But what about those with a wide array of interests, a dynamic curiosity about the world, and an ever-renewing wellspring of passions? Margaret Lobenstine calls these people “Renaissance Souls,” and in this groundbreaking book, she offers a life-planning strategy in tune with their dynamic, change-loving personalities. Renaissance Souls often get stuck, moving from entry-level job to entry-level job, degree to degree, or hobby to hobby, unwilling to settle on just one thing to do “for the rest of my life.” Or, after achieving success in one field, they yearn for new challenges and begin looking around for something different. Yet they are also afraid that if they pursue their changing interests, they will have to give up on financial security, becoming “a jack of all trades and master of none.”The Renaissance Soul, the first book devoted to this personality type, not only shows that it’s possible to design a successful, vibrant life built on multiple passions, but also gives readers the practical advice to do so. Lobenstine arms the reader with powerful life-design strategies, including how to:*Understand the exciting and powerful difference between choice and focus *Transform your day job so that it carries your dreams forward*Manage your time the Renaissance Soul way*Thrive on many interests without feeling scattered *Get paid for your passions*Learn a new field without going back to school*Get inspired by Renaissance Souls from ancient times to the present, from Leonardo da Vinci to Ben Franklin to Oprah WinfreyStocked with creative exercises, relevant resources, and interviews with successful Renaissance Souls, this profoundly inspiring guide will show readers the way to a richer, more fulfilling life—big enough to embrace all their dreams.

    They actively applied a deceptively simple tool to think both smarter and faster: the doodle. And so can the rest of us-zero artistic talent required.Visual thinking expert Sunni Brown has created The Doodle Revolution as a kick-starter guide for igniting and applying simple visual language to any challenge. The instinctive and universal act of doodling need only be unleashed in order to innovate, solve problems, and elevate cognitive performance instantly.

    Author Mike Rohde shows you how to incorporate sketchnoting techniques into your note-taking process--regardless of your artistic abilities--to help you better process the information that you are hearing and seeing through drawing, and to actually have fun taking notes. The Sketchnote Handbook explains and illustrates practical sketchnote techniques for taking visual notes at your own pace as well as in real time during meetings and events. Rhode also addresses most people's fear of drawing by showing, step-by-step, how to quickly draw people, faces, type, and simple objects for effective and fast sketchnoting. The book looks like a peek into the author's private sketchnote journal, but it functions like a beginner's guide to sketchnoting with easy-to-follow instructions for drawing out your notes that will leave you itching to attend a meeting just so you can draw about it.

    Bestselling author, artist, and illustrator Lisa Congdon brings her expertise to this guide to the process of artistic self-discovery.Find Your Artistic Voice helps artists and creatives identify and nurture their own visual identity.This one-of-a-kind book helps artists navigate the influence of creators they admire, while simultaneously appreciating the value of their personal journey.• Features down-to-earth and encouraging advice from Congdon herself• Filled with interviews with established artists, illustrators, and creatives• Answers the question "how do I develop a unique artistic style?"An artist's voice is their calling card—it's what makes each of their works vital and particular, but developing such singular artistry requires effort and persistence.Find Your Artistic Voice offers everyday strategies, inspirational anecdotes, and practical advice to push through fear and insecurity in your artistic practice.• Makes a perfect gift for aspiring artists and creatives, serious hobbyists, art students, makers, teachers, budding creative professionals, and fans of Lisa Congdon• A self-help creativity book for those looking for artistic guidance• Great for those who enjoyed reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and Art/Work: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career by Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber

    5,000 Words Per Hour also has a companion app available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch! The fastest way to succeed as an author is to write more books. How do you do that with a day job, family, school or all your other time commitments? The secret is efficiency. 5K WPH will help you maximize your writing time by building effective habits that both measure and increase your writing speed. - Create an effective writing habit - Track and improve your Words Per Hour - Stop the endless editing and tinkering so you can finish your draft - Use voice dictation software to dramatically increase words per hour. It’s time to shift your writing into high gear.

