“How do rebels build teams that foster everyone’s individuality, and encourage dissimilar people to collaborate without demanding conformity? The Art of Creative Rebellion offers practical advice for creating order without too much control or chaos.”
Kim Scott, Author of Radical Candor
“John S. Couch’s manifesto is the perfect inspiration for creatives of all types—from artists to writers, to entrepreneurs and scientists. We all have a creative rebel within us, and John shows the way to awaken our inner creators and makers.”
Tim Chang, Partner, Mayfield Fund
“John S. Couch is a refreshingly honest truth teller who shares his experiences with us and brings us along for the ride. Grab this book whenever you need to jump-start your creative engine.”
Maria Giudice, Founder, Author, Coach, Consultant, Co-author of Rise of the DEO
The Art of Creative Rebellion
A Survival Guide for the Creative Rebel
Page Two Books, January 21st, 2020, 256 pages
978-1-989025-94-9 print
978-1-989025-95-6 ebook
Paperback with flaps
$19.95 US / $24.95 CAD / $14.99 GBP
Digital formats
9.99 US / 9.99 CAD
No one prepares the young designer or creative aspirant for the real world, once they exit college and enter the start-up or corporate sector. The Art of Creative Rebellion is a letter to a young designer on how to navigate the labyrinthine and often convulsive environments of modern businesses, while maintaining a strong grip to the reason why anyone becomes an artist, designer or maker: to create.
Written in an irreverent tone, each chapter begins with a principle, followed by an anecdote that illustrates how the author screwed up his way forward to arrive at said principle. The book is written broadly enough to apply to all forms of creative endeavor (art, music, writing) in these tumultuous times of extreme organizational and technological changes.
“…This book is about rebellion. Not destructive rebellion but creative rebellion. The creative act is initially viewed as disruptive and therefore it’s often suppressed, even by companies that seek to be ‘innovative’ — a word that has lost almost all of its meaning through repetition. As a creative person you may find yourself simultaneously: admired and repressed; considered integral to the company or project you are working on and then unceremoniously discarded after you deliver the goods; celebrated and then isolated. This is the path of all creative individuals or those who aspire to the creative path. It’s tough but in my estimation, there is no other way to live.”
Excerpt from the chapter “Rebel, Rebel” The Art of Creative Rebellion