{"product_id":"creativity-isbn-9781594633874","title":"Creativity","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn the vein of \u003ci\u003eThe Creative Habit \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Artist’s Way\u003c\/i\u003e, a manifesto on the creative process from a master of the impossible.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSince well before his epic (and illegal) 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, Philippe Petit had become an artist who answered first to the demands of his craft—and not just on the high wire, but also as a magician, street juggler, visual artist, builder, and writer. He was a rebel and an autodidact, cultivating the attitudes, resources, and techniques to tackle even seemingly impossible feats. His outlaw sensibility spawned a unique approach to the creative process—an approach he shares, with characteristic enthusiasm, irreverence, and originality, in \u003ci\u003eCreativity: The Perfect Crime\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the reader as his accomplice, Petit reveals fresh and unconventional ways of going about the artistic endeavor, from generating and shaping ideas to practicing, problem-solving, and ultimately pulling off the “coup” itself—executing a finished work. His strategies and insights will resonate with performers of every stripe (actors, musicians, dancers), practitioners of the non-performing arts (writers, artists), professionals in search of new ways of meeting challenges, and individuals simply engaged in the art of living creatively.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eCreativity: The Perfect Crime\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Gleeful… Anyone involved in the performing arts will find\u003ci\u003e Creativity\u003c\/i\u003e useful. [A] kaleidoscopic manifesto …\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e as richly insightful as it is vaingloriously irreverent. Read it. Use it to cross whatever tightropes you happen to be perched on.” – Minneapolis Star Tribune\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Anyone curious about Petit’s life and art, or hoping to draw inspiration for their own creative coup, will find ideas and insights in \u003ci\u003eCreativity: The Perfect Crime\u003c\/i\u003e.” --\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Like all extraordinary artists, Philippe Petit's practice is founded in rigor, scrutiny, and dedication. What sets Philippe in a class all his own is his restless quest to conquer the greatest physical heights, achieving a precise balance of chaos and creativity. He is an inspiration to all who dare to dream of the seemingly impossible. Dear friend: I salute you!”\u003cbr\u003e--Mikhail Baryshnikov\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A book as unique, open and inspiring as one would expect from its fundamentally revolutionary creator, a true original who does not accept accepted wisdom or take no for an answer. As I read, I kept underlining and thinking of friends I wanted to share it with---actors, writers, directors, anyone really. This book could be as powerful for kids as adults; I put a copy of it on each of my kids' nightstands and recommend you do the same.”\u003cbr\u003e--David Duchovny\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“If life itself is a walk on a wire, suspended between birth and death, in \u003ci\u003eCreativity: The Perfect Crime\u003c\/i\u003e Philippe Petit reminds us that the humble precision of every little step can lead to greatness.”\u003cbr\u003e--Francesco Clemente\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I enjoyed the organization of chaos, the boldness of ideas, the insanity of Philippe’s visions, the extreme discipline of planning, and the passion of the feat. It inspires to create not only on a sound concept, but also on a whim or a spark.  I was thoroughly able to identify with his highs and lows and it was a great pleasure to have one so freewheeling put his methods down in a completely personal way.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Julie Taymor\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Philippe Petit created one of the greatest works of art of the twentieth century.  He is also a most intelligent and original thinker (not to mention terrific company).  How lucky we are to have him as a guide into the elusive and all-important subject of creativity.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Jonathan Safran Foer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePhilippe Petit \u003c\/b\u003ehas performed on the high wire more than eighty times around the world; he is also a magician, street juggler, visual artist, builder, lecturer, and writer. A frequent contributor to TED and other national venues, he is the author and illustrator of several books, including To Reach the Clouds, the basis of the 2009 Academy Award–winning documentary Man on Wire. Petit lives in upstate New York.Make no mistake.\u003cbr\u003eI frown upon books about creativity.