Creative Endurance 56 Rules for Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Your Goals

by Schnaidt, Mike

• ISBN13: 9780760384824
• ISBN10: 0760384827
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2024-01-16
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers

Summary

Unlock Your Creative Potential and Go the Distance

Creative Endurance is the ultimate guide for every creative professional seeking to stay motivated, inspired, and resilient while achieving big-picture goals.

Feeling stuck or burned out? Creative director of Fast Company and accomplished marathon runner Mike Schnaidt shares powerful strategies to help you push through creative blocks and stay inventive in any situation—throughout your career and life.

Packed with 56 actionable “rules” and inspiring stories from designers, astronauts, illustrators, ultramarathoners, chefs, photographers, and even an Olympic Gold medalist, this book offers a rare blend of practical advice and motivational insights to fuel your creative journey.

• Persevere like Sagi Haviv, the graphic designer behind the US Open logo, who created over 6,000 sketches to craft the perfect design.
• Step behind the lens with Peter Yang as he captures unforgettable moments with icons like Barack Obama.
• Reach new heights with astronaut Jeanette Epps, who transitioned from Ford Motor Company engineer to NASA astronaut.
• Cook up creativity with Molly Baz, celebrated cookbook author, as she shares her approach to crafting irresistible recipes.
• Adopt the mental toughness of Olympic Gold medalist Billy Demong to prepare for any challenge.
• Gain focus and endurance from racing legend Hurley Haywood, with expert advice on sustaining motivation over the long haul.

Divided into four beautifully illustrated sections—Your Day, Your Project, Your Job, and Your Life—Creative Endurance provides a roadmap for navigating daily routines, tackling massive projects, and building a sustainable, thriving creative career. You’ll learn how to sharpen your focus, strengthen your imagination, pitch ideas with confidence, handle feedback, and manage challenges like hiring, budgeting, and scaling your impact.

Each chapter wraps up with interactive prompts and engaging activities designed to inspire action and reflection.

Whether you're launching your first creative project or leading a creative team, Creative Endurance will help you stay driven, overcome obstacles, and achieve lasting success—without sacrificing your well-being.

Author Biography

Mike Schnaidt is a designer, educator, and writer based in Jersey City, New Jersey. His first book, Creative Endurance, offers practical tips to help creatives overcome their biggest challenges. As Fast Company’s creative director, he leads a team of art directors and photo editors who create visual content for the brand. Schnaidt has designed a variety of publications covering pop culture, fashion, food, and science, and has won awards from the Society of Publication Designers, Advertising Age, and Art Directors Club. He holds a Master of Science in Communication Design from Pratt Institute and teaches graphic design at Kean University.

Table of Contents

Introduction
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Section 1: Your Day

• Harness Your Anxiety
• Race Through Distractions
• Break a Routine
• The Pitch Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect
• Unleash Your Creative Power Suit
• One (and a Half) Things at a Time
• Boring Tasks Can be Meaningful
• Don’t Respond so Quickly
• Stop Trying so Hard
• Move Faster by Thinking Less.
• End Your Day on Time.
• Don’t Always End Your Day on Time.

Interviews:

• Yuko Shimizu
• Jeanette Epps
• David Cooper
• Dean Karnazes
• Angela Riechers

Takeaways
Activities
 
Section 2: Your Project

• Start with Research.
• Just. Say. Yes.
• Set Simple Goals for a Complex Project.
• Revisions Aren’t That Bad.
• Make a Case for Your Work.
• Versions. Versions. Versions.
• Plan for a Wrench.
• Break Big Projects into Small Pieces.
• Put Your Errors on Trial.
• Give Honest Feedback.
• The Clients Aren’t Always Right.
• The Clients Aren’t Always Wrong.

Interviews:

• Joshua Ramus
• Evelyn Dong
• Sagi Haviv
• Massy Arias
• Peter Yang

Takeaways
Activities
 
Section 3: Your Job

• Be Yourself in an Interview.
• Hire a Diverse Team.
• Be the New Person. Again.
• Presentations Don't Suck.
• Small Budgets are Big Opportunities.
• Imposter Syndrome is Fuel.
• Dream Up the Perfect Job.
• Be Direct With a Tough Boss.
• Take the Scenic Route to Your Promotion.
• Hire People You Can Hang With.
• It’s Time to Let Someone Go.
• A Job Loss is Good For You.

Interviews:

• Molly Baz
• Camille Gerke
• Zakiya Pope
• Hurley Haywood
• Anthony Giglio

Takeaways
Activities
Section 4: Your Life

• Define Your Measure of Success.
• You’re the Leader! Now Relax.
• Culture is Your Superpower.
• Find a Creative Co-pilot.
• Feed Your Values.
• You Don’t Have to Win An Award.
• But An Award Never Hurts.
• One-up Yourself.
• Embrace Criticism.
• Pull from Experience
• Be Yourself.
• Make an Impact.

Interviews:

• Jaspal Riyait
• Jay Osgerby
• Billy Demong
• Caroline Gleich
• Russell Francis

Takeaways
Activities
 
Visual Index
Acknowledgements