless an inspiring book and I’d recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Leadership for the review copy of How Creativity Rules the World by Maria Brito.

This book was quite fascinating. It was so interesting to see how much creativity affects innovation and business. It was a great book to read slowly.

*A review copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book inspired me to finally start on the creative projects I’ve been dreaming of (and putting off) for months.

How Creativity Rules the World was inspired by Maria Brito’s grandfather who despite being kidnapped, led a life full of creativity, curiosity, and joy. He inspired Maria to explore her creativity, which led to her switching careers at 33. From her ‘dark ages’ of working as an attorney to becoming an art curator, travelling to multiple art shows a week and demystifying contemporary art for everyone, Maria Brito also conducts classes on creativity.

Maria Brito breaks down the aspects of creativity: its myths, habits required to cultivate creativity, how to start your creative cogs and how to maximise it to its fullest potential. It is written in short chapters, each drawing from real-life examples from the habits and successes of famous individuals and the author’s experiences. Enough for a bite-size bit of knowledge and more time to digest. I appreciate the examples in the book, it is relevant, ambitious, and inspiring. Without them, I wouldn’t have known about the Sleep No More experience in The McKittrick Hotel (now on my bucket list), Monet's Water Lilies in Musee de L’Orangerie and other fun Google Searches of things I wouldn’t be able to enjoy. It’s truly a book for general knowledge enthusiasts as well as people who want to learn ways to reframe their thinking.

At the end of every chapter is Maria Brito’s alchemy lab where she writes a few tasks and takeaways from the chapter for readers to practice their creativity. It covers deep reflection on understanding your skills, visualising your goals, establishing confidence, exploring museums, and more actionable tasks that slowly change how you understand creativity.

I think that developing creativity takes time and dedication, and this is a book that works well to point you in the right direction. I'd recommend for you to read it, no matter your field, age or hobbies, you’ll find some knowledge to look at the world around you with a new sense of curiosity.

How Creativity Rules the World by Maria Brito was an interesting read about the nature of creativity in various professions. The author herself, who has a profession in art, provides multiple examples that great artists and corporations have followed to be at the forefront of their profession. Many examples are provided from the art world, a few examples are also about corporations such as Nike, Airbnb, etc. The book is a perfect read for artists and creators of art. As a regular person, I felt a little bit bored reading so much about art, but the next time, I saw a painting, I resolved that I will observe it more closely.

While there is plenty of need for more creativity in the world, especially in business, this often confusing book relies far too much on us knowing lots about art and business and on us being able to see the work of the many artists she discusses in our head. We can't and perhaps some pictures might have helped the reader.

I loved this book! It is an inspirational read that provides solid insight into how creativity is nurtured, applied, and also taken away from people through traditional education and commonly held belifs. Perhaps the biggest take away is the fact that people don't just wake up one day and become creative. People work and develop their skills which allows for a time of trail-and-error in their creative process.

This book was not for me. I ended up not finishing after reading half of the book.

It felt like the author was just bragging about her own "accomplishments" and to me they did not relate to creativity.

She also dispells the myth at the beginning that "only artists can be creative" by saying that anyone can be creative. However she uses a majority of famous artists for her example.

I was really excited to learn about creativity but this book was a mix between an autobiography of the author and historal information about famous artists.

I think if the book would have been described differently I would have been excited to learn about the famous artists stories but that wasnt what I went into this to learn.

I appreciate the opportunity to try this book out though.

Very smart. Definitely a book for book clubs with lots to talk about regarding creativity in this era. What we can hope for in creativity, what kind of power we have in such a fiery world. A good read I'm happy to have reviewed. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Interesting stories and examples. Some actionable tips and inspiration for those who don't see themselves as creative. I've always been "a creative" and seen creativity as something that can be nurtured and learned and applied to every area of life, so for me it felt a little basic, but I liked the examples.

When I first saw the title,of,this book, I was skeptical - the subtitle seemed as though it might be a shallow self-help book or something to be used for a team-building retreat. Wow, was I ever glad to be wrong. This is the book that many of us who teach creative entrepreneurship and who advocate for a closer relationship between creativity and business have been waiting for. Brito starts by dispelling common myths about creativity - most related to the misunderstanding that only some people are born with creativity and it can’t be learned or cultivated. Each chapter examines some aspect of working with creativity, by using examples of well known artists from Michaelangelo to Frida Kahlo and entrepreneurs including Estée Lauder and Ray Kroc. She shares stories from her own career, which are equally fascinating (I mean, this woman SOLD A BANKSY). Each chapter ends with a set of questions, prompts and exercises allowing the reader to apply the ideas of the chapter to their own work. It’s a book that can be read again and again - and I intend to, ** I received an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.**

The author gave endless examples it seems of people who decided to take high risks on their creativity and it paid off immensely. I thought this was a solid read for motivation to create something relevant and existential for society as a whole.