\u003cbr\u003eToo often they gather only formulas, point at Einstein and the Beatles but\u003cbr\u003erarely at the author, propose exercises that mistake the mind for a gym machine\u003cbr\u003eand conclude each chapter with a recap worthy of fifth-graders. In\u003cbr\u003eaiming at the universal—to satisfy the commonest denominator of human\u003cbr\u003ethinking and behavior—most of these books miss all of the originality, the\u003cbr\u003ehumor, the serendipity, the grace, the exceptions to the rule, the idiosyncrasies\u003cbr\u003ethat mold the way of art.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSo if I don’t believe in books about creativity, why am I writing one?\u003cbr\u003eAlthough the original idea for this book was not mine—it came from the\u003cbr\u003eoutside—its entire content comes directly from inside, from a life I have\u003cbr\u003espent creating. I hope that my unconventional, insubordinate process of\u003cbr\u003ecreativity will offer insight for anyone struggling to achieve his or her\u003cbr\u003edreams.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBorn into the confines of rigid parenting, repressive schooling and the\u003cbr\u003e narrow-mindedness of a country busy manufacturing 365 types of cheeses,\u003cbr\u003equite early I started to rebel against authority. I was not very good at following.\u003cbr\u003eI had to distance myself from the norm, to venture along solitary paths,\u003cbr\u003eto teach myself.\u003cbr\u003eAt six, I taught myself magic; at fourteen, juggling; at sixteen, wire-walking.\u003cbr\u003eIn the process, I was thrown out of five different schools. Regardless, I would\u003cbr\u003enever have let my schooling get in the way of my education.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eObservation was my conduit to knowledge, intuition my source of power.\u003cbr\u003eI spent my days taking things apart and rebuilding them; not asking how to\u003cbr\u003edo something, but finding out; hiding from people in order to stare at them,\u003cbr\u003enoting how they dress, talk, act, and noticing their mistakes . . .\u003cbr\u003eAs a teenager I spent considerable time at the circus and vaudeville theater,\u003cbr\u003ewitnessing the best acts in the world—thereby setting my artistic standards\u003cbr\u003eat an unusually high level. I would compare the overall effect different performances\u003cbr\u003ehad on me and decide who was the best dancer, the best ventriloquist,\u003cbr\u003ethe best stand-up comic. I would try on their styles and attempt their\u003cbr\u003eroutines. Ha-ha! Yet trial and error provided results.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAll of this trying and failing and watching and trying again bred in me an\u003cbr\u003earrogant, proud and aggressive determination. Each discovery, no matter how\u003cbr\u003enaive, had to be jealously hidden from the rest of the world. Each victory felt\u003cbr\u003elike a stolen jewel. I fell into a natural state of intellectual self-defense. Let\u003cbr\u003eme explain.\u003cbr\u003eAlways trying my best, I became guilty of pursuing perfection—imagine\u003cbr\u003ethat!\u003cbr\u003eAlways working relentlessly, I became obstinate—and almost felt guilty\u003cbr\u003eabout it.\u003cbr\u003eTo protect what triggered my creativity, I became secretive.\u003cbr\u003eAnxious about being discovered, fearful of being caught, I ended up always\u003cbr\u003eon the lookout.\u003cbr\u003eAt the outset of most projects, busy battling against overwhelming odds, I\u003cbr\u003ecame to believe the entire world was against me.\u003cbr\u003eThis was a reflection of reality as well as the frame of mind I needed to\u003cbr\u003ebe at my most creative. It coated my character with an outlaw sheen. And\u003cbr\u003eI’m sure that with my constant sneaking, my tiptoeing, my way of approaching\u003cbr\u003epeople inconspicuously from behind to spy on them or surprise them, I\u003cbr\u003emust have looked like a criminal, and certainly others must have felt I was\u003cbr\u003eone. And so I was not surprised the world around me reacted with suspicion\u003cbr\u003eand mistrust!\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBefore I had reached eighteen, I had rewritten the Book of Ethics that had\u003cbr\u003ebeen forced on me earlier, and before I knew it, I had acquired the mind of\u003cbr\u003ea criminal.\u003cbr\u003eMy attitude as an artist grew out of the realization I’d arrived at from an\u003cbr\u003eearly age: that my intellectual engagement, my imaginative freedom, had a\u003cbr\u003eprice, that of the forbidden. Whatever I decided to do, it was not allowed!\u003cbr\u003e“Creativity is illegal” became my byword.\u003cbr\u003eThe creator must be an outlaw.\u003cbr\u003eNot a criminal outlaw, but rather a poet who cultivates intellectual rebellion.\u003cbr\u003eThe difference between a bank job and an illegal high-wire walk is paramount:\u003cbr\u003ethe aerial crossing does not steal anything; it offers an ephemeral gift,\u003cbr\u003eone that delights and inspires.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDespite my outlaw approach—or because of it—a network of personal creative\u003cbr\u003eprinciples imperceptibly emerged. Lawlessness doesn’t mean lack of\u003cbr\u003emethod: in fact, the outlaw I became needed method all the more, because\u003cbr\u003eI was swimming alone to the island of my dreams.