Things Are What You Make of Them: Life Advice for Creatives

I have always been a fan of Adam's work because it is sarcastic, funny, inspiring but my favorite part is that it's relatable. He does an excellent job at reaching to his audience and making us feel like we are friends without even personally knowing each other. I have read this book twice since I got it and it's by far, one of my favorite books (& I read A LOT). I believe it to be an essential for creatives, but anyone can relate to it too. I am a photographer & every single word touched home, but my best friend is nowhere near the art side of life (she's a chemist) & she liked it too. This book gives us answers to the typical questions like "How to be happy?" by telling us very straight forward that there is not such a thing as an 100% happy life, but instead happy moments. It can be an easy read or a more deep one depending on how you feel at the moment, which is one of my favorite parts. This book also allows you to tear up the pages and either give them away or display them on a wall, as you'd desire. Lastly, this book makes you want to share it with others (I have already bought a copy to give to all my friends for the holidays).

Such a great book and a wonderful gift for all my artist friends (and really, those who are not artists too). Not only is it full of bite-size helpful advice that makes you feel that you're not alone in the creative struggle, but the structure of the book is really smart. Each section proceeds through the actual creative process including how to start over and how to manage success. It's witty, honest, and insightful.

I really enjoyed this book and refer to it often, but I just wanted to point out that it's *tiny*, about the size of a small greeting card. So if you are looking to purchase it as a gift or even as a book to include in your stack of art books, be aware of the size. The one great thing about this size, though, is that it's portable. I grab it and throw it in my bag a lot of the time when I know I might be waiting somewhere, just to get a hit of inspiration. It's more fun to flip through than my phone.

I carry this book with me in my bag every day (have actually thought about getting a second copy so I can keep one each in the two bags I switch back and forth between because when I forget to switch it I always reach for it and feel bereft). It is full of wise and helpful advice, and makes me feel like a smart understanding person who is just a little bit further into their creative life than me is giving me a big hug every time I open it up. I've actually purchased several more copies and given them to friends who now also reference this delightfully colorful little book whenever they are needing a pep talk or pick me up. I LOVE this book. Thank you Adam for sharing such absurdly wonderful advice with us all.

Short and sweet, content to keep in mind for all the creatives (be that the more “artsy” or more conceptualizing crowds).

Reading was good. I like the turning ofpages.

I bought this back in November and I love it!I carry it with me on many trips or flights because I feel I can open it on any page and there will be something that makes me smile.It feels relatable, and for someone who's pursuing a more creative life, the book makes life struggles simpler to fight.It's a happy book, with happy colors and good, real and concise advise.

this book is in likeness to a torn out page from a"an idea notebook"compiled on card stock thick pages in a very small book. Quirky and written by and for artists- it is motivating but not too serious. represents all creative minds and hands-not just field of fine art.I am using it as a gift for a rejected hard working creative soul. Not organized in an easy to follow form,but a quick read for a"creative block" time escape.

Soy diseñadora gráfica y fan de Adam, tengo dos de sus libros y me encantan! Creatividad pura!

Ótimo livro para motivar (principalmente, mas não unicamente) artistas e criativos de todas as áreas. Não tema essa jóia com um pé na categoria auto-ajuda. Divertido e muito dinâmico, adorei o fato que posso destacar qualquer página e usar como quiser (colar na parede, marca-página, lembrete etc) para me inspirar.

A beautiful and perfect read for designers. The tearable pages are the cutest, that can be pinned on a pin board. Definitely recommend.

As someone who often runs into periods of creative block, self doubt and overall negativity when it comes to either myself or my work.. this book has been a great tool in fixing that issue or pushing me to find a solution. As someone who is familiar with Kurtz work, the whole book is bang on, definitely some of his best work. I really appreciate the hand written aspects, they allow for a form of relatability to happen between the reader and author, has more of a conversational tone. Its a great book for reminding yourself that you arent the only one who has these moments of self doubt but also a great motivational tool to get that project you've been thinking about started. Kurtz's voice is very distinctive with his use of hand writing and I think its a nice touch to the book as well as the colorful pages. The fact that the pages are perforated so that the reader can pull out their favorite pages is perfect if you find something that really resonates with you and want to see it every day. Overall a very beneficial purchase. If you are looking for a solution to your specific issues and want life handed to you without putting in work, maybe this isnt for you. But if you're genuinely trying to better yourself and your work by putting in the effort, some great tips and motivation to get you started and keep you going!

Very cool book, appreciate the author so much. But the quality of book is soooo bad