The Shape of Ideas: An Illustrated Exploration of Creativity

What a lovely book! I haven't ever read one like it, as comic books are not my usual genre, and this author is a very talented comic creator. It is clever, witty, sensitive, funny, and frank. There are many pages I want to share with people I know, like I would if they were on FB or some social media. I love the Needles and Haystacks one because it feels so true for me. Sometimes I can't seem to find the right haystack, or any haystack. Other times, it feels like there is one that is all needles and I fell into it accidentally, not even looking for any hay. I am a creative person too, although I have never stopped before to reflect upon where my ideas come from or how they develop. It's a very interesting thing to do. I just love this, going to share with all my friends. Appropriate for kids too, would make a really nice gift, as you never know where inspiration will strike, as the author so deftly points out to us. Besides the really thoughtful conceptual comics, the illustrations are just fabulous. I want to cut some out and put them on my fridge. I think I will if I can figure out how to make that happen from my Kindle copy. Please write more Grant Snider. You have a new fan!

This has become an instant classic for me. I borrowed it from a library and had to buy it before I finished reading it.The drawing is beautifully simple and whimsical, yet, it amplifies the writing perfectly. I found myself smiling at the illustrations, and nodding and saying "oh yes" out loud at the insights.This is not just book of cute platitudes and useless affirmations. Sometimes Snider goes into scary territory when it comes to fears and the darker thoughts of the creative class.Snider cuts right through all the bloated text of most self help books and gets right to the point. He is pithy and succinct. I love that.

I finally returned my shamefully overdue copy of The Shape of Ideas to the library and bought one for myself. Partly because, being a lifetime cartoon fan and doodler, I wanted to add it to my cartooning collection—but mainly because it is just flat-out wonderful.Here’s why:Beautiful design and coloring.Elegant writing, with delightful plot twists, rhymes and wordplay, and a sprinkling of fairy dust.Sly, charming visual jokes all over the place (if you look closely).In total, a marvelous meditation on the creative process. Encouraging, funny, honest and brave.Here’s just a sampler of my many, many favorite cartoons:Me and the Muses (p. 18-19)Hitting a Wall (p. 34)Snail’s Pace (p. 80)Sketchbooks of the Pros (p. 94)Partly Cloudy (p. 130-131)(Even the titles are little gems!)What else can I say? Buy The Shape of Ideas for yourself and any other creative, thoughtful person you know.

I just couldn't put this down! He nails every artists' dreams, nightmares, creative process, observations, hopes, fears, and beauty in simple, wonderful, concise pictures that have left me speechless, warm and fuzzy, and hoping for more! So unique and original...thoughtful and inspiring. Incredible! I hope there is much more to come. I am now a fan for life😋😋

Because of the visual content, the book is pretty short and can be finished in an hour or so. However, because each comic has meaning behind it, more than just something humorous, you might miss out on it if you just speed through the book. I recommend reading a few pages a day so you can process the advice or meaning behind each comic.

What a clever book! It's the perfect coffee table book. Each page is full of quirky, clever, and filled with inspired ideas and illustrations. Each page has enough detail and storiesto be it's own chapter. People can't help but pick it up! I can't wait for the next one by this author.

Fun, insightful look into creative process and struggle. As someone who followed his comics for a while I found being able to read them in the right order made me appreciate them more.

I get regular postings for the comic, "Incidental Comics" by Grant Snider on my Facebook news feed so I was so happy to get a bunch of them in book form! A lovely book for an "creative type" or anyone, really. The comics are interesting as well as thought-provoking. Highly entertaining, good, clean stuff.

More like a comic book than I expected but still fun to read

Lovely graphics. Really great piece of work wither for a relaxing read or of course for some much needed creative inspiration

Beautiful little book - the ideas themselves are thoughtful, thought-provoking, insightful and charming. The illustrations are beautiful and creative. It frequently prompts re-assessment of what I'm doing and serves as gentle, insistent inspiration.

My daughter absolutely loves this book and brings it around with her. Many thanks!

This is an amazing book. I simply love it. It is easy to go through, both motivational and inspiring. The perfect little gift for a creative person. A true collection piece, I hope to have it in my book shelf for a long long time.