CreativitRy

Name: CreativitRy
Price: 55.73 AUD
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ISBN: 9781839993954

Asia’s Iconic Playwright Reveals the Art of Creativity

Stan Lai

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English

Anthem Press
06 November 2025

Theory of art; Study & learning skills: general; Business innovation

Asia's creative guru Stan Lai has written one of the unique works of our time, explaining that the mysterious act of creativity is actually a traceable function of mind, and there is a path to learn creativity through un-learning many of our habits picked up in life. Through his extensive experience, the greatest living Asian playwright shows us how to cultivate a 'creative app' that works within us.

This book is a rewrite by the author of his best-selling work in Chinese that has become the most prominent work on creativity in China, used by artists as well as schools and corporations. Stan Lai is uniquely qualified to write on creativity, because he not only has four decades of creative experience, widely acclaimed as the greatest playwright in the Chinese language, but also over two decades of teaching experience in the performing arts.

Can creativity be taught? Most of the books and training in this area deal with skills for jumpstarting alternative thinking, brainstorming and other exercises, but do not deal with creativity itself. They don't tackle the obvious question: What is creativity and how can I get it? Lai explains that the reason we don't think creativity can be taught is that we don't really understand what happens in the mysterious process. By slowing down the moment of inspiration, Lai lets us see exactly the elements involved in this complex process that lasts only an instant. Then he shows you how to prepare for this moment, through his unique Map of Creativity. This is a whole path of training in creativity, which he explains clearly and humour and compassion, and tailor-made exercises.

Creativitry is a milestone in understanding and learning the creative act. Born in America, raised in Taiwan, with a career spanning the Chinese diaspora, Lai believes that we are all born creative, but the source to creativity has been blocked, by life. How to take down the barriers that are blocking the source from us is a task of un-learning many things that have become habits and put us into a so-called non-creative mode. Taking his cue from his Buddhist training that wisdom and method are both needed for success in any endeavour, he explains how 'wisdom' has mysteriously vanished from education systems all over. Most teaching in creativity focuses on method, which one learns in one's art. But we need another type of training, more urgently, the training for wisdom, which can only happen in the domain of life. To do, you must first be. To discover your creativity, you must first discover yourself.

By: Stan Lai
Imprint: Anthem Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 356g
ISBN: 9781839993954
ISBN 10: 1839993952
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 06 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Stan Lai is 'The major contemporary Asian playwright of his time, perhaps of all time' (Robert Brustein), 'The best Chinese language playwright and director in the world' (BBC) and 'top theatre director' (Asiaweek). Lai is a cultural icon, considered the greatest living playwright in the Chinese world, some say the world, also a noted educator and creativity guru.

Reviews for CreativitRy: Asia’s Iconic Playwright Reveals the Art of Creativity

“Stan Lai masterfully teaches us how to see and how to do.” —Matthieu Ricard, Author, Notebooks of a Wandering Monk “As one of the world’s leading artists, Stan Lai gives us an invaluable and practical guide for anyone who seeks to live a richer, deeper, more realized life.”— David Henry Hwang, Tony Award–Winning Playwright “Entrepreneurs need the imagination of artists. You must read Stan Lai’s Creativitry. It will help you open your creative mind, making it agile and full of magic.” —Jack Ma, Founder, Alibaba Group “Stan Lai is an exceptional creative artist. [...] In this book, he shares his creative experience to help us remove the barrier of knowledge, to activate the wisdom energy, to give us a look at the mystery of creativity.” —Ang Lee, Academy Award-Winning Director ”A must-read from an internationally renowned artist.” —Shannon Jackson, Cyrus and Michelle Hadidi Professor of the Arts & Humanities, U.C. Berkeley ""The way this book defines it in the age of AI, creativity is a divine gift, simply because it makes us human"" — Octavian Saiu, President of the International Association of Theatre Leaders