\u003cbr\u003eWith the urgency of those who believe life is short, I found multiple ways of\u003cbr\u003egetting things done, I solved problems intuitively, and by refusing failure, I\u003cbr\u003ewas able to achieve the impossible.\u003cbr\u003eI dedicated myself to my arts, bringing to bear a fanatic attention to detail and\u003cbr\u003elittle respect for the established values of competition, money or social status.\u003cbr\u003eFor my first major high-wire walks—at Notre Dame, the Sydney Harbor\u003cbr\u003eBridge and the World Trade Center—Oops!—I forgot to ask permission. And\u003cbr\u003eafter, I certainly did not seek forgiveness.\u003cbr\u003eOver the years, I went on refining a highly personal creative process. I kept\u003cbr\u003edrawing on my autodidactic elasticity, all the time knowing that I was never\u003cbr\u003ealone in my progress: mentors, friends and illustrious artists in a wide range\u003cbr\u003eof creative fields guided me and opened doors. They were masters of one\u003cbr\u003ecraft, however, and I was . . . a defiant Renaissance Boy wanting to do it all!\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOne day I was asked to share my creative process with others in the form of a\u003cbr\u003electure. I concocted a lively mixture of physical demonstrations, experiments\u003cbr\u003ewith props, audience participation, storytelling, live drawings, quizzes and even\u003cbr\u003emagic tricks; and I took pleasure in revealing some of my creative secrets.\u003cbr\u003eWord of my lectures spread and I was encouraged to do more.\u003cbr\u003eMy audience grew to be quite diverse: aspiring wire-walkers, Nobel Prize\u003cbr\u003ewinners, clergymen; millionaires whose focus lacked focus and businessmen\u003cbr\u003estriving to become millionaires; young entrepreneurs, people seeking a direction\u003cbr\u003ein life, curious souls, and students of all sorts of subjects.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMy audiences seemed to identify with my outlaw attitude, to be inspired by\u003cbr\u003emy propensity for venturing far off the beaten path. They asked me to elaborate\u003cbr\u003eon my “grammar of creativity,” and even the tech geeks I spoke to were\u003cbr\u003ehungry for more of this self-confessed Luddite’s primer on self-teaching and\u003cbr\u003eself-discovery.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEventually I distilled my audience’s favorite topics into a one-man show,\u003cbr\u003eWIRELESS! Philippe Petit Down to Earth. And I began to see that despite my\u003cbr\u003eaversion to guides to the creative process, I really did have the makings of a\u003cbr\u003ebook.\u003cbr\u003eBut not a book about creativity.\u003cbr\u003eA book about my creativity.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSo think of this book as a conspiracy—or, if you will, a manifesto. And\u003cbr\u003ethink of yourself, dear reader, as an accomplice who is invited to explore your\u003cbr\u003eown field of intellectual or artistic “crime.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSee this book not as a blueprint for any specific crime but as a series of postcards\u003cbr\u003efrom the labyrinths I build (to confuse those chasing me), the tunnels I\u003cbr\u003edig (to escape), the dams I erect (to delay the invasion of the elements). Accept\u003cbr\u003emy invitation to become my student, my partner, in crime. Together\u003cbr\u003ewe’ll take chances and yet leave nothing to chance. We’ll question the questions,\u003cbr\u003eyet arrive at definitive principles. We’ll be stubbornly focused, yet curious\u003cbr\u003eabout everything.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eI hope this book will provide guidance for your imagination. That it will\u003cbr\u003ehelp you to recognize all sorts of obstacles, in order to circumvent them, or—\u003cbr\u003eif need be—make them vanish. That it will reveal to you the surest way to\u003cbr\u003ebring your “criminal intentions” from inspiration to full-fledged execution—\u003cbr\u003eto “coup.” And that along the way, it imparts what I have discovered about\u003cbr\u003ethe benefits of passion, tenacity, intuition, misdirection, daily practice, secrets,\u003cbr\u003emistakes, surprises and believing in miracles.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMost of all, I fervently wish it will remind you of the qualities hidden inside\u003cbr\u003eall of us, that we are rarely encouraged to recognize but that are essential to\u003cbr\u003emake our dreams come true, to plan, design and construct a wondrous life.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eI wish you the most adventurous journey, epic pursuit and successful escape.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eVehemently yours,\u003cbr\u003ePhilippe Petit\u003cbr\u003e10 Rue Laplace, Paris\u003cbr\u003eOctober 6, 2012*","brand":"Riverhead Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305352450277,"sku":"NP9781594633874","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781594633874.jpg?v=1767724231","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/creativity-isbn-9781594633874","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}