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    Creativity: The Perfect Crime
    Creativity: The Perfect Crime
    Creativity: The Perfect Crime
    Audiobook4 hours

    Creativity: The Perfect Crime

    Written by Philippe Petit

    Narrated by Walter Dixon

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Since well before his epic 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, Philippe Petit had become an artist who answered first and foremost to the demands of his craft-not only on the high wire, but also as a magician, street juggler, visual artist, builder, and writer. A born rebel like many creative people, he was from an early age a voracious learner who taught himself, cultivating the attitudes, resources, and techniques to tackle even seemingly impossible feats. His outlaw sensibility spawned a unique approach to the creative process-an approach he shares, with characteristic enthusiasm, irreverence, and originality in Creativity: The Perfect Crime.
    Making the listener his accomplice, Petit reveals new and unconventional ways of going about the artistic endeavor, from generating and shaping ideas to practicing and problem-solving to pulling off the “coup” itself-executing a finished work. The strategies and insights he shares will resonate with performers of every stripe (actors, musicians, dancers) and practitioners of the non-performing arts (painters, writers, sculptors), and also with ordinary mortals in search of fresh ways of tackling the challenges and possibilities of everyday existence.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAscent Audio
    Release dateJul 1, 2014
    ISBN9781469059495
    Creativity: The Perfect Crime
    Author

    Philippe Petit

    Philippe Petit is a world-renowned high wire artist who has performed all over the world. He lives in the Catskills and New York City, where he is artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

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    Reviews for Creativity

    3.5/5

    30 ratings12 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Creativity: The Perfect Crime by Philippe Petit has the feel of having been written in fits and spurts; therefore, it may be best to read in this manner, also. It is as if Petit has frequent outbursts of thought regarding topics such as serendipity, his mental process of preparing for his stunts that include high-wire walking (which perhaps he is best known for -- especially his walk between the WTC twin towers) and juggling, what kind of writing tools he prefers, and such. As a result of how this book is presented, it took a long time for me to read this. I'd pick it up, read for a while, put it down and pick it up again a day or two later (or longer). It's interesting to see what goes through Petit's mind and I admire his highly focused efforts on how to accomplish his feats, but this book actually seems to be unfocused in its efforts to keep the reader engaged. I also feel that the title is misleading -- it is not about how the reader can delve into his/her own creativity, but rather it is a book about Petit's own creative process which is highly individualistic.
    • 3/5
      Although loosely structured around the creation of a Petit work of art from start to finish, the book struck me as more of a vignette-filled autobiography. It has lots of ideas and suggestions and encouragement about creativity, but mostly it is Petit exclaiming (and there are SO many exclamation points) "Look! I am an artist! This is how I ART!" You get a fascinating peek at how Petit's mind works -- or how he wants you to think it works; the man is a performer through and through. He is Confident! Contradictory! Passionate! Unexpected! And he thinks you should be, also! The sketches and drawings were my favorite part, especially his personal journal pages.
    • 3/5
      Creativity offers the reader an intriguing tour through the life and mind of Philippe Petit. While the book does offer some helpful insights into Petit’s own creative process, I do not know how quickly I would recommend it to others. The most helpful portions of the book, in my opinion, were the vignettes that showed how the practices of creativity can facilitate innovative problem-solving strategies.
    • 3/5
      "Make no mistake. I frown upon books about creativity."

      This is how Philippe Petit opens *Creativity: The Perfect Crime.* And this is definitely not your typical book on creativity. In it, Petit explores his own creative process, but rarely gives concrete advice (though there is plenty of abstract advice). But anyone who reads the opening paragraph, and then expects a typical book about creativity, has missed the author's point entirely.

      This book is more an exploration of one person's creative process, not a blueprint for others to follow. And while this book has drawn comparisons to *The Creative Habit* and *The Artist's Way* it is not like those books at all. There are no exercises, no clear explanations of how he takes a project from inception to completion.

