Eric Maisel is a humble, brilliant writer on creativity, a guru (though he would argue against the very term) to the stumblers like me. Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions breaks no new ground but instead takes Maisel’s notions of ‘making meaning’ and living through creativity to prod us towards obsession. Not the destructive obsessions endlessly named and chronicled in memoirs but what he calls ‘productive obsessions’. By giving ourselves permission to drop everything for real work, rather than everyday nothingness, by then igniting a fire underneath us to obsess over a big goal, we achieve and we light up our lives. As always, Maisel’s writing is supple and melodic, and the message set out in accessible chapters is fully practical. Quotations from an Internet ‘obsession group’ run by the author add real-life examples. Fascinating sidebar historical examples, presumably sourced by co-author Ann Maisel, illustrate how weird and wonderful, and how inspiring, obsessions can be.
Brainstorm is a solid addition to Eric Maisel’s lifesaving body of work. 3 stars.