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Book Review: Creative Confidence by Tom & David Kelley


If you asked me last year if I was a creative person, I probably would have said no.

 The last time I took an art class was probably in eighth grade, and the reason I didn't continue in high school was because I was not particularly good at any of the art projects in grade school. Even with my musical ability, I was still told that I was not a creative person. Merely, I was just good at replicating what I could hear from something else or from reading sheet music.

 I believed it. For years.


But deep down inside me, this never sat well with me. Whether it came to arranging furniture in our house or organization a PowerPoint presentation, I knew what did look right and what didn't look right. Only after embracing graphic design did I truly realize that there was a creative aspect within me.

 But not just within me. Within all of us.

 This book is just about that. Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential within Us All teaches us that there is indeed a creative side to us all. I know I'm not alone in thinking that I am not a creative person. Does this mean we'll be able to paint the Mona Lisa? No, probably not. But it does mean that we can come up with creative solutions to unique problems.

 The authors of this book, Tom and David Kelley, do an excellent job at balancing philosophy and practicality. In the first part of the book, they share reasons why people think they are not creative and why this is merely a fallacy. They do well in illustrating this point by sharing specific stories of people they have interacted with in the past.

 Toward the latter part of the book, the Kelley brothers help put the rubber to the road by offering tips on how to exercise innovative creativity in very specific ways. They include instructions for exercise to help foster creativity amongst a team, how to empathize with end users, and more. These exercises alone make this book well worth reading.

 Regardless of whether or not you think you are a creative person, I would encourage you picking this up. This book very much feels like the book I would write if I were to describe my own journey from my pre-graphic design life to my post-graphic design life. Much like extroversion, we all have a creative nature within us. This book helps us to realize that to the benefit of our organizations and ourselves.

 Disclaimer: I purchased this book using personal funds and read it cover-to-cover prior to the publication of this review.
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