Anne Jacoby shares many helpful ideas and inspiration for bringing more creativity into your life and work. I listened to the audiobook but might need a physical or Kindle copy to go back through and take lots of notes. I connected with the book's first half, which seemed to be geared more toward individuals, while the second half was directed more toward leads in companies and organizations. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Anne Jacoby's "Born to Create: How Creativity Sparks Connection, Innovation, and Belonging in Our New World of Work" is a timely exploration of creativity's essential role in today's evolving work environment. It delves into the transformative power of creativity in the workplace, arguing that it is not merely a desirable skill but a fundamental component for fostering connection, innovation, and a sense of belonging. The author notes that creativity is innate to all humans and, when harnessed effectively, can revolutionize the way we work, collaborate, and connect with others. The book covers a few themes such as creativity as a universal trait, fostering connections, driving innovation, creating belonging among a few others. The book also provides practical applications in the form of numerous exercises, frameworks, and tools that one can implement immediately. “Born to Create” is a rich resource for anyone looking to make creativity a cornerstone of their professional life. Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Anne Jacoby and Greenleaf Audiobooks | Fast Company Press for a digital copy of #BorntoCreate in exchange for my honest opinion.

Born to create by Anne Jacoby is a book for people who want to bring more creativity into their lives and, especially, into their work. The author has a background in performing arts and draws many parallels between showbiz and business, giving the book a lighthearted tone.
With lots of stories and anecdotes, actionable advice and creativity booster exercises, this book had me constantly pausing and taking notes. It starts small, with simple things anyone can do to spark creativity and grows into bigger concepts like creative leadership and corporate culture.
The author narrates the audiobook, and I loved how her passion and enthusiasm for the subject really shone through. I also have a background in the arts (though in visual, not performing arts) and I related to a lot of the issues and preconceptions about creativity that this book explores.
The key point of the book is that creativity is a skill, and it’s accessible to each of us, with practice. Being creative is not a state of fact, it’s a learning process.
The biggest problem to growing our creativity seems to be that people associate creative pursuits with shame and failure, based on early experiences when harsh feedback and judgements extinguished their passion. This is where creative confidence comes to the rescue, and the job of any good leader is to foster a safe environment where that confidence can flourish.
The second and third acts of the book focus more on creativity in the workplace and the myriad of shapes that it can take. You’ll learn how to reflect and give specific, helpful feedback; how to foster belonging at work; build collaborative processes and find the sweet spot of performance pressure (among other things).
My take-away from this book is that reflection is just as important as inspiration. It’s what helps us focus, grow, and recognize an impending burn out. Also, that discipline is not a creativity killer, but can be a useful tool. It made me face some bad habits – the time tracking exercise was particularly useful. And in the end, it reminded me that labors of love are what it’s all about.
If you’re feeling stuck and uncreative, if you’re starting something new and are scared of the challenge ahead, or if you’re looking to improve your workplace environment, you should definitely pick up this book.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the review copy of this audiobook.

📚 2024 #41: “Born to Create” by Anne Jacoby

📕 This book is Jacoby's guide to including more creativity in the culture at your workplace. Companies are needing to quickly adapt to the ever-changing demands of employees, increased dependence on technology, and remote-first/hybrid work styles. Rather than fighting these changes, Jacoby helps leaders embrace the new to improve productivity, retention, and satisfaction -- both for employees and customers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5: This started out strong, but honestly fell flat for me pretty fast. In the early chapters, Jacoby makes it sound like this book is applicable to anyone and everyone. Creativity is a universally-helpful skill after all, right? After that hopeful introduction, the book swerves pretty severely into corporate culture and never looks back. I felt like I was back at a company meeting talking about how we can incorporate more fun into Zoom calls or convince people to come back into the office with taco Tuesdays. There are a few pieces of decent information for management and higher roles in corp jobs, but this really didn't feel like a book the average person could use to spark more creativity. The focus really was on company culture.

🤓 You should read this if you fit the description above and are working on a "return to office" policy lol.

🥰 Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book is fine. I listened to several hours, but have not quite finished it and don't know that I will. It has a lot of personal stories that may or may not be applicable to anyone else and a few exercises/prompts. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this isn't quite it. Maybe I was looking for something more like Cameron's _The Artist's Way_, but maybe more about being creative and less about art? This is targeted more toward business professionals, which I did appreciate. I think a paper copy would work better, so I could skim/skip all the personal stories about the author's performing arts experience.

The book has engaging real-world stories and practical exercises that make the concepts accessible and actionable. Jacoby's passion for creativity shines through, offering readers a refreshing perspective on incorporating creativity into their daily work and leadership practices. Each chapter provides a wealth of tools and strategies to help individuals and leaders alike ignite innovation, build resilience, and create a thriving workplace culture.

While the book is rich with content and deeply engaging, there are moments where the depth of information can feel overwhelming. However, the actionable advice and real-world examples keep the reader grounded and inspired.

Overall, "Born to Create" is a good-read for anyone looking to spark their personal creativity and lead with purpose in the workplace.

3.75 stars

"Practicing creativity yields more creativity"

Born to Create by Anne Jacoby is a book I would recommend for your next workplace book club. Applicable for early career professionals, new managers, executives, and especially entrepreneurs, the "Creativity Boosters" offer practical opportunities for reflection that would drive discussion for change in any industry or team. The focus is on creativity as a skill at work and how to make it both a discipline and joy in all types of workplaces and changemakers. Overall a good listen and I anticipate the print version will live on the shelves of many leaders for years to come.

In the same league of work as Gretchen Rubin, Chip and Dan Heath, and Liz Gilbert's talks on creativity.

Thank you to the author and Greenleaf Book Group Press for an Audiobook of this work.

Born to Create by Anne Jacoby was a slow start for me, but it had some great insights when it got going. Jacoby weaves stories from the arts alongside entrepreneurial endeavors and more staid businesses to draw out the creative process from each and show how they have applicable learnings for anyone. This book targets senior leaders but doesn’t leave behind any role in an organization — highlighting their value and encouraging micro and macro processes. It’s an easy read in the vein of any “business” book but a bit more entertaining and applicable than most. 
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Born to Create" by Anne Jacoby is a compelling audio book that ignites the creative spark within. Jacoby's insights and exercises are truly inspiring, encouraging listeners to tap into their innate creativity. However, I found myself wishing for the physical copy to better follow along with the exercises. Nonetheless, this audio book is a must-listen for anyone looking to unleash their creative potential.

I absolutely love the title of this book. We were all born to create, in our own unique ways. The author does a good job of bringing out ways to foster creativity at work.

The first part of the book was helpful for myself as an individual. The rest of the book is geared towards leaders in the workplace, and ways they can foster and embrace that creativity.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Loved this! Great overview of creativity and work. Important nuggets for cultivating individual creativity, adopting a posture of curiosity and collaboration, and how to be a part of co-creation more generally in a team or business.

The book is so much better than I thought. I expected a basic book praising the importance of being creative, but the author was able to make creativity a relatable and practical topic, applicable to any path of life. I liked the exercises, that can be focused personally as well as for team building, and the many resources that accompany the book. I see myself using this book as a reference in the future and completing the exercises.

Anne Jacoby brings her acting background and coaching experience to this useful workbook-style book on creativity. The book is in three parts: acknowledging your own creativity (because everyone is creative or can be); leading a team in being more open-minded and creative; and helping your company or organization fuel a creative culture. She sets the scene, dissects what works, and provides exercises to try. The narration is clear and engaging, and there is an accompanying PDF for things like checklists. If you are wanting to add some creativity to your day, your job, or your company, this is a helpful place to start!
My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the review copy of this audiobook.