    The team behind the inspirational design sites Gardenista.com and Remodelista.com presents an all-in-one manual for making your outdoor space as welcoming as your living room. Tour personality-filled gardens around the world and re-create the looks with no-fail planting palettes. Find hundreds of design tips and easy DIYs, editors’ picks of 100 classic (and stylish) objects, a landscaping primer with tips from pros, over 200 resources, and so much more.

    A VINTAGE ORIGINAL.What do we see when we read? Did Tolstoy really describe Anna Karenina? Did Melville ever really tell us what, exactly, Ishmael looked like? The collection of fragmented images on a page - a graceful ear there, a stray curl, a hat positioned just so - and other clues and signifiers helps us to create an image of a character. But in fact our sense that we know a character intimately has little to do with our ability to concretely picture our beloved - or reviled - literary figures.In this remarkable work of nonfiction, Knopf's Associate Art Director Peter Mendelsund combines his profession, as an award-winning designer; his first career, as a classically trained pianist; and his first love, literature - he thinks of himself first, and foremost, as a reader - into what is sure to be one of the most provocative and unusual investigations into how we understand the act of reading.

    It also includes interviews with successful virtual assistants, interviews with clients who utilize a virtual assistant, resources at the end of most chapters, a 30-day reading guide and action plan, and access to The Bootstrap VA Facebook Group where readers can bounce ideas off of each other, ask Lisa questions, and get the support needed no matter where they are in the process of becoming and working as a virtual assistant.If you want to get started as a virtual assistant, and you're a go-getter looking to bootstrap your way to success, this is an eBook you can't afford to miss.ABOUT THE AUTHORLisa Morosky is the author of "The Bootstrap VA: The Go-Getter's Guide to Becoming a Virtual Assistant, Getting and Keeping Clients, and More!" and is a premier virtual assistant in the blogging, Internet marketing, social media, and online business realms. As the founder of VAforBloggers.com, Lisa worked with dozens of clients from 2009-2011, received mentions by and recommendations from top experts, spoke at the BlogWorld conference in Las Vegas, and built a business from the ground up. In 2011, Lisa made the decision to cut back, reposition her services and her client base, and spend more time on personal projects. She moved her services to her new, centralized home at The Home Life {and Me}, lowered her rates (to pass on her new savings to her clients), and changed her title to "blog helper". In 2012, Lisa launched her virtual assistant coaching services.In addition to being a virtual assistant and a virtual assistant coach, Lisa is a Christ follower, a proud wife to her amazing husband, a homemaker, a real foodie, and a lover of all things simple and natural. You can find her blogging about creating a simple, natural, faith-inspired home life at http://www.thehomelifeand.me.

    The author's objective is to offer an understanding of what leads to these moments, be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab, so that knowledge can be used to enrich people's lives. Drawing on 100 interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists to politicians and business leaders, poets and artists, as well as his 30 years of research on the subject, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous theory to explore the creative process. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the tortured genius is largely a myth. Most important, he clearly explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world.

    In Tharoorosaurus, he shares fifty-three examples from his vocabulary: unusual words from every letter of the alphabet. You don't have to be a linguaphile to enjoy the fun facts and interesting anecdotes behind the words! Be ready to impress-and say goodbye to your hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia!

    With journal writing, you can become healthier, happier, smarter, and more self-aware. In fact, there are numerous science-backed benefits of journal writing. For instance, journaling can help: relieve your stress levels, improve your sleep, close those nagging "open loops" in your life, and cope with traumatic events from your past. Although journaling has many benefits, it's also a very challenging habit to build. In fact, there are eight common roadblocks that people experience with journal writing. They say things like: "I need concrete strategies and a step-by-step process for turning journaling into a consistent habit." "Journaling feels overwhelming. I don't know what to do or how to do it." "I've tried so many times before, and I just can't stick with it." "My life is so busy that I can't find the time to journal." "My journal is never around when I need it, so I forget to write." "I have no idea what to write about. Staring at a blank page is intimidating." "I'm afraid someone will read my journal." "I don't know what kind of journal I need—there are so many types out there." If any of these challenges sound familiar, then you should purchase this book: Effortless Journaling -- How to Start a Journal, Make It a Habit, and Find Endless Writing Topics. DOWNLOAD:: Effortless Journaling -- How to Start a Journal, Make It a Habit, and Find Endless Writing Topics Throughout Effortless Journaling, the authors (S.J. Scott & Barrie Davenport) address each of these concerns to help you make the journaling habit a part of your daily routine. In this book, they cover topics like: 15 benefits of journaling (How it positively impacts your physical well-being, mental state, productivity, and personal life); How to combine journaling with the practice of mindfulness; 3 simple tools you need to get started with journaling; 9 popular journaling strategies -- and how to pick the one that's right for you; 8 rules for consistent, daily journaling; How to turn journaling into a sticky, permanent habit. Journaling doesn't have to be a chore. It should be enjoyable, enlightening, and something you look forward to. Would You Like To Know More? Download now to capture those important moments and build a routine, with quiet, self-reflection. Scroll to the top of the page and select the buy now button.

    And human beings are gifted with an almost unlimited potential for learning and creativity. Now you can uncover your own hidden abilities, sharpen your senses, and liberate your unique intelligence—by following the example of the greatest genius of all time, Leonardo da Vinci.Acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, who has helped thousands of people expand their minds to accomplish more than they ever thought possible, shows you how. Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, Gelb introduces Seven Da Vincian Principles—the essential elements of genius—from curiosità, the insatiably curious approach to life to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as your inspiration, you will discover an exhilarating new way of thinking. And step-by-step, through exercises and provocative lessons, you will harness the power—and awesome wonder—of your own genius, mastering such life-changing abilities as: •Problem solving •Creative thinking •Self-expression •Enjoying the world around you •Goal setting and life balance •Harmonizing body and mindDrawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, introduces seven Da Vincian principles, the essential elements of genius, from curiosita, the insatiably curious approach to life, to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as their inspiration, readers will discover an exhilarating new way of thinking. Step-by-step, through exercises and provocative lessons, anyone can harness the power and awesome wonder of their own genius, mastering such life-changing skills as problem solving, creative thinking, self-expression, goal setting and life balance, and harmonizing body and mind.

    If you’re looking for a deeper connection with your journal, author and artist Kristal Norton sheds light on a more rewarding form of journaling with a brief introduction to art journaling and 20 bonus art prompts. She also shares pages of her creative journal that were inspired by the prompts in the book, showing how each prompt can be used and interpreted in many ways.This book is overflowing with inspiration:• 101 creative writing prompts that encourage introspection, great for traditional journaling as well as art journaling• Visual examples of prompts interpreted by the author• 20 quick and easy art prompts to get you started adding color and imagery to your journal• Bonus video of author and artist Kristal Norton creating an art journal page from start to finish using this book for inspiration• A PDF version of all the prompts in this book so that you can print, cut out, and put them in a jar for easy access when you’re feeling stuck

    For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint but just can't seem to find time in the day, Gregory offers 5– to 10–minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule—whether on a plane, in a meeting, or at the breakfast table—along with practical instruction on techniques and materials, plus strategies for making work that's exciting, unintimidating, and fulfilling. Filled with Gregory's encouraging words and motivating illustrations, Art Before Breakfast teaches readers how to develop a creative habit and lead a richer life through making art.

    Completely revised from start to finish this new edition, is written by Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. And the color "moods" that she writes about in each chapter are based and matched with Pantone colors. The book expands on previous editions for the most comprehensive color reference to date.  This edition includes information on creating special effects, as well as an entirely new section devoted to the psychology of color. Eiseman helps readers determine their best color choices and suggests why some colors may inspire their creativity while others don't. The book includes new color palette sections along with expanded and updated color trends.