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Creative Habit : Learn It and use It for Life : A Practical Guide
by Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp's instructive thoughts on the creative process.
The dancer and choreographer in this book, Twyla Tharp, has put together her thoughts on the creative process. However, no one should read “The Creative Habit” with the idea that it will reveal some magical trick to being creative. “Habit” is the operative word in this title and habitual work—consistent and continual, starting with the basics — is at the core of Tharp's recommendations. She would agree with Thomas Edison's quip about genius depending much more on perspiration than on inspiration. At certain points in the book the reader can almost sense the sweat of a dancer's workout jumping out from the page.
Ritual also plays a significant part in Tharp's working method. She suggests that having little rituals, whether it is playing a particular piece of music on a piano each day before starting to compose new music or lighting a candle in preparation for doing a yoga workout, will help get a person going. These rituals are usually performed without a great deal of thought and can help boost a person over the hump of beginning to move on days when beginning is the last thing one wants to do. Not surprisingly, Tharp, who has been involved with dance for more than three decades, is big on movement. More than once she asserts that there is a direct connection between getting the body moving and getting the brain moving.
The book is filled with Tharp's further ruminations on doing creative work. She is of the opinion that people make their own luck. She argues that much good luck is a matter of being prepared and making use of opportunities. As part of being prepared, Tharp believes in being organized and doing extensive background work. In her case the organization starts with putting everything having to do with a particular project in a box or set of boxes. She has a box for each project on which she has worked and these boxes may contains books, articles, pieces of clothing, videos of the work in progress, anything involved with the project. This system not only allows her to review completed projects, but also to return to projects that have had to be put on hold for one reason or another. Another part of her method is having what she calls a “spine” for each creative work. This can be something obvious (e.g., in Moby Dick it's “get the whale,”) or it can be a more obscure idea known only to the artist. Tharp says that the spine provides a project with focus and, thus, helps the artist to work more efficiently. Having good people to work with is also a crucial part of making an artistic project successful. Tharp says that she is not beyond auditioning 400 dancers to find four that meet her standards. Even for a more solitary endeavor, such as writing a novel, Tharp suggests having a group of people one can trust to give an honest opinion about a work before it is brought to a wider public.
Tharp is not doctrinaire in her prescriptions. She doesn't say there is only one way of doing things; the Tharp way. She writes about things that work for her. The reader might want to try them, but in the end, the person has to figure out what works for himself or herself. After each chapter are exercises the author has designed to get the reader to begin to think and act creatively. Tharp believes that an artist can get ideas by paying close attention to daily life. There is inspiration in snippets of overheard conversation, in the peculiar way someone walks or winks, or in the rush of city traffic. Sparks to creativity are everywhere if people would only train themselves to pay attention. Toward the end of the work, Tharp addresses the problem of inevitable “ruts” in the process of creativity. Again, no magic here, just some practical suggestions for getting back into a groove. Related to this, Tharp includes a lengthy and insightful section on the early problems with the Broadway show, “Movin' Out” and the steps she took to solve them.
This book will also appeal to people who are interested in Twyla Tharp as a person; there is much here about how she thinks and works. The reader will learn about Tharp's monastically rigorous daily schedule and will get a good sense of her personality. This includes her complete dedication to the project at hand and her expectation that those she works with will be equally dedicated. Tharp admits to seeing things in black and white terms — dancers are either great or not acceptable; critics are either her friends or her enemies. There is no middle ground for her. So, whether one is interested in the creative process or in the author, the reader of this insightful and well-written book will be well rewarded.
Title: Creative Habit : Learn It and use It for Life : A Practical Guide
Author: Twyla Tharp
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0743235266
Review written by: William Keogan
Reviewer's Rating:8.5
Reader's Rating: 8.00
Reader's Votes: 2
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