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Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises To Wake Up Your Brain
What do you do if you are lagging in the morning?
You probably grab a cup of coffee for that extra boost of energy. Throughout the day, you are asked to be creative, to come up with new and better ideas. So what do you do when you need a creative jolt for your brain? Now you can turn to Caffeine for the Creative Mind .
This collection of short, focused creative exercises is just the boost you need get your brain working. Inside, you'll The only thing keeping you from reaching a new level of creative thought is inaction. With this stimulating book, you'll learn how to focus your creative attention in short, definable ways. Caffeine for the Creative Mind is your springboard for coming up with solutions that challenge you to alter your perspective—and begin generating ideas at the highest possible level!
You probably grab a cup of coffee for that extra boost of energy. Throughout the day, you are asked to be creative, to come up with new and better ideas. So what do you do when you need a creative jolt for your brain? Now you can turn to Caffeine for the Creative Mind .
This collection of short, focused creative exercises is just the boost you need get your brain working. Inside, you'll The only thing keeping you from reaching a new level of creative thought is inaction. With this stimulating book, you'll learn how to focus your creative attention in short, definable ways. Caffeine for the Creative Mind is your springboard for coming up with solutions that challenge you to alter your perspective—and begin generating ideas at the highest possible level!
359 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2006
26 people are currently reading
769 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 27, 2011
Note: I have not started the exercises yet, just read through the book. I hope to come back and re-evaluate once I've done so.
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This is a really fun idea and I'm glad I picked the book up. I think it would work well for creatives of any type - the exercises in this book range from writing to drawing, design, and more. A lot of them seem like they would really challenge the reader to think creatively about a variety of different things. The interviews with other creatives, and the notes from some creatives when they talked about doing particular exercises in the book were also a blast to go through, and I thought they added a lot of value.
Having problems getting into a creative mood is a really big challenge for me, so I'm hoping this book will help me address it :)
The only cons that I can really think of, having read through the book, are sometimes the orientation of the pages could be kind of annoying, like sometimes it was normal, but other times the text was all flipped 90 degrees to the left or right and that made it difficult to read sometimes. I expect that when you are just doing one exercise though, it might not be such a big deal.
The other thing was just that a fair amount of the exercises assumed having people to participate with. Sometimes that can be fun but some others just seemed like more of a chore XD;; so I think I will be skipping a bunch of those. Still, overall it was a pretty solid book and I really hope it will help me!
--
This is a really fun idea and I'm glad I picked the book up. I think it would work well for creatives of any type - the exercises in this book range from writing to drawing, design, and more. A lot of them seem like they would really challenge the reader to think creatively about a variety of different things. The interviews with other creatives, and the notes from some creatives when they talked about doing particular exercises in the book were also a blast to go through, and I thought they added a lot of value.
Having problems getting into a creative mood is a really big challenge for me, so I'm hoping this book will help me address it :)
The only cons that I can really think of, having read through the book, are sometimes the orientation of the pages could be kind of annoying, like sometimes it was normal, but other times the text was all flipped 90 degrees to the left or right and that made it difficult to read sometimes. I expect that when you are just doing one exercise though, it might not be such a big deal.
The other thing was just that a fair amount of the exercises assumed having people to participate with. Sometimes that can be fun but some others just seemed like more of a chore XD;; so I think I will be skipping a bunch of those. Still, overall it was a pretty solid book and I really hope it will help me!
January 14, 2019
Shit. This book is so bad m'kay? Trust me, don't even look in it, you'll get a headache from the poor design and vomit of fonts.
Seriously, even if you're curious like me - just don't even be tempted to find out what I mean.
I'd never burn a book (plus it's from a library) but this one could be torn up and used to bleach and then write on as scrap paper. See! Creative recycling!
Yeeeahh right! We're going to find an old VW Beetle and 'decorate' it for 'fun'! What a fucking joke. I'm done.
Agh I feel more creative and better already. Who knew!?
Seriously, even if you're curious like me - just don't even be tempted to find out what I mean.
I'd never burn a book (plus it's from a library) but this one could be torn up and used to bleach and then write on as scrap paper. See! Creative recycling!
Yeeeahh right! We're going to find an old VW Beetle and 'decorate' it for 'fun'! What a fucking joke. I'm done.
Agh I feel more creative and better already. Who knew!?
