I love to read this kind of book. I feel like it really does spark inspiration. I think challenges of a creative mind is a potent topic.

Was only able to get about 25% of the way through when it disappeared from the app and my downloads.
I would have loved to finish the book because it had some good stuff. Unfortunately due to not being able to finish I can't give it a high rating.

I am obsessed with the idea of this book. The format works great and the people profiled are fascinating. However, there is something in the writing style which grates on me a bit. I think it is a stylistic thing, a matter of preference, and not anything objectively wrong. Afremow interviews various creatives and then presents the reader with lessons to be learned and exercises to try. It is a good formula. If you are curious about the creative process, or trying to kickstart your own, The Creative's Mind is a valuable resource. Each chapter is like grabbing coffee with your favorite artist and picking their brain. Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher, and NetGalley for the audioARC.

The Creative's Mind: How Exceptional Artists Think, Make, and Perform
by Jim Afremow, PhD
Narrated by Tanya Eby

Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio

“Creativity takes courage.”–Maltese

The concept of creativity has always mesmerized me. Who possesses it, how can one nurture it, and why do some individuals excel in harnessing their creativity while others struggle? These questions drew me to this audiobook, which I find to be a captivating exploration of creativity. Unlike leadership, which can be studied and refined through reading and practice, I wonder if creativity is inherently different—a natural trait or a charismatic quality that cannot be easily taught. Is this true for creativity as well? I am eager to delve deeper into this fascinating subject.

If you seek to overcome self-doubt and unlock the creativity that may be stifled within you, this audiobook may offer valuable insights. The author examines twelve distinct stories from individuals across various fields who have successfully harnessed their creative potentials. These narratives aim to help you conquer your self-doubt and transform your fears into creative endeavors. The book outlines a new perspective on creativity centered around the Five C's: Courage, Confidence, Concentration, Composure, and Commitment. Together, these principles empower your imagination to soar without limits, allowing you to turn your ideas into tangible realities.

I listened to this as an audiobook, but it's not something you can passively enjoy. Without a clear mind, you risk drifting into autopilot and missing out on key points, which might necessitate relistening to certain sections. I'm uncertain whether this would be more beneficial as a read rather than a listen; however, Tanya Eby's narration is commendable. Often, I find nonfiction audiobooks challenging because they require focus, and without dedicated time to pause and absorb critical information, I find myself frequently replaying segments.

Among the twelve inspiring individuals featured, my favorite was Erik Larson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Devil in the White City and The Demon of Unrest. This comes as no surprise, as I have always enjoyed his works.

Just to recap this is a book that might be better suited for reading rather than listening, although you could certainly choose to do both. Engaging with it requires focus; it is not background material. Nevertheless, I found it intriguing, and if you're looking to expand your understanding of creativity, this book is an excellent starting point.

Thanks are extended to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook.

This book focuses on a topic that is little discussed by Creatives but needs to be - the mental toughness required to function as a working artist. I truly wish I had read this book years ago. The public image of the. artist tends to center on the stereotype of the artist as flighty, possibly a drunk, and certainly unhinged and non-conforming to a large extent. Nope. It's about working hard, recovering from disappointment and adversaries, and persevering no matter what.

As a novelist who finally figured out that writing is about "butt in the chair, fingers on the keyboard," this book was tremendously affirming. As a younger writer, I learned to deal with roadblocks the hard way, and it wasn't pretty. All young artists need to know this. The public needs to know the you don't just produce a work of art on a whim and become an instant millionaire. Instead, it's about working through the unglamorous details and sticking to your vision like glue.

Highly recommended.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.75 ⭐️

The Creative’s Mind is a wonderful deep dive into the creative processes and hard work underlying the success of various artists across different industries.

I particularly appreciated the emphasis on ‘mental toughness’, discipline, and a healthy balance of work and rest as crucial to successful creatives. The Creative’s Mind is a practical and inspiring guide for creatives at all stages of their journey.

I enjoyed hearing the unique background and path of each artist - there is a wonderful range in the personalities (introverted/extroverted) and mediums and there was a great balance of facts and direct quotes. I wasn’t familiar with the names of these artists before reading this book (which I found much more interesting) but was more familiar with their work — an important message in itself.

While there were some great actionable tips and prompts at the end of each chapter, I felt that they weren’t as impactful presented in this way. The artists’ stories were already incredibly inspiring on their own, and the ‘creative sparks’ and 5 C’s may have worked better if integrated within the chapter, rather than just listed all at once at the end. They did feel repetitive and sometimes irrelevant to the chapter at times.

Audiobook feedback: the pacing of the narration felt a little too fast for me that I wasn’t able to fully absorb everything that was being said. I was thrown off my some strange pauses (and the sound of obvious mouse clicks at the end of some sentences) that made me feel like it was AI-generated.. I personally don’t mind AI-generated narration and I’m not saying that this book was, but it is something that I noticed and sometimes distracted me from the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this book. As a creative myself, I am always fascinated with processes and origin stories. This book reframes creativity - something seen as elusive and mysterious - into an achievable and repeatable process and goal through managing ourselves better with consistency, mental toughness and a willingness to continue learning and grow.

This was a short book, around 6 hours for the audiobook. Yet, it took me several days to finish listening. Admittedly part of that is my busy schedule, but a larger part is that it just wasn't that engaging.

I do appreciate the content at the end of the chapters with the five Cs, but even that honestly got a little bit repetitive, and I found myself zoning out a lot.

Ultimately I think this book is best suited for those who are just starting out on their creative path, as there is inspiration and motivation to be found here, it just didn't work great for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the copy to review.

I was excited to pick up this book as I’m always looking for new avenues to find inspiration or get new perspective on others’ creative process. There were interesting takeaways from each creative and hearing about their process, but the relation to the 5 C’s became fairly repetitive.

Thank you to Brilliance and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review!

As someone in the creative field myself I was really intrigued by the description of this book. As the interviewed creatives are so very different from each other, there is a lot to take away from each one. Having an insight into the different occupations, challenges and how they overcame these challenges was very interesting. It wasn't really new ways to it though.

I felt like the questions were a nice way to have the reader be more engaged with the topic. But as I listened to the audiobook mostly on the go, I didn't really get to work through those, so for me personally, having it as print/ebook would have been better.

What I really disliked and made it hard for me to listen was the narrators way to imitate male voices. She did a great job anytime she wasn't doing that, but as quite a few interviews were with men, she sadly did it quite a bit. This is 100% personal preference, but is a reason for me rating it 3 stars.

This is a very necessary collection of brilliant minds. The sharing of each of their struggles and successes makes for an interesting read that welcomes readers to the creative’s mind and how one functions to achieve success. A very powerful read!

This non-fiction work features “creatives” from different walks of life now working successfully in various fields: DJ, digital illustrator, performance artist with Cirque du Soleil, a milliner (hat maker), etc. For framing, the author has devised the 5 Cs of mental toughness that he says are required for success: courage, confidence, concentration, composure, and commitment.
Each of the stories is tied to these 5Cs, then questions and suggestions are posed to the reader for self-reflection.
In essence, it’s a self-help book for developing your own mental toughness as a creative. There are some interesting ideas in here. Because the book showcases a wide range of creatives, something is sure to resonate. That being said, there wasn’t much in the way of recommendations that I didn’t already know. But it was also good to hear about how many years some of these profiled creatives have been working — and sometimes on a completely different path.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @BrillianceAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook #TheCreativesMind for review purposes. Publication date: 17 June 2025.