Thank you to @Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

I said I wouldn't read any more business books. I have said that lots of times since I retired. But one always seems to pop up on my reading pole. It happened again with this one. I did have hopes that it would help me expand my creativity.
I think of myself as fairly creative. I took chorus in high school because I like to sing and I hated study hall. I used to sew all my clothes until the prices for ready made clothing fell below that of plain material. I do counted cross stitch for relaxation. I've even tried my hand at painting.
This book, while it claimed to have new insights on creativity, is a business book. Think "sell the sizzle, not the steak" and you'll be right where the book is. It's not really about being creative. It's about using creativity to run your business. Each chapter had a list of questions to see if you understood the material. I quit the book about half way through.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. Sadly this was a DNF for me. I appreciate the entrepreneurial information offered however for me personally, it wasn’t necessarily practical at the moment. This isn’t to say it was a bad book, it’s just not something I need right now.

Maria Brito left a successful law career to explore more creative pursuits. This book traces not only her path, but offers stories of artists--both famous and not so much--and their journeys to success. She also includes suggestions on how to implement the topic of each chapter. What really stuck with me is the research showing that EVERYONE is creative, but life (school, family, friends, society, etc.) drums innate creativity out of most people. We should all strive to bring creativity back into our lives. An excellent resource to help see the world in a different, and obviously more creative, light. #HowCreativityRulestheWorld #NetGalley

I loved the author's enthusiasm and left the book feeling that creativity is something that can be nurtured within myself. I liked the idea that creative people can reinvent themselves over and over again.
Thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an arc.

This book was a breath of fresh air! I really enjoyed it. It was a little out of my comfort zone, but it just made it that much better. Loved this story!

With a well-structured content, we can learn useful clues to understand and practice creativity. Every concept includes an amalgam of theory, history, examples and exercises in an engaging, enjoyable and instructive way. Combined with her personal and professional experience, she teaches how diverse artists and business people have achieved that eureka moment. From Caravaggio to Larry Page passing through Hilma af Klint, Maria Brito distills valuable methods and stories while she narrates it with enthusiasm and generosity.

A great resource for people that want to tap into their creativity a little more, or perhaps are already creatives and merely want to celebrate that. This is an inspiring book that I would recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I won’t deny that the writing style of this book is of high quality and it left me with a feeling that Maria Brito has a solid future in the creative industry. The book’s introduction got me hooked on discovering more about creativity, and I was very eager to finish the brilliant work that is the “Introduction” and get to the actual content of the book!

In the first chapter, Maria Brito starts by building a bridge between herself and the world of creativity, and instead of keeps this tangling of wires going through the rest of the book. Although it didn’t seem too bad at first, it soon started being a bit too much, since this is expected to be a work of non-fiction. While I do appreciate that embedding personal stories helps with a narrative, there comes a point where the two wires must separate and, to my displeasure, I didn’t see that happening, which ultimately led to my reading experience not raising up to the expectations. Also, somewhere along page 50, I decided to drop the idea of classifying the book “non-fiction” and replace it with “biographical” with a tendency of general culture instead since this is how I perceive that the narrative was heading towards.

One thing I did appreciate was the myth-debunking approach from the first chapter, where Maria Brito took 7 of the most common creativity misconceptions and once again through very persuasive/creative writing showed that they are indeed myths. This, combined with snippets of history makes the reading so enjoyable!

The last aspect that I want to highlight are the “Alchemy Lab” section notes which I found really good practice work for getting one’s creative mindset going. I highly recommend!

Special thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Leadership, and the author for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC, and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

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#LifeLongLearning #HowCreativityRulestheWorld #NetGalley

Maria Brito discovered a new way to approach business, and this is a different kind of business book. How Creativity Rules the World is a quick look into the world of creative business strategies. In order to understand creativity, we must first understand what it means to be creative and who is in that camp. Harvard law school graduate and art history buff, Maria Brito has classified creativity as an inexhaustible resource. It’s for any struggling professionals looking to change up their stale business plan.

Initial Thoughts

The first few chapters, while captivating as a subject, read like a business book. While it can be a bit dry, the alchemy lab turned the tide in keeping me going through the reasons to be creative. I came into this book from a creative’s perspective instead of an entrepreneur’s. The book is clearly geared toward the latter, which made it a slow read. Getting through more allowed more ease of reading and comfort with the writing style.
Contemporary art curator - Maria Brito

Maria Brito has spent years studying creative minds as they’ve curated art exhibitions and shared more about their precious skill. She discovered in her own business that modern entrepreneurship can be as much a creative accomplishment as a lesson in drudgery to become a thriving entrepreneur.

Final Thoughts

How Creativity Rules the World shows how a meaningless life or humdrum business can inspire creativity and foster innovation in any business. Maria Brito has distilled down her experiences with the creative process and successful seven-figure artists to harness their immense creative power.

Creative entrepreneur Maria Brito encourages you to employ creativity by telling stories spanning business and the contemporary art world. She also distilled her years of teaching creativity and her students’ creative successes in this book.