January 8, 2012
I was disappointed with this book, some of the exercises were interesting but not many made me feel really eager to try things out. I thought it was trying too hard to be funny and just came across as cheesy 'dad' type humor. It wasn't terrible at all but I'm sure someone's done a better job of the same thing (and there were at least 2 typos).
May 29, 2025
I am still utilizing this book. I have used it in the past to give myself a kick in the pants to work creatively everyday. It gives a good reminder that art and creativity doesn't have to be in a HUGE form. It can be done in tiny amounts and sometimes those small pieces turn out beautifully. I found this really helpful.
July 29, 2017
This book is a LIFESAVER for anyone having writer's block or any other sort of creative shortage. It is full of fun, but sometimes challenging, exercises and activities to help jumpstart your brain as well as your creativity.
December 26, 2018
an interesting book for teenagers or creative people with lot of time. I enjoyed going through some pages but I would never waste time of life trying to do some of this “creative mind exercises”
February 25, 2024
Lots of great ideas in here if you are looking for fun inspiration!
November 17, 2009
اممم ، الكتاب فكرته حلوة ، عبارة عن تمارين قائمة على اعتقاد أن الإبداع الفكري ليس إلا (مهارة) يتم تنميتها عن طريق الممارسة .
أكثر ما أعجبني كانت المقدمة رغم قصرها. كانت تحوي الكثير من المبادئ أو المعتقدات التي أؤمن بها ، منها مثلا أن حياؤنا من البوح بـ الأفكار "الغبية" ليس إلا سبيلا لمنع الأفكار الأكثر تميزا .
أعجبتني أيضا بعض (التمارين) ، كلها بشكل أو بآخر يدور حول فكرة الخروج عن المألوف و التعامل مع الأشياء اليومية بطريقة غير اعتيادية ترغمنا على التفكير خارج الصندوق . لكن لم تكن كل التمارين مميزة أو "جذابة" .
و أيضا (حلاوة) التمارين أن بعضها قد تشكل لتكون أنشطة صفية للطلاب تخدم هدف الدرس ، لإدخال عامل المتعة و الإبداع في التعلم ؛ و هذا من شأنه تحفيز الطلاب بشكل كبير .
مما اقتسبته من الكتاب :
-We all generate ideas, but few act upon those ideas, share those ideas, realize those ideas or execute those ideas.
من التمارين :
- عبر عن : الضغط ، الوهم ، الحظ ، الإثارة ، الخطر ، المتعة . بصورة واحدة فقط لكل مفهوم . ليس هذا فقط ، لكن أيضا الصورة يجب أن تكون من رسمك و لا تحوي غير 4 خطوط مستقيمة و دائرة .
(^ قد تبدو الفكرة "بايخة" ، لكنها تحفز المخ كثيرا؛ ممكن استخدامها -أظن- في الصف عن طريق توظيف نفس الفكرة لكن يطلب من الطلاب التعبير عن مفاهيم أخرى بطرق محدودة أخرى مثلا : 3 أقلام و نصف ورقة تتشكل بأي طريقة )
- لأن حياتنا مليئة بالدوائر ، أوجد 20 دائرة في محيطك و قم بتصوير كل دائرة بنفس الطريقة و المساحة . احتفظ بها لما بعد .
أكثر ما أعجبني كانت المقدمة رغم قصرها. كانت تحوي الكثير من المبادئ أو المعتقدات التي أؤمن بها ، منها مثلا أن حياؤنا من البوح بـ الأفكار "الغبية" ليس إلا سبيلا لمنع الأفكار الأكثر تميزا .
أعجبتني أيضا بعض (التمارين) ، كلها بشكل أو بآخر يدور حول فكرة الخروج عن المألوف و التعامل مع الأشياء اليومية بطريقة غير اعتيادية ترغمنا على التفكير خارج الصندوق . لكن لم تكن كل التمارين مميزة أو "جذابة" .
و أيضا (حلاوة) التمارين أن بعضها قد تشكل لتكون أنشطة صفية للطلاب تخدم هدف الدرس ، لإدخال عامل المتعة و الإبداع في التعلم ؛ و هذا من شأنه تحفيز الطلاب بشكل كبير .
مما اقتسبته من الكتاب :
-We all generate ideas, but few act upon those ideas, share those ideas, realize those ideas or execute those ideas.