      Instead, it is a look inside a creative mind, meant to be an inspiration, a place to look for ideas. It is not a how-to-be-creative book, but a how-the-author-is-creative-and-might-inspire-you book.
    • 4/5
      it's a complete surprise that the man who plans and accomplishes batshit crazy feats is also batshit crazy in his description of how he accomplishes his feats, isn't it? if you prefer rules and "steps to follow to become creative," this book isn't going to do it for you, but it will provide a close example of what it may be like to be inside Petit's wonderfully scattered-yet-determined brain.
    • 3/5
      It is probably just me, but it took everything I had to force myself to keep reading this book to the end. Petit writes in his foreword to the book, "Make no mistake. I frown upon books about creativity." Perhaps he should have listened to his instincts here. Some things just can't be written about, perhaps.
    • 3/5
      It could be that I misunderstood what the book was about. The author, Philippe Petit, is the man who tight roped walked across the two towers in New York many years ago ago as well as many other feats of daring. He is a man of many talents -not all of them legal (pickpocketing), hence the title of the book. The author writes about the methods that he uses to keep the creative juices flowing in his life. My problem with the book is that I don't think that this is a one size fits all topic. Although many of his suggestions do have merit to someone seeking a creative lifestyle much of the book is off the topic and pertinent to the author alone in my opinion.
    • 3/5
      I cannot read this book without thinking of what has got to be the most fascinating, daring, gripping, oddball, stunt ever. It chills me to the bone to think of anyone doing it. I almost cannot fathom it. To think a man stretched a wire between the world trade centers and walked it for about 45 minutes. I mean, think about it, it seems impossible.So I was very excited about this book. Clearly this man is very creative, has a bold quirky take on life and art. So what did I think? I love equating art with crime. In his particular case, all his stunts are criminal and I liked contemplating that notion. It was a clever conceit. I loved the bits about how he had to be creative to pull of his famous wire stunt (and others). There were clever ideas scattered throughout that you could put on a photo and create a Facebook meme.Overall, the book was hard to get through. I read it slowly over a few weeks and when I finally finished it--I was skimming the last few parts. I kept thinking, man what an arrogant guy this is. Then I remembered what he does and I think that he has earned the right to be arrogant. It seemed like fitting arrogance. So if this guy interests you, if you know his work, you'll like this. But there are much better books on creativity and life out there. Read this for a view into the mind of an irresistable man.
    • 3/5
      I won this book in a LibraryThing Early reviewers giveaway. Creativity, The Perfect Crime by Phillipe Petit, is a study of the author's secrets to maintaining and honing his many creative talents. Some of the author's advice could be applied to any art form, such as the importance of practicing your craft daily. Other suggestions, such as forming a strong relationship with the tools of your trade, seem mainly to apply to the performing arts, such as juggling and magic. I will admit, I had trouble with this book. The author's style, while energetic, is choppy and hard to follow. Some of the chapters did not seem coherent or to the point. Even though I could not finish the book, I did get something useful out of it. The author's enthusiasm and passion for his craft is apparent on every page. I couldn't help but wonder how much an average person's life would be improved with this level of devotion to an art form or any useful human endeavor. And what a wonderful gift to carry into old age--the ability to be passionate about everyday life. I can't imagine anything more important.
    • 3/5
      Not to take away anything from Mr. Petit as an artist of the highest magnitude, but I found his writing style to be arrogant and cloying. Perhaps Petit's French sophistication is lost on me as an average American, but I kept hearing the voice from the old SNL parody of Celine Dion in my head all while trying to slog through this book; "I am zee greatest singer in zee world!" That's not to say the book is useless as you can cull some good artistic tips from it, it was just so hard for me to get past how awesome the author thinks he is.
    • 5/5
      I like this book a LOT. I despise the subtitle. It seems more the "beloved bad boy" rather than the actual criminal mind behind the creativity. Very European in concept -- perhaps appropriately very French with influences from Jacques Derrida (Glas) or Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, and more Writing Down the Bones than Artist's Way. Like the format. Like the color insets at the end of each chapter. Able to read in any order even from front to back. So much material to absorb that it took me four days to work through it. Highly intellectualized, so would appeal most, I'd think to the academic reader interested in creativity from the physical (wire walking) to the artistic and above all, to writers looking for a creative burst.
    • 4/5
      "Creativity" by Philippe Petit is not an instruction book; it is a work of art. Petit is not foolish enough to attempt concocting a formula for creativity. Rather, he invites the reader to enter into the experience of creating—his experience. Reading this book is like being in Petit’s mind. That will be frightening to some. Linear thinkers will find this book confusing and frustrating. Those searching for rules and directions will be disappointed. Just when you think Petit is providing some sage advice, he playfully contradicts himself. This is a book of paradoxes. Petit provides no solid ground for the reader to rest upon. Not surprising, since the author is best known for his incredible high wire walks. It is also no surprise that he eschews hard and fast rules. This is a man who habitually breaks the law to practice his art, as he did when he crossed a high wire suspended between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Do not approach the reading of this book as though it were a series of lectures to be understood. Rather, enter into the flow of the author’s thoughts and allow your own insights to emerge. Approach the book as you would a fine glass of wine. Focus all your senses on the experience, and revel in the inspiration that emerges. Then go create!