Ignore Everybody is a book written by Hugh MacLeod. The full title of the book is actually Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity. At only 176 pages, this book could be considered light reading for those of us who consume books at an alarming rate, or it could be considered lots of knowledge highly compressed into few words.
Hugh MacLeod not only dispenses some very timeless and thoughtful advice on pursuing your passion, he shares many of his famous business card doodles throughout the book. Please be aware though, if you're easily offended, ignore the cartoons because some of them slant towards the "not safe for work" side of humour.
In helping the reader work through expanding his or her creative process, Hugh also offers career advice — all in short, easy to digest chapters that are crammed with usable information. The best part about Ignore Everybody is that it's not about coming up with the next greatest trend or fad; it's about developing your ideas and seeing them through to fruition, which for me was the reason behind buying the book. I have loads of ideas, I'm very creative that way. However, I then tend to stagnate and research an idea or process to death. I am a Gemini; I am curious; and I will usually try to find out everything I can about something that piques my interest, until something else even shinier catches my attention.
It was my hope that by reading Ignore Everybody, I would find that secret key to unlocking the loop I find myself in and actually move an idea forward to launch. It's not an easy process, and Hugh is honest about that, especially when you have doubters living in your circle of influence.
The author also looks at corporations and how they either kill or enhance the creative process among its employees. As a creative person working in an incredibly non-creative position for several years, I often find myself trying to find creative ways to make my job even remotely interesting or rewarding. What it comes down is the fact that while said job has paid the bills for many years, I have no passion for it, so, yes, I was hoping beyond hope that Hugh's book would light up the garden path for me.
Article comments