The Creative Entrepreneur: A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real

Although I already have a boring all text and statistics yawn fest business plan, I find that I seldom refer to it. I need something else to help move me forward and get me unstuck. I need something to get me excited about strategic planning. This book does it. I, like many artists have shelves full of books on the business of art, creativity, marketing and the like. They bore me to tears. This, on the other hand, is a great motivational tool. Rather than have me fill notebooks with dry lists, this book instructs me to create mandalas, vision boards and visual journals. I have created these before but not as a business tool. This book takes me step by step through the process of figuring out what I want and need, and gives me all sorts of insights to keep moving me towards my goal. This is the best book of its kind that I have seen. It's probably the only book of its kind that I have seen. It's art with a purpose, which appeals to me. There are many books on making visual journals but this book in my opinion is the one you need if you are seriously thinking of your art as a business. I have already told many of my artist friends about it.

"The Creative Entrepreneur" is a breakthrough for teaching right brain left brain integration. As a studio artist and lifetime creative I struggled with trying to fit my right brain view into a largely left brain world. As long as I can remember left brain thinking has been held as the norm and yet to many it always seemed limiting. Life doesn't always happen in a linear time line of events nor does innovative thought. While Lisa's book seems to be aimed mostly at helping creatives recognize and use their left brain processes, I think it is really strong as a tool to help broaden the view of left brain focused focused. Her graphic journal process,which takes up about half of the book, is a wonderful methodology for awakening the right brain functions in left brain dominant people. In doing so it sets the user up for eventual integration and holistic thought processes. The real value of this book is its magically imaginative way of giving users a way to move into whole brain living and eventually a more integrated view of the world. Interestingly enough I can't imagine a similar book written from the left brain view that could be even smidgen as effective or close to providing as much fun!

This is the first business plan book that really helped me get down to the core of what I wanted to do with my business. Whether you art journal or not, coming up with your plan in a creative way is a nice alternative to the traditional written plan.

I found this book to be a thorough delight! It's packed full of wonderful tips for your creative business, no matter what it is. Business concepts and process is presented in such a way that all right-brain folks (like me) will feel coddled, looked after, and safe. If only I had had this book 25 years ago when I tried to start a weaving business! The author makes it fun (amazing, no?) to make business plans and imagine ways to materialize your artful dreams. Also, as a serious art journaling person, I loved the layout of the book, which contains wonderful examples on almost every page of brilliant journal layouts and compositions. All are in sun-drenched, glorious color!! This book is so delicious to read that I had to ration myself to a chapter a day. Otherwise, I would have devoured it in one sitting and missed many valuable sections. I purchase a LOT of art books--a LOT--and this is one of the best this year--definitely five stars.