Abstract

Join Marisol D’Andrea, PhD, as she explores the potential of artistic thinking, demonstrating the untapped power of this awe-inspiring process. A visual artist herself, D’Andrea shows you how artists think and what we can learn from them, drawing on her own experience and those from others who embrace this passion. You’ll find a treasure trove of information about how the arts influence innovation and increase the opportunity for artistic practices that encourage you to self-transform and to live life “like a work of art.” D’Andrea takes you on a journey of exploration, expanding on the existing literature and scholars’ perspectives. She examines the prominent and distinctive characteristics of the artist’s thought process, supported by interviews and dialogues with artists, scholars, and leaders. D’Andrea distils artistic thinking into a number of common elements: passion and obsession; imagination and belief; observation and connection; visualization and pondering; learning and explore; and practice and repetition. They all provide the spark for self-transformation and innovation. Following her lead, you’ll have plenty of fodder for starting the conversation and ripening your thinking. Says D’Andrea, “Through the arts, I learned—and I hope you will learn, too—how to prioritize your thinking (i.e., follow your passions), how to think (e.g., imagine), when to think (e.g., explore), and to discover who you are (e.g., self-transform) … It was artistic thinking that empowered me and spurred me on to write this book.”