9 Self-Help Books to Boost Your Creativity and Mental Health

Say bye to Blue Monday! Build confidence in your process, overcome artist's block, and boost your mental health with these inspiring reads

For almost twenty years, the third Monday of January has been known as Blue Monday because of a calculation in a travel company press release, which claimed to predict the most miserable day of the year. But whether or not the specific date is significant, this time of year can be challenging to our mental health.

Between the end of the holiday season, and the commitment of new year resolutions, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. And when you’re an artist, that can mean nerves about starting new projects, burnout from ongoing work, among other things. But it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom...

Luckily, for as long as there have been struggling artists, there has been advice shared between them. Whether it’s a trusted mentor or an online community, there are many ways to pick yourself back up. And when you want to do some quiet self-development and reflection, there’s nothing better than a whole book filled with another artist’s ethos and inspiration.

So, whether you hope to learn a new skill or reignite a spark, read on for nine books that will lift you out of the rut, out of your comfort zone, and into a great artistic year.

1. Creative Pep Talk: Inspiration from 50 Artists, by Andy J. Miller

Andy J. Miller (a.k.a. Andy J. Pizza) has illustrated for the NY Times, Google, YouTube, and many other brands. Accompanying Miller’s successful podcast, Creative Pep Talk, this book is packed with vividly illustrated wisdom from top creative professionals. Each featured artist reflects on their mindset, process, and more. With stunning visuals alongside each micro pep-talk, this book is particularly good for graphic designers and hand-letterers.

To get an immediate dose of feel-good art content, check out the podcast website here for an inspiring backlog of episodes.

2. Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World, by Eve Rodsky

This book is for the busy people: the people who "used to be creative", and want to eke out a space where that can resurface. Eve Rodsky, best-selling author of Fair Play, advocates for the idea of essential creativity. By approaching creativity as a non-negotiable human instinct, she examines how we can bring it back when it’s been lost.

Learn how to set goals and reignite old interests, building a "unicorn space" where you are free to explore your creativity, whether for money or for pure joy. She speaks throughout with people who have gone on to activism, new careers, side hustles, or hobbies that have made their lives fuller.

3. Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All, by Tom and David Kelley

For those seeking out motivation in the world of business or personal branding, this book is another that focuses on the creative potential everyone holds inside them—even if they wouldn't call themselves an "artist".

Here, creativity is not a mystical thing, but a skill that should be practiced and cultivated in order for us to solve problems in our work and lives. If you want a bravery boost and an action plan when it comes to your career, this is the book for you.

4. Wreck This Journal, by Keri Smith

And now for something completely different… Many of us will have seen a Wreck This Journal in a local book or art store. But have you ever been brave enough to pick one up? This classic of the art journaling genre forces us to disengage from preconceptions and find the childlike play of reinventing every page into something strange and new. Rather than facing the horror of the blank page, respond to prompts and allow your expectations to be subverted.

5. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, by Jenny Odell

The internet has done wonders for artists, allowing them to share their work around the world. But it can also become a distraction or source of comparisonitis and anxiety. This can get us caught in loops of competition, FOMO, and social media scrolling, where it seems impossible to find quietness and "do nothing".

For artist and critic Jenny Odell, doing nothing actually means resisting the demand for attention and focusing on ourselves and our communities. Part self-help, part political manifesto, and somehow part nature encyclopedia, this book is perfect for the artist who wants to escape to a cabin in the woods, while keeping in touch with culture and the vibrancy of the material world.

6. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Known for her fiction including the famous Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert here shares advice on the magic of creativity under equally magic-sounding chapters: Enchantment, Trust, Divinity. And this book really is about the wonder of creativity, and the joy it can bring.

If you have a big dream project that you’re a little intimidated by, this book will guide you through inspiration, persistence, and facing the fear. Instead of giving in to doubts and unhelpful spirals of overthinking, you’ll learn to befriend your creative spark and nurture it.

7. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron

Another classic of the artist self-help genre, The Artist’s Way was first published in 1992 and is structured as a course that will help you recover when your path has become muddled. With a strong spiritual spin that draws on a connection to something "higher" than yourself, this one is perfect for fans of mindfulness and manifestation.

Working through your personal identity as an artist, as well as resilience and self-compassion, this book will help you create a safe space for growth. There is also a companion workbook to help you along your journey.

8. Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles, by Beth Pickens

For many artists, the creative process can be all-consuming in the best way. When you find the thing you love, and the state of flow that comes with it, you might want to keep creating forever! But, inevitably, life gets in the way and throws obstacles in our creative path.

With the firm belief that the world needs your art, advocate Beth Pickens has written a practical guide to tackling the problems that keep artists from fulfillment. After reading, you’ll be ready to build a sustainable and effective practice to set you up for life.

9. The Meaning In The Making: The Why and How Behind Our Human Need to Create, by Sean Tucker

Finally if you're looking for your "why" at the moment, it may help to read the personal philosophies of other artists. Photographer Sean Tucker's powerful read explores the idea that all art is a sort of collective attempt to create meaning and order, in a world that is essentially chaotic. Focusing on mental health and artistic wellbeing, Sean shares personal stories and musings—with almost poetic rhythm—on how to keep motivated with your process and create the work that matters to you.

Each artist is different, facing unique challenges and opportunities as they journey through their career or hobby. And equally, each of these writers comes at the process from a slightly different angle, from the practical to the spiritual. There truly is something for everyone, whatever your approach. Reading the words of other creatives can be a huge relief, reminding us that we’re not alone.

If you're looking to expand your creative skills this year, take a look through our huge range of courses from creative experts.

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