Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits
At first glance, Cassou's approach to overcoming creative blocks seems simple--she counsels students to ask themselves key questions to land them at what she terms "Point Zero," or the seat of creativity. But in all her real-life examples, none of the students know what to ask. One student in her painting workshop painted a spaceship, but didn't know what to do next. According to Cassou's diagnosis, his self-judgment and desire for control had closed the door to inspiration. After some prodding, he finally asked: "What would I paint if it was really okay for me to not be in control?" Like magic, he was "instantly energized" to paint large dark insects crawling around the ship. Cassou documents similar breakthroughs in almost every chapter, as she outlines the "Creative Quest" and the "dragons" that block the way: the Dragon of Product emphasizes the outcome, but not the process of creation; the Dragon of Control avoids risk, fearing the unknown; the Dragon of Meaning wants to analyze every step of the process, preferring reason to feeling. Cassou distrusts thinking, proposing that if one decides what to paint, one is "artificially simulating emotions." Only intuition unleashes creativity, she says. But Cassou doesn't offer specific guidance (e.g., exercises) for formulating the questions that lead to Point Zero. And while she asserts that the Point Zero method is applicable to any activity, here she focuses solely on painting. Her New Age prose will further limit this book's readership to the converted. 16 pages of color illus.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.