Sea Creatures really scare me. Right now I’m glancing around me because I saw some real photos of cephalopods and they were terrifying. Of course I’m in my house and there’s no reason for a cephalopod to be here. Still going to glance though.

What It’s About: Taking artists through a process where they can produce vivid, meaningful work without all the psychological barriers and pressures of rational thinking and memory.

Why: Pretty pictures.

Thoughts: This is truly a stunning visual experience. Every page feels meticulously designed for its purpose. Unfortunately I’m not terribly creative and couldn’t take Barry’s advice for young creative writers to heart as much as my sister, let’s say, who’s an amazingly gifted writer. Also, the first half of the book is dedicated to explore questions of memory, imagery, sensation, writing, and other tools of perception that we take for granted. A question is raised on nearly every page. Really interesting questions that, unfortunately, don’t get nearly as fleshed out responses as I would have liked to see. And despite all the pretty pictures, I got kind of bored.

However, Barry’s advice and creativity are certainly useful for new writers and if I ever decide to go down a more creative path, I know who to turn to.