WINNER OF THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD - "A delightful,
compelling book that offers a dazzling array of practical, thoughtful
exercises designed to spark creativity, help solve problems, foster
connection, and make our lives better."--Gretchen Rubin, New York
Times bestselling author and host of the Happier podcast
In an era of ambiguous, messy problems--as well as extraordinary
opportunities for positive change--it's vital to have both an
inquisitive mind and the ability to act with intention. Creative Acts
for Curious People is filled with ways to build those skills with
resilience, care, and confidence.
At Stanford University's world-renowned Hasso Plattner Institute of
Design, aka "the d.school," students and faculty, experts and seekers
bring together diverse perspectives to tackle ambitious projects; this
book contains the experiences designed to help them do it. A provocative
and highly visual companion, it's a definitive resource for people who
aim to draw on their curiosity and creativity in the face of
uncertainty. Teeming with ideas about discovery, learning, and leading
the way through unknown creative territory, Creative Acts for Curious
People includes memorable stories and more than eighty innovative
exercises.
Curated by executive director Sarah Stein Greenberg, after being honed
in the classrooms of the d.school, these exercises originated in some of
the world's most inventive and unconventional minds, including those of
d.school and IDEO founder David M. Kelley, ReadyMade magazine founder
Grace Hawthorne, innovative choreographer Aleta Hayes, Google chief
innovation evangelist Frederik G. Pferdt, and many more.
To bring fresh approaches to any challenge-world changing or close to
home-you can draw on exercises such as Expert Eyes to hone observation
skills, How to Talk to Strangers to foster understanding, and
Designing Tools for Teams to build creative leadership. The activities
are at once lighthearted, surprising, tough, and impactful-and reveal
how the hidden dynamics of design can drive more vibrant ways of making,
feeling, exploring, experimenting, and collaborating at work and in
life. This book will help you develop the behaviors and deepen the
mindsets that can turn your curiosity into ideas, and your ideas into
action.
