New Package, Same Stuff

This book is full of tidbits of creative advice, but those tidbits don’t really add up to anything new.

I like Kurtz, and I liked many of the things he had to say in this book. But much of the advice here I had already heard elsewhere, and put forward in a much more compelling fashion. Each page is designed like a handwritten note, which is nice visually, but doesn’t leave much room to develop these core ideas further. Overall this makes for a pretty superficial book of advice that is closer to a collection of creative affirmations. Which works, since the pages are perforated so you can place these affirmations wherever they will serve you best.

But if you’re looking for advice, head elsewhere. There’s a lot of hedging language that is meant to soften the “blow” of what Kurtz has to say, and he even says ” sorry this is harsh,” but none of what he’s saying is particularly tough, it’s just the truth of pursuing art for personal or professional purposes.

And finally, getting into nitpick territory: the book was physically really difficult to read. The pages are really thick and glossy, and because it’s a small book that made it hard to actually pull the book open and hold it open long enough to read. Another nitpick: crossed out curse words? What audience is that for, exactly? Cause if we know you’re trying to say, then we’re old enough to handle seeing the actual word, and if you were worried swears would make your book too edgy or whatever, then why put them in at all?

Thanks for reading! This has been Kristen Is Very Petty & Prejudiced towards Self-Help Books.

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