من التمارين :
- عبر عن : الضغط ، الوهم ، الحظ ، الإثارة ، الخطر ، المتعة . بصورة واحدة فقط لكل مفهوم . ليس هذا فقط ، لكن أيضا الصورة يجب أن تكون من رسمك و لا تحوي غير 4 خطوط مستقيمة و دائرة .
(^ قد تبدو الفكرة "بايخة" ، لكنها تحفز المخ كثيرا؛ ممكن استخدامها -أظن- في الصف عن طريق توظيف نفس الفكرة لكن يطلب من الطلاب التعبير عن مفاهيم أخرى بطرق محدودة أخرى مثلا : 3 أقلام و نصف ورقة تتشكل بأي طريقة )
- لأن حياتنا مليئة بالدوائر ، أوجد 20 دائرة في محيطك و قم بتصوير كل دائرة بنفس الطريقة و المساحة . احتفظ بها لما بعد .
August 2, 2008
ini buku keren: kumpulan kegiatan-kegiatan praktis untuk membangkitkan ide-ide gila kita. mula-mula audiens yang dibayangkan adalah para disainer grafis, tapi rasanya bisa juga dipakai untuk siapa saja yang menjadikan kreativitas sebagai sumber hidupnya...ceilee...
di dalamnya diberikan juga beberapa wawancara dengan para konsultan disain yang terkenal.
yang keren juga dari buku kecil tapi tebal ini adalah layout atau disain perwajahan yang dibuat oleh wendy lee oldfield.
ntar deh aku tulis contoh-contoh kegiatan yang mreka tulis di buku itu. ada 250 buah je!
di dalamnya diberikan juga beberapa wawancara dengan para konsultan disain yang terkenal.
yang keren juga dari buku kecil tapi tebal ini adalah layout atau disain perwajahan yang dibuat oleh wendy lee oldfield.
ntar deh aku tulis contoh-contoh kegiatan yang mreka tulis di buku itu. ada 250 buah je!
February 25, 2009
This book is great for keeping the creative part of your brain going. Creativity needs to be exercised to keep it strong and sometimes to even make your mood better and this gives something to help jump start that. I love my pimped out red wagon and love thinking of what to do next based on the exercises in the book.
To my ex-design teachers, I would highly recommend this book as something to help inspire you and your students.
To my ex-design teachers, I would highly recommend this book as something to help inspire you and your students.
November 29, 2010
This book is helpful when you're struggling to get started with a challenge or problem. It is exactly what the titles says - exercises to wake up your mind. You won't find creative strategies in here, there's no structure or frameworks. Just open up to a page, do the exercise, stimulate your mind then get to work.
April 15, 2016
Really an awesome book, to open up creativity . Everyday a cup of caffeine (I mean one activity from the book) is a good activity for anyone looking for kindling creativity in whatever profession one is in.
We can't finish the book at go. It is only possible to do one or 2 activity every day. But that is a nice way to do this book.
We can't finish the book at go. It is only possible to do one or 2 activity every day. But that is a nice way to do this book.
February 9, 2016
This book is best suited to those with an artsy-craftsy bent (e.g. those in graphic design, illustration, advertising), rather than purist writers like myself. I found a few exercises worth trying, but the rest not so much. Glad I borrowed from the library!
March 25, 2024
This is an awesome book for those who need some help just starting the artist within
March 6, 2012
ini sangat menyenangkan. bener-bener saat menyenangkan.
August 16, 2009
I skimmed through this book. Some of the ideas were more appealing to me than others. I would think anyone seeking a creative jumpstart could find something useful in this book.
August 5, 2011
Excellant pick-me-up for any one. A book to be read,enjoyed and benefited from slowly.
April 27, 2012
A fun resource to get the creative juices flowing. Also great for anyone who facilitates creative workshops.
March 3, 2013
a wonderful tool for any kind if artist. I have done only a small fraction of the exercises in this book, but I keep coming back to out when I feel the need for brain stimulation
May 25, 2013
A great book.. :)
December 9, 2013
All the crazy font and distracting page "noise" doesn't make up for uninspired content.
May 28, 2015
EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!! I use this book every day now!
November 21, 2015
This was perfect!
The exercises are very creative and mind blowing
The exercises are very creative and mind blowing
August 3, 2011
A very stimulating book. One to be read and enjoyed over time.
Want to read
September 10, 2014i think it will great
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews