BOOK REVIEWS

The Creative Habit – Twyla Tharp

Book review

Since the urge to create is innate in ADHD, this is a helpful guide

Tharp, one of America’s greatest choreographers, shows that the struggle to be creative is nothing new, many great artists have fought the same battles. She focuses on the habit of work, how we need to establish habits for our creative pursuits or the work will not get done and creativity will have no place to manifest.

For people with ADHD, procrastination is a major hurdle and establishing “habits” can be an effective way to move forward. ADHD is time blind and people with ADHD tend to make decisions based “in the moment” – what is most interesting to do right now. Habits help break this faulty decision making and Tharp’s belief is that practice is supreme, not sitting around waiting for the muse to make an appearance.

Tharp discusses her creative career, her tough work regimen and methods for getting things done but also that of many other creative people too, such as how Mozart worked his fingers into early deformity from practicing so much.

Tharp has demons too, even in success and helps us realise that our fears are not unique, wrestling demons is part of the creative process. Her aim is not to get into a creative mood but to be creative all the time. She addresses getting started, preparation, the creative perspective, using your experiences, research and organization, finding inspiration, expoliting the unexpected, knowing what you wish to create, becoming competent, dealing with stalls, learning from setbacks, and building on the past.  Useful insights.

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ADHD Coach, Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis is an ADHD Coach, writer and founder of SimplyWellbeing. He has over ten thousand hours and fifteen years of experience in coaching ADHD executives, business professionals and creatives. His expertise with ADHD is personal, with decades of his own experience, bringing up an ADHD child, running a large support group and in coaching clients often for years He has published his writing via this website and has ADHD online courses in development. His business expertise comes from a twenty years career in software, from programming, through marketing, sales and running a few start-ups.

Further reading

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Hallowell's (author of Driven to Distraction) very effective and warm guide to parenting ADHD
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A fascinating deep dive into neurons and synapses
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A very practical guide to helping yourself with you ADHD from the very first ever ADHD coach
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The first book written about adult ADHD, and by adults with ADD
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Many SSRIs are ineffective and problematic, sometimes proving very difficult to stop taking. This books shows the smart way to do so
ADHD at work
A guide to helping ADHD kids, though a little too focussed on "bad" behaviour
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