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A Whack on the Side of the Head How You Can Be More Creative
Author: Roger von Oech

Who is Heraclitus, and what is he whacking, you ask? Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher, widely considered the world's first creativity teacher. The deck has 32 cards, each containing a "whack," or eye-opening exercise based on the epigrams of Heraclitus. They will spur creative thinking and allow you to look at a problem ... more »

ISBN-13: 9780446391580
ISBN-10: 0446391581
Publication Date: 4/1/1990
Pages: 196
Rating:

Currently 3.5/5 Stars.

3.5 stars, based on 23 ratings

Publisher: Warner Books
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

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Mark L. reviewed A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative on 8/28/2006 + 8 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Roger von Oech's classic on creativity. Very visual with lots of illustrations. It was a little too "business-y" for my creative self, but if you're coming at it from that angle you might really like it.

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Christine G. (theveryidea) reviewed A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative on 11/6/2006 + 2 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Helpful when brainstorming by yourself...

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Andrea B. (AndreaB) reviewed A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative on 10/31/2006 + 42 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Roger vonOech conducts creativity seminars for companies like Apple, CBS, Coca-Cola, GE, P&G ... This book is part of the CREATIVE WHACK PACK, which comes with creativity cards to stimulate discussion. Are great tool for brainstorming meetings and also staff meetings, when you want people to think outside the box. It makes business planning fun!

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Emilia H. reviewed A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative on 3/19/2007 + 22 more book reviews

Some good ideas.

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Steven C. (SteveTheDM) - , reviewed A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative on 10/13/2014 + 204 more book reviews

I read this because Mark Rosewater (of Magic the Gathering fame) recommended it in a number of his podcasts.

It's sort of a self-help book for people who want to be more creative. Or a study in the whys and wherefores of creativity. And if you're truly in a position where constantly reinventing your approach to become essentially institutionally (or even industrially) creative, this book has a lot of great approaches.

For the rest of us... It's nice to look back on when we're stumped about stuff, I suppose... But I'm not certain I take anything away from it directly. Maybe the next time I'm stumped on something it'll help, but in all honesty, it's been quite a while since I've been that kind of stumped. Perhaps rather than "more creative", what I truly desire in my own projects is "more artistry", which this book doesn't really address.

Anyway: it's got some nifty thoughts. It'll sit in the back of my mind for a while, and I probably won't trade the book away, so that I can come back to it in the future. It spoke truth, not shyster-ism, to me.

3 of 5 stars.

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